How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It\u2019s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.<\/p>\n
We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people \u2014 rich, poor or somewhere in between \u2014 live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?<\/a><\/p>\n Glennys Torres\u2019s door in the Bronx is, at once, a portal to a small business and a home. Stepping in, a cacophony of children\u2019s voices rises from the first floor. Along the stairs that lead to the second floor are paper tapestries covered in finger paint drying in the midafternoon sun.<\/p>\n These are the early signs of a business beginning to flourish, but one that comes with risks.<\/p>\n For much of her adulthood, Ms. Torres, 36, worked long hours as a teacher\u2019s assistant in Manhattan, living in her mother-in-law\u2019s rent controlled apartment in the Bronx with her family of five.<\/p>\n But after 10 years, Ms. Torres felt as if her wages were stagnating at the same time the city was getting more expensive. Despite a decade of experience, she lacked a teaching degree, which prevented her from getting raises, she said.<\/p>\n So last year, Ms. Torres made the decision to leave behind the security of her job to start a day care \u2014 one that she hopes will eventually offer her family the ability to propel themselves across income brackets and ZIP codes.<\/p>\n \u201cI know one day I\u2019d like to have a house with a backyard where my kids can play and get dirty and I can garden,\u201d said Ms. Torres, who immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic at 18. \u201cI don\u2019t need luxuries, I would still manage my business but just maybe from a house upstate. It would be nice to not worry about rent every month.\u201d<\/p>\n Budgeting with Debt<\/p>\n Before opening the day care, Ms. Torres earned $46,000 annually, which amounted to roughly $36,000 a year after taxes. Her husband, Edward Torres, 39, works part time as a home health aide and his earnings brought the family\u2019s after tax income to roughly $45,000.<\/p>\n The income wasn\u2019t high enough to qualify for small business loans, so Ms. Torres took what little savings she had and poured it into the lease for the day care. That cost $10,500, including first and last month\u2019s rent plus a security deposit.<\/p>\n The family now lives on the second floor of the building in the Wakefield section of the Bronx and operates the day care downstairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel proud, but, at the same time, I feel a lot of fear because what happens if none of this works? What will I do then?\u201d Ms. Torres said. \u201cI used to cry every first day of the month because I knew rent was due. I still do cry \u2014 a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n At first, the business was slow to take off. For six months, they only had one student. Ms. Torres would compose herself in front of parents, but would often go to an empty room to sob alone.<\/p>\n Today, the family pays $3,500 a month for a renovated 3-bedroom apartment and $3,500 a month to lease the unit below them for the day care. Utilities stack up: roughly $500 in electricity for both units, $200 for the family\u2019s cellphone plan and about $80 a month for the internet.<\/p>\n Ms. Torres, who has an associate degree in business, used credit cards in order to finance her business. The family currently has over $20,000 in business related debt and has had to tighten the spending belt.<\/p>\n \u201cMoney right now, there\u2019s not enough. Literalmente,\u201d said Ms. Torres, speaking Spanglish. \u201cSometimes I feel bad, like I can\u2019t do enough for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Her husband earns $19.65 per hour, working 20 hours per week. The rest of the time he is at the center, driving children via a car-pooling service they offer. The family receives SNAP benefits for food, but estimates that they still spend almost $200 a month on groceries.<\/p>\n Affording Summer Camp<\/p>\n While working her old job, Ms. Torres struggled with where to send her children during the day. They would sometimes return home rattled from free summer camps offered by public schools. There were fights, unruly children and overworked teachers, she said. Leaving them at home in front of a screen was no better.<\/p>\n With the day care, she can keep an eye on her children upstairs while she runs the business downstairs. Most importantly, she makes sure none of the children are glued to their devices.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a zero electronics policy,\u201d Ms. Torres said. \u201cIf you are with a kid and he\u2019s on a tablet, he\u2019s not processing the world around him. But if you give him a paint brush and a canvas, you see his personality start to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n The day care\u2019s name is a nod to this value: Little Creators Daycare.<\/p>\n The family caught a break with The Fresh Air Fund, which provides sleepaway camps to children in underserved communities, including free gear, transportation and lodging. The family enrolled their three children in a camp set up in honor of 15-year-old Lesandro \u201cJunior\u201d Guzman-Feliz, who was a victim of gang violence<\/a> in the Bronx.<\/p>\n Ms. Torres\u2019s oldest son, Ryan, 16, has attended for eight years and is a camp counselor in training. Her other two children, Darius, 11, and Evander, 10, are returning for their third summer.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted them to be in nature, play in the dirt, get dirty,\u201d Ms. Torres said. \u201cWhen they came back saying that they couldn\u2019t wait for next year, I knew it was the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n New Business, New Opportunities<\/p>\n Ms. Torres uses free time to pick up extra work. She prepares paperwork for other day cares, earning $150 per consultation.<\/p>\n After months of struggling, Ms. Torres now has nine students, which pulls in roughly $4,500 a month \u2014 just enough to break even. On a recent Tuesday she fielded calls from families hoping to enroll their children. Business was picking up.<\/p>\n \u201cI can feel things are starting to turn around,\u201d Ms. Torres said. \u201cThe parents love me, and I have five stars on Google.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past year the family has had to cut out gifts, activities and expenses in order to focus on the business. Ms. Torres and her husband used to go on frequent dates, but they last went out on Juneteenth. They went to a happy hour at Pier 26, spending less than $50 on a glass of cabernet sauvignon, an order of calamari and a chicken appetizer.<\/p>\n