Moving to Glendale was the last straw
Over the years, the cost of apartment living pushed me further and further east, away from my beloved Pacific Ocean. I didn't move often, but when I did it was in pursuit of more space, and more space came at an ever-rising premium.
Eventually, my now-husband and I, searching for enough room to start a family and in proximity to decent schools, moved to a $2,000-a-month apartment in Glendale, a small suburban city to the northeast of LA. We hoped that, by not fully maxing out our budget on rent, we might be able to save enough to eventually buy a tiny starter home. We dreamed of living a life in LA that didn't always feel like we were running to catch up.