The Real Cost of a Family Home
Sacrifices and pleasure — is it worth it?
Where I live
I am in my mid-fifties and live in Vancouver, Canada, a stupidly expensive city. My home cost close to one million when I bought it in 2017.
I lived in a suburb of the city for 18 years before that, in a four-bedroom, 2600 square foot home, to my now half-duplex, 1100 square feet, in the city’s downtown east side, with the poorest postal code in the country, and a half dozen blocks from the saddest street scene, at the corner of Main St. and Hastings. For me, it is a good place. Nearby jazz pub, a sense of community. Always, people with stories that they share. I cannot walk to the library without someone asking me about the books in my arms — does it get better than that?
I am a writer
Since 1992, I have earned all of my living from writing fiction (for the most part) and contract teaching, ghost-writing, freelance editing… all writing-related. The most I have ever made in a year (and that was a rare year) was $52k, and the average is closer to $36k. Many years far less than that. My deceased partner was a musician who never made more than 60k. I’ve been widowed for over five years.
