Oh God, help me move

Odinious

Among many things I have to worry about in this, my last semester of undergrad, is not finding a job. No, you see, that's taken care of. However, the location of said job poses a problem.

The Story

I am moving to Columbus, OH at the end of May. I graduate May 17 and I told my future employer that I would be able to start working in June. I will be working near the intersection of Ohio state routes 161 and 3, for those of you that would like to know. I live three hours away, so the daily commute is out of the picture. I haven't found too many other people that will be moving down there after graduation that I could shack up with for the time being.

As of right now, I have no place to live down there and I own practically nothing in the manner of furnishings. Fortunately, I've been banking some money working while going to school, and would like to stay under 5k (is that reasonable/possible?) to take care of everything with regards to furniture and all that.

Now, I have seen lists and everything with what to do when moving, but a lot of the lists assume you own things, which I don't. I'd like to think I didn't fuck myself saying when I could start in June, but to be honest with you, I haven't finalized anything yet, and I am sure the guy hiring me will understand, as he went to the same uni that I did.

My older brother would be willing to come with me and go apartment hunting down there, so I know not to blindly jump into some shit. I have a good feeling my father would be able to take a week off of work and come help me out finding furniture. I feel that I have good credit, as I have had a credit card for 4 years without missing a payment. I believe my credit score was in the 780 range when I checked it over the summer.


So, what am I looking for?

• Suggestions on where to stay (close to $800/month max not including utilities for an apartment would be reasonable for my salary, I believe -- this much rent yearly would be about 20% of gross salary)
• Suggestions on what to do about bedding, furniture, dishes, silverware, appliances, etc.
• How is the traffic? It can't be on the same level as LA traffic, but how bad is it during rush hour, and how will it affect me and where I live?
• Is choosing a furnished apartment reasonable if you have the money to furnish everything? I have more than 5k saved, but I plan on buying a new car soon, and would like to have some money available for that first month down there because the job pays monthly. But, if I have to sign a long term lease for a furnished apartment which costs significantly more than an unfurnished one, then I would be open to spending more.

Sorry for the long post, but I bold'd everything you needed to know and along with this list of general questions, I think you could get by without reading the rest of the thread. Questions, comments, and the resources that you used in moving away would all be greatly appreciated.

LadyM

For furniture, appliances, etc. . . . I would suggest looking in thrift stores and on Craigslist. It costs a surprising amount to start out, so just buy el cheapo, enough to get by, and then upgrade as you start getting income from your job. (Maybe buy a new mattress, though. A mattress is an important piece of furniture.)

Apartments. I don't know anything about Columbus personally, but I've done a lot of apartment hunting. You can check online sources like Rent.com. They will advertise large complexes and usually won't be the cheapest. If you want to check out smaller complexes, individual apartments (like someone renting out their basement), or cheaper places, check the Columbus classifieds (you can probably find copies of Columbus' local paper at your library, or online) or, again, Craigslist. I believe Craigslist also has a section where people can advertise for roommates.

I'm glancing through Columbus' Craigslist site right now and judging from these numbers, $800 a month can get you a very nice apartment. Just be careful not to overestimate what you can afford.

flatlinegraphics

best thing is probably to pace things out. start with some used/cheap stuff, and once you are established, start upgrading to nicer/newer stuff. thrift stores and craigslist are your friend. also, let your relatives know you are moving. assuming that you are on decent terms with them, they may have stuff that they are getting rid of..

a bed is probably something you;d want new (500ish for a twin + boxspring)... but couches, basic furniture.. you can probably get off craigslist for free/nearly free. once you are established, and have some steady income you can upgrade to a new couch and give away your used couch on craigslist. basic cookware is pretty cheap. probably outfit a decent kitchen for less than $100.

the majority of your 5k moving on up budget should probably be kept for stuff like deposits*, getting a full work wardrobe, and possibly transportation/feeding yourself untill the paychecks start rolling. remember, if you start june 1st, most jobs withhold a pay cycle. so if you are on a 2 week schedual, you will not have any income until 2 weeks after you start. thats two weeks of food, etc.

* remember that typically, its first month, and atleast 1 month deposit. sometimes they want last month as well. you may need to basically pay 3 months rent when you move in. at 800/month, thats 2,400.

furnished apartments are basically for transients. generally, not the best deals for what you get. you can get an unfurnished apt and fill it with used furniture for less. plus, you own the stuff, and if it gets wrecked, you get tired of it, its gone. no problems.

cyphr

Oh hey good to see ya nice to have ya here.

Columbus is cool, you're working in a pretty decent area too I believe (right near Easton, which is one of the two big shopping centers in Columbus, the other being Polaris). Traffic generally keeps moving, but accidents during rush hour can royally fuck things up very quickly.

As for apartments, there are communities everywhere. I'd try to stay away from the campus area if I were you, because those apartments are either a) all students, or b) ghetto (depending whether you're north of south of 8th-ish). Columbus has several suburbs and Westerville is the one nearest to your workplace. You should have no trouble at all finding an apartment there or anywhere in the city, honestly just check Craigslist. Here's one that I found in 30 seconds of browsing.

I agree with the Craigslist suggestion for furniture. There are free couches daily on columbus.craigslist.org/zip. If you happen to be driving near an Ikea on the way to Columbus, you might consider buying some furnishings there.

If you want to know anything else about the city lemme know, I've lived within 45 minutes of it my whole life. First tip: it's better known as "Dublin-Granville Rd. and Westerville Rd." instead of "161 and 3". We require many names for our streets.

Malkor

I lived in Delaware for four years. Most of my friends still live in the greater Columbus area. cyphr's suggestions are spot on.

Odinious

cyphr wrote: »

First tip: it's better known as "Dublin-Granville Rd. and Westerville Rd." instead of "161 and 3". We require many names for our streets.

Give me a break, I'm working at ODOT now and live in Youngstown where the numbered routes are just named by their numbers. :P

I did see the apartment complex that you linked on rent.com. It looks pretty nice.

Any more places to generally avoid, other than the campus area?

What's a good rule of thumb when it comes to cost of rent vs. income?

I jumped on craigslist and I signed up for the Columbus Freecycle group, so you've got me headed in the right direction for the furniture.

Anything else? Does anyone have experiences with things that happened once you did move and then you realized that things would have been so much easier if you would have done something different?

Slagmire

I'm not too sure about furniture stores in Columbus, but if you're not opposed to making a slight road trip, there is a new Ikea opening up in Northern Cincy in about a month or so - you might be able to get some good deals on new build-your-own-furniture.

Garage sales and estate sales are pretty good sources of good furniture too, though sometimes you will want to do some work on it (resanding, staining, etc.).

MegaMan001

When I graduated college and found a position out of state, I just found a one bedroom furnished and now am saving money until I can move to a larger place and buy nicer things. I highly recommend it.