Apt would have cost 8 - 12,000 to move into

The Apt they moved into on a whim would have required a 8,000 - 12,000 initial payment (plus credit / background check and a co-signer/guarontor). Most NY Apts require 1st and last months rent plus a security deposit and a brokers fee (each equal to one months rent) to move in. The rent on this HUGE apt in Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope would be anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000. The Mother could never have afforded this apt on her salary as a baker.