u/CarlSagan4Ever

Spicy title, but hear me out. My partner and I make $150k (combined! We both work at nonprofits, not tech related). We live in a 3 bedroom in Oakland that we absolutely love. Before this we made 90k combined and lived in a one-bedroom that was a little too small but a great location. We get takeout multiple times a week, go to ticketed events usually once a week, we travel, get tattoos, it’s not like we’re monks. We’re not investing huge amounts but I max out my IRA every year. We don’t have kids, but we do have pets. And I have a ton of other friends in our situation in the Bay Area — nonprofit workers making $80k with a kid, tattoo artists and masseuses and bartenders working for cash making $50-60k a year. When I see posts like, “Is $350k enough to live in the Bay Area?” I feel like I’m on a different planet. Is it a quality of life thing? A childcare thing? A housing thing? Maybe we live in different spheres of the Bay but I’m having a great time in mine and I’m here to say that you don’t need a huge salary to live happily here, especially if you’re willing to be flexible.

To be clear, this seems like a good thing! There were like three empty lots near me (East Oakland) that are suddenly in the past two months starting to build what looks like new housing, which is awesome. These lots have sat empty for literal years. Just wondering if folks are seeing this in other parts of the city & why now, like if some permits have been sped up at city hall. Whatever is happening, let’s keep it up!

Isn’t open for orders or answering the phone, did something happen? Please don’t tell me my favorite Thai spot is closed!

Edited to add: their website is completely offline and redirects to a wix page