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tiny homes

Man's tour of his $1200 NYC micro-apartment is wild

There is likely not a single adult that doesn't know that living in New York City is ridiculously expensive. It's been expensive since before there was a Carrie Bradshaw refusing to let go of her rent controlled apartment and the prices in the late 90s show "Sex and the City" were much lower than current day. Most people are not expecting reasonable rent for reasonable sized apartments in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

What people likely weren't expecting was how expensive an apartment the size of a walk in closet would cost. That's not an exaggeration, the micro apartments in New York city are so small that it would take someone three to four steps to make it to the other side. But somehow the space accommodates a bed, which doubles as a couch, a bathroom and what they're labeling as a kitchen.

Seeing the micro apartments empty makes it difficult to imagine how someone would live in such a small place. Quincy Weirts, a dog groomer in NYC wanted to give his family and friends a tour of his new micro apartment which unintentionally ends up satisfying the curiosity of strangers after he uploaded it on social media.

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From the start of the video it's evident that the apartment is much smaller than one would expect. Weirts is standing in the middle of the apartment and sits down onto his futon pointing to the front door and other areas around the room. A friend is sitting on the floor directly in front of the door as there doesn't appear to be anywhere else they can sit. Just a couple steps from the front door is the kitchen space that sits right outside the bathroom door.

The kitchen has a small sink that also doubles as the counter space and two burners to cook with and no oven. There's a micro-fridge that fits in the space under the burners. Surprisingly the bathroom isn't much smaller than a half bathroom that you'd find in just about any small house or apartment. While the apartment lacks some serious storage space and the only closet is blocked by the bed, it does seem to have everything a college kid or single adult needs to live contently in the city.

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The video has over 2.5 million views leading to comments from people fascinated by the tiny living space and the extraordinary price point. And while some were worried about the dog not having enough space, Weirts assured viewers that his dog goes on multiple walks a day and goes to work with him daily.

Once everyone got over the shock of the price tag for the micro apartment, people were quick to jump in with ideas to help with functional decorations to add storage space.


Someone offered a solution for Weirts not having enough space to hang his television saying, "Get a projector and watch tv on the brick wall across the ally."

Another suggests, "Get rid of extra. Like keep 2 mugs, 2 cups etc. store all the kitchen stuff above the cabinet. I think being more minimalist would really improve the way it looks and feels."

One person offers ideas for making more space, "Storage on the back of the bathroom door for spices, cooking utensils etc and then a cover for the stove so it can be used as a counter top."


Someone else thinks the tiny apartment videos should become a regular thing, "So hear me out… make this a series. Let us watch you make it your cozy home! I’m super excited for you!"

Of course there were people very focused on the price compared to what you get, but the man shares that he's happy with the apartment. He was recently accepted into Columbia University and wanted an apartment within his budget near the college and the micro apartment fit his needs perfectly. Weirts is dedicated to making his home feel cozy and now he has an unexpected audience ready to come along on his journey.

Why aren't millennials buying houses? They can't afford it.

When the economy bounced back, millennial salary prospects didn't.

Have you seen this guy?

Memes from here and here.


Friends, meet "Old Economy Steve."

On the Internet, Steve has become the judgmental, clueless baby-boomer embodiment of millennials' worst money-related frustrations.

Who is he, exactly? Well, Old Economy Steve knew how to pull himself up by his bootstraps. He graduated from college without student debt, immediately got a high-paying job, and plans to retire with a pension. He just can't understand why those lazy millennials are living with their parents and still unemployed. (Spoiler: Old Economy Steve is kind of a jerk.)

Of course, Old Economy Steve is really just the fictionalized version of millennial financial anxieties. (And, by the way, it seems like the real "Steve" in the photo is actually a down-to-earth guy). I'd like to think most boomers are a little more compassionate toward us young folk than he is, too, but his meme definitely reflects the discomfort that many millennials have with their money situations right now.

Well, then. Thanks, Google.

What do I mean by “millennial money situations?"

You've heard it all before, so sing along if you know the words: Millennials aren't buying houses, they're not buying cars, they're not saving for retirement, and sometimes they're not even moving out of their parents' basements.

Is all of this because millennials are lazy? Entitled? Coddled? Snake people? Poor planners?

Not quite. A lot of folks would argue that it's because millennials have no money (check out that point of view in an article from the New York Times earlier this year). Here are a few truth bombs that might explain what's going on:

1. Millennial wages aren't just frozen — they're actually shrinking.

Many millennials were either in college or about to graduate when the recession hit hard. Lots of employees across the U.S. were let go — not exactly the best economic climate when you're looking for your first job.

And while the economy bounced back, their salary prospects did not. As The Atlantic pointed out last year, average wages for young people have fallen by 10% in many industries since 2007. Add that to the fact that many millennials live in big cities with extremely high rents and high costs of living because that's where the jobs are.

Just to put it in perspective, the average male student graduating from college in 1979 made an hourly wage of $19.97 (adjusted for inflation). For 2010 graduates, the average hourly wage was $21.77 — down almost a dollar from 2000. And female graduates make even less than that. You can point that out to them when they ask why you're not planning on buying a house in your 20s.

So we're not getting paid as much as previous generations of young adults were getting paid, we live in places where it's not really feasible to buy a home, and of course…

2. Student loans eat up a hefty chunk of whatever income millennials have left.

The average student loan debt for the class of 2011 was $26,600. Most of those students are living under the shadow of that debt for years, sometimes even decades.

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Say hello to Sallie Mae (she's on the left.)

Experts posit that millennials are less likely to be homeowners than previous generations mostly because all of their cash is going toward paying off their debt. Most are unable to save.

But there's one more piece of information that might surprise you about millennials' finances:

3. We're finding ways to fix the problem.

I'm going to speak for my generation for a second here: Just because we're young, it doesn't mean we're lazy. We haven't given up yet. In fact, a lot of us are finding some really creative solutions to cope with the changing economy.

Like what? Like tiny houses. These little homes are inexpensive, energy-efficient, and quickly becoming a trend. And in the future, we might even see apartment-like buildings made of mobile “smart homes."

Tiny homes! Image from Guillaume Dutilh on Wikimedia Commons.

We're also being smarter about our health care costs, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act. The uninsured rate for young folks is lower now than it's been since before 1997.

And we're putting pressure on our lawmakers to get real about paralyzing student loans. There's no reason interest rates on student debt should be so high, and some elected representatives and candidates are speaking up about it.

So, lazy? Entitled? Coddled? Snake people? Poor planners? Not quite.

Unable to keep their heads above water? That seems more like it. Admittedly, there's a lot of systemic work still to be done for millennials and their financial security. I'm in the thick of it with all the rest of you.

But there's also a lot that we're already doing — because just like every other generation, we want control over our futures.