In my parking lot-sized NYC apartment – my friends advised against the mouse-infested spot, but I knew I could do it

Alaina Randazzo, a NEW YORK CITY resident and TikTok user, has shared her experience moving into a “micro-apartment” in the Big Apple.

She and two of her friends once called a luxury apartment in Midtown and paid $1,950 in rent every month.

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And although Alaina had always dreamed of living a life of luxury in the city of her dreams, reality quickly arrived.

The apartment complex was marketed as pet-friendly, but when Alaina brought her dog into the lobby, she was met with rude comments from other tenants and some employees.

Despite the high cost of living, the service was far from satisfactory, leaving Alaina frustrated.

Until a friend of hers mentioned that she found a cheap apartment in SoHo for only $750 a month. Shocked at the prospect of living in such an affordable apartment, Alaina decided to start looking for a new home.

“The idea of ​​living in a small apartment for such a cheap price was very cool,” she told Newsweek.

She soon stumbled across a tiny studio apartment that was only $650 a month and couldn’t resist the opportunity to see it for herself.

When Alaina visited the apartment next door, she was disappointed to find a very narrow hallway and a room that barely fit a bed.

Despite warnings from her friends, Alaina was determined to make something work. Using her deposit, Alaina made the payment and moved into the micro-apartment the following month.

Alaina worked as a media planner and content creator on YouTube.

“It wasn’t a big deal to me that I had to go without a comfortable place to live for a year because I wanted to be wise with my money,” she said.

To Alaina’s surprise, the tiny studio apartment was actually larger than she expected, but still only 80 square meters.

It had a small attic that she turned into bunk beds and a tiny kitchen area that was equipped only with a small fridge and stove.

The floors in the apartment were sloping which made it difficult to put anything on the floor without it slipping. The private bathroom was in the common hallway and shared with the other tenants on their floor.

The apartment only had a small window but access to a shared roof in the summer months.

Though it was difficult for Alaina to work in such a small space, she found solace in the local cafes.

Over the course of a year, Alaina invested $1,000 in decorating the apartment, but her sacrifices paid off.

She managed to save over $17,000 and took the opportunity to travel, visiting Iceland for three weeks and California for a few more.