Trying to Get an Apartment

[footersownsme]

Prices for apartments in the northeast are OUTRAGEOUS! Living in NJ I don't think i could find a 1 bedroom apartment for less than $700, and no they werent made of gold. Somehow, someway, my b/f and his cousin found a 2 bedroom apartment w/a garage for only $1000 a month.

Soka i wish you the best of luck in finding a place and being safe.

 

[fwan]

I just want to say, that i will be living alone in 2 weeks onwards and it is very VERY HARD!
You really need to plan, budget and be a tight bum!
But just because youre going to live with a friend this doesnt mean its going to be great, there are going to be alot of disputes.

 

[lionessrampant]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

731 is very expensive for a one-br!

I live very near one of the largest schools in the country, and in an urban area, and mine is only 400$ a month. My apt before was a two-br and was still less than that!

Hahaha, I pay $800 for a studio! A STUDIO!!!

Anyway, I unfortunately have no good advice for you, other than what Zissou's Mom said. It's a pretty big commitment, having an apartment, and sometimes more of a pain than I would like to be dealing with while in school. Still, it's nice having my own space and a ton of freedom.

As long as you can work it out financially, that's what matters. You definitely need to keep things like student loan debt and credit card debt in mind...they'll come back to haunt you. Other than that, if you can budget the apartment in reasonably, best of luck to you!

 

[mzjazz2u]

I thought that was pricey for a one bedroom too. I pay $459 a month for my one bedroom condo and that includes the H.O.A fee. Is that a pretty standard price for one bedrooms in your area?

 

[trouts mom]

That sounds about right for a 1 bedroom to me..think about everything that comes with it...I guess I am thinking in Canadian dollars though

My one bedroom is $625 inc.

 

[soka]

731 is actually a good price for a one bedroom.

The studio we are hoping to get is 475 a month for the smallest, and trust me, I don't need tons of space. A kitchen a bathroom and a bed are all I need. If it comes down to it, and we can't get an apartment and have to live on campus in school housing, we are going to room together. Oh and just to clear it up, I'm planning on moving into the apartment (or dorm) with my fiance.

I've set up a rough budget, allowing for rent, tolls for going back and forth to work and seeing family, gas money, money for my cats, food (we'll be getting a meal plan with the school), leisure money, Savings, emergency, and money to get things for the house. All in all, it'll cost me around $650-$700 a month on my part. (Which I make). The only trouble I'll have is balancing school and work. At the moment, I'm doing horrible in school but that is mostly because I am lazy and procrastinate. My fiance is putting her foot down and demands I start doing my work, so I must obey. She also demands we split the rent down the middle, but because she makes less than I do, I've told her that she can pay her full half the rent when she gets a better job. Financially we are ok, and once she gets a better job, we shall be set to move into an apartment.

There is one problem that I'm not looking foreward to. My family is going to flip out big time. They hate my fiance and don't know we are engaged. I have a feeling that once I move in with her, I'm on my own for good. If that be the case, at least I will have some money saved away in case I need it. Because I fell off a ferris wheel when I was 5 I recieve checks. I've already recieved two and will recieve another two over the next two years. Each are for 17.5k, so thats a bit of money in case I ever really need it. (Ex. Can't make rent one month.) I get my next check in May. Woohoo!

 

[pippy-pops]

I re-read your first and last post and I'm sure I wasn't reading this wrong... you said you and your friend were going to move into an apartment together in a "dorm stlye" set-up and then in your last post you said that you were engaged to your friend. Anyway that's another matter!

If indeed you are both financially independant and over 18 and now considered an adult then there is no reason why either of your parents should have a right to stop you. Yes, their opionions and good wishes/approval always help things!

I've recently moved in with my partner on a moments notice and this is the first time I've moved out of home and away from my mother and believe me I made myself sick with worry about telling her! She doesn't particularily like my partner but she's grown to like him and respect him over the past 3 years but he is not the best with money so she had her concerns! It also worried her that he couldn't financially support me when he is paying maintainence for his 2 children! Yes, we are struggling to meet the financial aspects of our new home but that isn't stopping us! We both have 2 full time jobs and I study part time from home! I love my new home and I'm proud we've made a committment to each other... we are proving everyone wrong!

If you feel that you are capable of handling this properly then do it! Btw... if you don't mind me asking... how long have the two of you been dating? I suggest you prove to both your family and her family (remember, the girls family is always the most important family) that you are committed to each other and this isn't just for freedom! They'll respect your decision more and they will also probably be alittle more willing to help out if anything negative does happen in the future - there won't be "I told ya so's"! The decision you are making is huge and you both have to be in this 50/50 - prove it to everyone!!!!!!

Good luck!

 

[soka]

My friend and fiance are two different people. I've tried proving that we are commited to each other. Her family likes me, but mine hates her. (The reason is that we are both female) We've been together for 3 years (as of October 21st) I've spent most of those years trying to show my mother that we are happy together, but she doesn't care. So once I move in with my fiance, I'm on my own. We will both be in college and working. Money will be tight but we want to be together.

So here's another question. What do I do with my cats if I end up having to get on campus housing. (meaning cats can't come to live with me.) I'll be rooming with my fiance so there is a good chance my family will make me move all my stuff out of the house, including my cats. I can't have them in the dorm, and I can't give them away to new homes. (They are my babies) I'd rather live off of Ramen and Flinstones Vitamins before I get rid of my girls. Just last night, my fiance showed me where she used to live. A two bedroom apartment, she said, can be as low as 675. If we can find a third person to split rent, we'll be set. After she completes her four years of college, we might be moving out to California because by that time, I'll have finished college and will hopefully looking for a veterinary school out there.

Oy, who knows what's going to happen. All I know is that I want out of my grandmother's house. I've never had privacy and now I crave it. I'm very secretive around my family now and I think its because when I was a kid, I never had a lock on my bedroom door. People could go through my stuff whenever they wanted and my things were there for everyone to see. Now, my grandmother will come down to my room and 'clean' my room. I can understand if she's trying to be nice, but this is my space, and she just can't seem to understand that. I want a place of my own so that when I walk through the door, I can say. "This is MY place."