The cost of living

[EbilDustBunny]

So a big question was asked today. My friend is looking for a roomie to move in with her and her boyfriend... and she asked me if I would. They live at a apartment complex built for college students. http://www.gocoastalvillage.com/

I almost moved before... but well the friends I was going to move in with didn't have enough money... and well we're not friends anymore. The rooms are as big as the room I have now... except the bed is a prolly not as big as mine but it's close. Plus it has a bigger closet and personal bathroom. If I move I'm going to transfer to the new store that's opening 5 mins away from the complex. I want to move out, but will it be too costly?

 

Right now, living at home my bills are...

$40 for the gym. (month)

$20 for gas (a week)

$BIG$ for college... prolly $500 for summer classes... then around $1,300 for Fall.

 

 

I'm going to talk with my friend some more about the cost of rent. Just wanted to know how much people spend daily on like food, house supplies... any other concerns I should calculate?

 

Also I'm trying to find out whois going to be the 4th roomie cause it's cheaper if you have 4 roomies.

Edited May 6, 2006 by EbilDustBunny

[Batman]

Wow thats an awsome 4 bedroom apt! You each would have your own bathroom! 4 big walk in closets! How much is that a month???

[stutters]

Four Bedroom/Four Bath

1,385 sq.ft.

$535

 

...is what your link said. that HAS to be per person, or per week, right? RIGHT?!

 

===

 

here's what you're looking at in san francisco:

1 bedroom, 1 bath

New wall to wall. Remodeled kitchen. Parking included.

 

750-800 square feet

$1800 per month.

[EbilDustBunny]

yeah around $500 per person... pays for cable, internet, water, electricity... but theyy'll charge you extra if you are a resource hog. I'll be spending less on gas prolly because I can carpool to school and school will be well 5-10min away instead of 1hour away

 

Lol now that i think of it I don't think it's possible to spend less on gas :/

Edited May 6, 2006 by EbilDustBunny

[Batman]

LOL I didnt even hit the link.... Lazy me..

[*BiGBonES**]

I'd recommend making most of your meals group meals. You can save a lot of money on food that way, as most of the time the more you buy, the better value for money you are getting. I share most of my meals with my girlfriend and its definitely a lot cheaper than buying food individually for ourselves.

 

If your 5 minutes away from school do you even need to take the car? Buy a bike or walk to save even more money.

 

Its a really nice apartment, theres nothing around my area thats like that at an affordable rent, so good luck!

Edited May 6, 2006 by *BiGBonES**

[Shazz]

That looks nice! Everyone has their own bathroom and closet. Looks to be nice. 500 bucks isn't bad at all.

[farmerisme]

Well you should know for sure that living at home is WAY WAY WAY cheaper than living on your own. You need to ask yourself if what you gain is worth spending the extra money.

 

As far as living costs go, you spend as much or little as you want. If you are going to go out to eat every meal, buy clothes every day, and buy every new game that comes out you will spend alot.

 

But that place looks very nice for the price you would be getting. Is it run by the university?

[shep48]

easier to study at home and stay focused

[*BiGBonES**]

easier to study at home and stay focused

 

That works in the sense that your parents stop you playing games all night, and you get looked after a lot better and have more time to work due to parents helping with cooking cleaning and laundry etc.

 

But, you said it takes you an hour to get to school every day?

Living closer, effectively gives you an extra hour an 40 minutes every day that you would normally spend commuting. Think what you could do in this time - study more? get more sleep in the morning instead of waking up early to commute... perhaps these confer more benefits than staying focused at home.

 

 

I had to do consider this arguement myself, it was either spend 2-3 hours every day travelling from north london to east london, or just fork out some more money and hopefully get a better chance at completing the degree. I chose staying near university, and i can say it certainly helps with time. However I abuse my position of responsibility and can stay up quite late etc, so its all about who you are.

[stutters]

 

i'm sure ebil would spend her extra time studying. for sure.

[EbilDustBunny]

I only study when I'm on campus anyways. I spend an hour extra per class I need to study in. (keyword: need... I only study for classes I have trouble in... math and um yeah math) Literally... I don't think I studied at home unless it was an online class. I lack test taking skillz.

 

I wonder how weird my friend would think I am when she realizes I play counterstrike... a lot. >_<

[ArmyG]

I would be careful moving in with a couple, because they are a unit and you are not a part of it. What if they will split and you'll need to fill an opening, or two openings? What if they want you gone? Do you think the open area will become their area? Regardless of how good friends you are, that kind of thing can get weird fast.

 

I think same-sex housing is easier to deal with in general, unless you're married.

 

Does rent include heat, A/C, water, hot water, gas?

What about phone, cable, internet?

Food, laundry, toiletries?

 

Anything you might wanna buy ever?

 

Do you own dishes, glasses, pans, trash cans, can openers, etc.?

 

You say gas for your car, what about car insurance? Is your car paid for?

 

Do you have savings for when something goes bad?

 

For example, my tuition was bumped up like 40% last year, and I didn't plan for that. $500 for summer classes? My summer bill is like $2500, not including books.

 

How much do they want for a security deposit?

Is there a way to terminate the lease early?

How long, like is it 9 month or 12 month?

Do they require renters insurance?

How late can you be loud at night?

Do they have included laundry?

Covered parking?

Security?

24 hour repair?

Allow pets?

Do they review your credit with a non-refundable deposit?

Does the complex have a good reputation?

Know anyone who lives there?

[Mr.Cool]

I would be careful moving in with a couple, because they are a unit and you are not a part of it. What if they will split and you'll need to fill an opening, or two openings? What if they want you gone? Do you think the open area will become their area? Regardless of how good friends you are, that kind of thing can get weird fast.

 

I think same-sex housing is easier to deal with in general, unless you're married.

 

Does rent include heat, A/C, water, hot water, gas?

What about phone, cable, internet?

Food, laundry, toiletries?

 

Anything you might wanna buy ever?

 

Do you own dishes, glasses, pans, trash cans, can openers, etc.?

 

You say gas for your car, what about car insurance? Is your car paid for?

 

Do you have savings for when something goes bad?

 

For example, my tuition was bumped up like 40% last year, and I didn't plan for that. $500 for summer classes? My summer bill is like $2500, not including books.

 

How much do they want for a security deposit?

Is there a way to terminate the lease early?

How long, like is it 9 month or 12 month?

Do they require renters insurance?

How late can you be loud at night?

Do they have included laundry?

Covered parking?

Security?

24 hour repair?

Allow pets?

Do they review your credit with a non-refundable deposit?

Does the complex have a good reputation?

Know anyone who lives there?

 

i think you forgot "do they like carrots?"

 

i also have a feelin ebil's gonna be like " or after readin ur post...lol

[farmerisme]

Good advice.

Edited May 7, 2006 by farmerisme

[J. Dunlavy]

I'm sorry, I can't contribute to this thread. My life is so valuable that people actually pay me to live. My death would have adverse effects on the world.

 

I don't even know what money is for.

[EbilDustBunny]

How much do they want for a security deposit? There is one I dunno how much...

Is there a way to terminate the lease early? there's a penalty fee if you do...

How long, like is it 9 month or 12 month? It's two semesters so aug - may? or you sign for one

Do they require renters insurance? n/a

How late can you be loud at night? As long as no-one complains...

Do they have included laundry? There's laundry machines in your apartment.

Covered parking? yes

Security? complex is gated

24 hour repair? Prolly not

Allow pets?small animals only

Do they review your credit with a non-refundable deposit? they do check your credit

Does the complex have a good reputation? So far.. yes.

Know anyone who lives there? Yup yup...

 

Yeah I'm still pondering it. my friend is back home fer the weekend... still time to ponder. No biggie if I don't move out... just a big thing to think about eh?

[anonymo]

Allow pets?small animalsbunnies only

Does the complex have a good reputation? So far.. yes. (at least it did...)

ROFL!!!

[Unclean]

So a big question was asked today. My friend is looking for a roomie to move in with her and her boyfriend... and she asked me if I would. They live at a apartment complex built for college students. [snip]

 

I want to move out, but will it be too costly?

 

Right now, living at home my bills are...

$40 for the gym. (month)

$20 for gas (a week)

$BIG$ for college... prolly $500 for summer classes... then around $1,300 for Fall.

 

[snip]

I'm going to talk with my friend some more about the cost of rent. Just wanted to know how much people spend daily on like food, house supplies... any other concerns I should calculate?[snip]

I don't think anyone has broken this down financially yet, so here's how I do it. Get Excel or a pen and paper, and start writing down some numbers. For example, here's what my expenses look like:

 

 

Monthly Expenses

 

Rent 530

Natural Gas 35

Cable/Internet 50

Electricity 20

Water/Trash removal 30

Cell Phone 45

 

Food 200

 

Entertainment 200

 

Car Pmt 232

Insurance 75

Gas 140

 

Student Loan 336

 

Total - 1893

 

Then take the total, and subtract that from your monthly income (net, not gross). Make sure that amount is positive (you don't want to be going into debt if you can avoid it). Your sheet is probably going to look way different than mine, too. For example, I doubt someone of your size is going to be eating $200 worth of food per month. Another note: be realistic about your expenses. Overestimate instead of underestimating expenses. I don't always blow $200 on entertainment, but I do buy a bunch of useless crap and booze.

 

Oh, and don't forget about initial expenses:

 

Special furniture?

Cleaning supplies (paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, etc)?

Kitchen utensils (silverware, dishes, etc)?

Decorations?

 

This may all be handled already because you're moving in with people. But who knows... you might be splitting the "community bill" for some of this stuff too.

 

Hope this helps!

[NOFX]

I have my setup in an excel spreadsheet so this will be easy for me to copy and paste.

I live by myself in a lonely lonely 1 bedroom apartment and here is my base expenses

 

My Monthly Bills:

 

Rent + Water $900.00

Cell phone $50.00

NetFlix - $18

Car Payment $80.00

Student Loan #1 $59.00

Student Loan #2 $85.00

Cable and internet $85.00

Utilities $60.00

Car Insurance $52.00

 

 

that is $1389 with no gas, no food, no entertainment and pinching every penny. To be honest with you, theres no way I could live like that.

 

Sadly, my monthly income is about double the total above and I still live paycheck to paycheck. So don't cut yourself close, or you will be miserable. I need a roomate *sigh*

Edited May 8, 2006 by NOFX

[farmerisme]

I have no idea how you people can be living paycheck to paycheck with that income. I will not post mine because it is embarassing. But I make ends meet.

[NOFX]

I have no idea how you people can be living paycheck to paycheck with that income. I will not post mine because it is embarassing. But I make ends meet.

 

I dont understand how I am either. I went from making 7 bucks an hour and a 280 dollar a month rent to that... The more you make, the more you spend.

[Unclean]

I have no idea how you people can be living paycheck to paycheck with that income. I will not post mine because it is embarassing. But I make ends meet.

I purposely left my income off my post... just made a mention of the old addage that you shouldn't spend more than you make. Plus the cost of living varies depending on where the person lives.

 

I live just North of Chicago, and the houses around here start at $250-300k. And that's for a little 2 story or a medium ranch. Last summer, I took a trip to Kentucky, where the same amount of money could buy a 4-5 bedroom house with an underpass, 3 car garage, etc. My jaw dropped when I saw the prices for some of these huge estates.

 

So it's not a matter of how much you make... we all have different standards of living that we've grown accustomed to. There is nothing to be embarassed about. It's a matter of how you do with the money you do have.

 

Which is ebil's whole question... can she afford to move out and in with her friends?

[EbilDustBunny]

Yeah... I'm still thinking. Trying to stay rational in my decision. You guys gave me some great insight. Right now I'm leaning towards not moving... but still thinking. My head hurts. Thanks guys.

[Magruter]

I suppose i should remove my income... Don't want any of you y'all asking for money!!