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Moving out
Grimm
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well it looks like I'm about to get my first apartment. Due to a long list of things, I've been stuck living with my parents for far too long and i cant wait to get the hell out of here. I'm trying to get an idea on what my average monthly expenses are going to be so i can budget properly.
Right now, I'm living just over an hour away from work. Been working 5 days a week but for the next 3 months, I'll be working at least 6 and most likely 7 days a week.
Current cost of driving to work:
Gas per daily round trip = $20.00
Turnpike tolls= $3.50
Total = $23.50 a day or $164.50 a week
The new apartment is 10 minutes at most down the street from work and i wouldn't be using any toll roads. The rent would be $125.00 a week (utilities included) so i would already be saving $39.50 a week.
My questions are
1. Could i realistically be able to feed myself on $39.50 a week?
2. What over expenses should i know about and what will they cost me? I'm already figuring about $50 a month for internet.
3. I'm pretty sure this place already has a couch, fridge, and stove. What else will i need to pick up along the lines of toaster, microwave, etc?
4. Living with parents, I've never had to worry about buying the little things that you take for granted like toilet paper, soap, washing machine detergent,etc. What should i expect to spend on these kind of things?
5. Renters insurance?
Feel free to toss out anything i might have forgotten.
Right now, I'm living just over an hour away from work. Been working 5 days a week but for the next 3 months, I'll be working at least 6 and most likely 7 days a week.
Current cost of driving to work:
Gas per daily round trip = $20.00
Turnpike tolls= $3.50
Total = $23.50 a day or $164.50 a week
The new apartment is 10 minutes at most down the street from work and i wouldn't be using any toll roads. The rent would be $125.00 a week (utilities included) so i would already be saving $39.50 a week.
My questions are
1. Could i realistically be able to feed myself on $39.50 a week?
2. What over expenses should i know about and what will they cost me? I'm already figuring about $50 a month for internet.
3. I'm pretty sure this place already has a couch, fridge, and stove. What else will i need to pick up along the lines of toaster, microwave, etc?
4. Living with parents, I've never had to worry about buying the little things that you take for granted like toilet paper, soap, washing machine detergent,etc. What should i expect to spend on these kind of things?
5. Renters insurance?
Feel free to toss out anything i might have forgotten.
Grimm on
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Absolutely, providing you keep the eating-out to a minimum.
Utilities included, you only need to think about the extras like internet access, cable/satellite, and cellphones.
Toaster, microwave, blender, and the granddaddy of all kitchen appliances: the George Foreman grill.
Most of this stuff is cheap assuming you don't make a beeline right to the name-brand stuff. Generic toiletries are just as good as their name-brand counterparts in most situation. Do you really want to spend an extra $10 on something you're going to wipe your ass with?
Talk to your auto insurance agent. Often times they offer a discount when you purchase multiple policies. Renter's insurance is dirt cheap. I have something like $20000 worth of coverage and I pay something like $20 a year. It was actually cheaper for me to ADD renter's insurance due to the discount they gave. The discount was greater than what the renter's insurance premium was.
It's tough to say what other people might need, so I'll just say this: for the first few months, keep a couple hundred bucks in reserve for those "oops, I can't believe I forgot x" moments. They will happen, and it's a bitch if you don't have some money set aside.
Enjoy life on your own.
Oh, hey I'm making a game! Check it out: Dr. Weirdo!
Its actually $125 a week. No roommates. When i work 5 days a week, i average 40 hours. For the next three months im gonna be getting like 70+ hours. On a 5 day work week check, i clear over $600 but for now with the extra hours, its a little over double that.
Got about 6 grand in my savings so i don't think thats gonna be a problem.
Good idea, i shall look into that. In the mean time, does anyone know if geico offers renters insurance?
Thats the one thing i need to be careful about. I'll be living about the bar that we all go to after work. I dont want to start getting lazy and just order something there instead of cooking myself.
This is honestly the biggest money vaccuum around. Here's how I manage.
I give myself a set amount of money I can spend on anything (coffee or food) every day I'm working. For me it's around $10. Every day I don't spend the money, I can carry the total over to the next day. I usually just keep a mental tally of how much I have. If I want to buy lunch or dinner out, I need to save the money first.
I was really shocked how much it saved me. I usually end up doing mental math at the beginning of the work week and figuring out which days I'll eat out and which ones I'll bring lunch and make dinner. I then shop accordingly. I find that if I don't have food in the house that I can make quickly, I'm more likely to eat out on those rough days when I don't feel like cooking. Always plan on keeping some frozen stuff (pasta or what-have-you) on hand that you can make quickly to avoid eating out.
If you live above a bar, they might get to liking you and offer to keep a tab for a week or so. Make sure you tell them 'no thanks'. It's really easy to spend money that you don't even have to worry about. Restrict your visits to when you have friends over and keep in mind how much you are spending by comparing it to your daily allowance.
If you do this for a few months while you get things settled you'll have a better idea of where you stand financially.
The thing what that though, we pretty much go there every single day after work. Also i know owner and the entire staff of the bar. Im sure i would be able to get a tab if i wanted but thats not something i ever plan on doing.
Another good point was brought up. With my current cooking skills, im able to make pb&j, microwave hotdogs, and roma noodles. Last time i tried making a burger myself, it ended up looking more like the insides of a taco. I do have a friend that graduated culinary school so i guess i could ask him to show me a few things. Any suggestions on something to start with myself? Maybe a beginners cook book?
And the trick to trying to eat cheap is not trying to eat too cheap! Spend a little bit extra on decicious stuff - so that instead of deciding between the bar, mediocre food, and your one awesome meal at home of the week, you instead have four or five delicious things to eat, and get to choose.
This one. For Steak. General newb cooking.
Oh, and regarding your OP. Get insurance.
EDIT: Regarding the bar. Still give yourself some type of bar allowance. That way you can have afew drinks but go home to eat. Save that money one day and you can afford to buy bar food another.
I get my renter's insurance from Nationwide, other options are like State Farm, Farmer's, etc.
It'll be like 100-150 dollars a YEAR so it's no big deal, if you're in a coastal area you'll have to pay maybe another 100 for hurricanes and the like.
Internet, cable/satellite, and a land line number(if you want, I'd reccomend it, cell phone can get broken, lost, or run out of battery)will cost another 100-150 dollars a month(all the big companies like Verizon have the same special, like 99.99 for all three for the first 12 months)
When you say utilities included, are you SURE it means electrical as well? That's not too common, things like water and maybe if you have a gas water heater are often covered though.
Are you SURE it comes furnished? You will be shocked at the price of furniture(unless you go dumpster diving, but if you're that cheap, why move out?)so be ready for that. Ask your parents, there are like 4504593874 things you need to get started when moving out, and you'll never think of them all.
I walked into my new apartment for the first time, took a poo, then realized I was missing an important bathroom accessory. Wanted to take a shower but no shower curtain so I had to be all cautious not to get it on the floor, etc.
The COST associated with those things can be a bit for the first wave when you have to get EVERYTHING. I think my mom and I spent like 500 bucks at a Wal-Mart getting the necessities.
Remember, you're ALONE, so don't buy too much or it'll expire on you. It depends on how much you think you're gonna use these things, but consider half-gallons of milk, half-loaves of bread, etc.
Don't forget to do laundry and dishes, and don't live dirty. Unless you live in a wintery wonderland year round, see if your apartment comes with something on the windows(blinds usually), if not, get them! Cut the thermostat to like 78 or 80 when gone long periods to save money(unless electricity IS paid for, completely)
Don't actually cut it off because when you come back it could be like 90-100 in there and you'll spend more money cooling it down from that temperature than you would've holding it just warmish
I wont need a land line.
The only thing i might need for furniture is a couch.
I'm sure electricity is included. Even if it wasn't, i've grown up with out a/c so i have no problem doing with out that in the summer to cut back on costs.
Things added to the list to pick up:
Shower curtain
window shades
Did you grow up in an old house that wasn't designed with AC in mind? Those are completely different from modern houses when it comes to insulation, window design and placement, etc.
Apartments are basically boxes with (hopefully)good insulation. I don't know where you live, but it can't be THAT mild. If I left my AC off it'd close to 100 inside the apartment before too long and wouldn't cool down too much at night, and the humidity level would get whacked up.
In most parts of the US, losing power or just AC with the outside temperature over 80 is a bona fide emergency. Remember, unlike an old house designed for no AC, the temperature in an apartment(or newer house)will get much hotter than it is outside, and the air won't be moving.
You SAY all you need is a couch...no table to eat on? Write on? Put ANYTHING on? No chair to sit in, just the couch? No bed? Falling asleep on a couch occasionally is one thing, but they're not designed to be slept on every night. Gonna set the TV on the floor? The computer and monitor? 2400 dollars a month isn't anything to scoff at, you don't need to slum it up too bad. Especially since it's not a brand new job so you know you're not gonna get surprise fired. I make just under 3000 a month and pay 650 a month for rent, I have an electricity bill, 100 bucks a month for the TV/net/phone, and I can spend all but just recklessly and still come out like 300 bucks up a month(of course I don't spend recklessly)
As for adding less thought of things to your list, you'll want something like an all purpose cleaner and/or windex, sponges, a PLUNGER, toilet brush, detergent for your laundry, dishwashing soap(though the load from one person is usually easily done by hand)one of those home repair kits you can get with a hammer, screwdrivers, scissors, etc. Don't forget scissors, my mom kept bugging me to get them and I was like "whatever" and I used them like more than anything that first week. oh and a CAN OPENER. Ahhh memories
2001 Chevy Silverado
5.3 V8
Takes about a quarter tank to make the trip which is about $20
I have no idea how old this house is. The other ones on this street that were all built alike mostly have a/c though. I really cant believe what your saying about temperatures. It can get into the mid nineties here and its never really been a problem except in my bedroom. Up there, i have to shut down my computers in the summer or they start acting really weird. Otherwise, I just open a window, turn on a fan, and take my shirt off. Also, i work every day in 150 degree places. Standing on the metal catwalk will melt the bottem of your boots and you get burnt just from the air around you.
As for the couch, I've been sleeping on one for about two years now. I will have a bed in the new place. As well as other furniture. I just didn't mention it because it wasn't a concern.
Stuff like a plunger, detergent, soap, etc i will have to pick up. Stuff like windex and paper towels, i might be able to steal from work.
I wont have to worry about a home repair kit. I'm a 2nd year apprentice carpenter. Between me, my dad (carpenter for 30 years), and my two uncles who are also carpenters, we have pretty much anything you would need to build the apartment from the ground up.
"2400 dollars a month isn't anything to scoff at, you don't need to slum it up too bad." I dont understand what you mean by that. 2400 for what?
EDIT: Forgot to mention in response to it not being a new job. Technically i could be laid off at any time. Unofficially, i know that wont happen before the end of the year though.
I make a little more than half that, and I haven't had troubles with anything.
What do you do btw?
Well im trying to save up to buy a house. Some home issues caused alot of my savings to disappear so i have alot to make up for now.
I'm a 2nd year apprentice in the carpenters union. I build scaffold in power plants.
As far as food related issues, that can be a biggie. I know I've spent way more than I should on several weeks simply out of convenience.
I do fine without a microwave BTW, as I have no use for the things. A toaster however, is something I can't do without, but I also have a secondary oven for small items, so I don't have to use the big oven just to heat up a small item.
Other items you may want to look into? A rice cooker. Simple to use, almost impossible to screw up if you read the instructions, and can cook a multitude of tasty rice types to compliment any meal, or be a meal on its own.
A variety of good pots, pans, knives, and other utensils, as cooking is impossible without the tools to do so.
I also love my pizza stone for the oven as it makes making/reheating your own pizzas and other assorted bread items much tastier and with a good crispy bottom to them... but that's not really needed.. but I get much use out of it.
If you're clearing $600 a week, that means $2400 a month AFTER taxes. And you're worried about living on $40 a week for food? You kidding? Do you have child support payments? Did you make a mistake and mean you clear $600 for two weeks? If so, that makes things a little tighter.
Deduct the $500 rent per month, that leaves you with $1900 a month. If you're living in a place where you only pay $125, your living expenses must be pretty cheap.
Yes, you need renter's insurance.
You will also need:
Microwave
Toaster
Foreman Grill (great to have)
Pots and Pans
Plates
Knives
Silverware
Glasses
Kitchen Utensils (can opener, spoons, spatulas, etc)
Cooking sheets (pizzas, cookies)
Cleaning Supplies (Pledge, Lysol, Bleach)
Sheets/Comforter
Towels
Vaccuum
And about a thousand other things that you will find out you need when the need arises.
Its really not a matter of trying to get by. More like wanting to save what i can. That list looks like a good place to start. I'm sure I'll find a ton of little things i need to pick up here and there. I'm mostly thinking at the moment about what I'll need starting out.
But that's our crazy Canadian system. Maybe there's no limit in The States.
Well the extent of my expenses will pretty much be gas. Figured if i could make it a tax write off, i would rent a trailer. Otherwise, I'll just make a couple extra trips.
This site is a life saver when it comes to living in your first apartment and are on a budget. Otherwise, I think everyone has mostly covered the bases.