One of my clients recently emailed a dilemma she is facing. I know that many of you might be going through this as well and thought it was worth sharing.
She has been a successful freelancer but is seeing a big dip in income. While she has been looking for more work, this is a tough job market (as I'm sure many of you know). We have worked together over the years to really trim her budget so she feels good in that arena. In addition, she has been saving $250 into her IRA each month, and $100/month into her emergency savings. She just found out her rent is going up and is considering dipping into her savings to find a lower rent home. Is this a smart decision?
Answer:
This is not an easy question and there may not be a right or wrong answer. I would start with making sure she is doing everything she can to spend smarter and networking for income on sites such as Urban Interns or Mediabistro. We can all do better and it's worth the few minute check-up.
After that I would lower her rent, even if it means dipping into savings to do so. By reducing what she has control over, she is minimizing her pressure for the longer term and overall. I would strongly recommend to still save - this is KEY! Therefore, it's worth it to dip into savings to move and reduce expenses.