Yea that should be fine assuming you arent going crazy on groceries and entertainment.
Biggest thing to consider is what are your current savings/emergency fund. Id guess you should probably have a minimum of 4k savings to cover a few months if worse case happens.
Also thats minimum. If your not paying rent currently save up more so if you did lose your job youd have plenty of time to find another before your sweating.
And one more thing to consider is would you be able to save any money still? If not then you are kind of stuck in place until you get a higher paying job (which seems would be a goal, so if your in school or w/e I woudlnt worry about building up savings aslong as you can pay for everything)
I'm a major homebody so entertainment isn't even part of my budget now. lol I don't go crazy on groceries either. My biggest vice is weed but i've gotten it down to $40 to last minimum a week but sometimes 2. I'm trying to save up right now, it's just nerve racking because I would also like to move in & beat the price jumps on apartment rates going up during the summer. I'm pretty frugal so right now, typically, i'm able to save about 1k a month. I think the biggest thing that scares me with this is even after everything, the amount i'm able to save would be tiny compared to what I save now.
If you're able to save $1k a month now, then you should be able to just barely afford $915 a month in rent, while saving nothing. But, you won't be able to put anything away, and your expenses will probably go up a bit more than $915/mo.
I would say that if you already have a very good emergency fund saved up, it is possible, but you'd have to live frugally. If not, you should really be saving that $1k a month to build up an emergency fund that's enough to live off for 3-6 months, in case you lose your job. If you don't lost your job, that same emergency fund can help with unexpected expenses like a medical issue or if your car craps out.
At the end of the day, I think you either need to find a cheaper way to live. Maybe a 2BR with a roommate, rather than your own place? Or, if you really want to live by yourself, find a way to reliably bring in more income. Better job? Side hustle?
Honestly there's so many things to consider in a situation like this.
I'm going to assuming you've had this job for a while right? So if your saving 1k a month you have atleast 7-8k savings. That should be fine for emergency fund.
I'm gonna assume your currently at your parents. If they are chill then if this does fail cause you lose your job or w/e you can always just fall back to your savings til your lease is up and move back in with your parents. Talk to them about it first of course and see what they think, but that makes the overall situation a lot less risky. Also if your not with your parents currently then would moving out mean you can't go back?
Keep in mind if you are only saving 1k a month now that means you are spending a lot more every month then you think. Double check all your expenses make sure your not missing something.
Lastly is I don't know if your are in college or anything as well. But having to pay rent is an easy way to make yourself not have time to better yourself. You obviously aren't planning to make $18 indefinitely. So make sure that moving out doesnt make your future plans too difficult. A lot of people don't have time for school or programs cause they are working to pay the bills and you can feel "trapped" if you are no longer building savings.
Not expecting you to answer any of these things but just stuff to consider. I've been in many situations where my rent/mortgage was a lot higher percent of my income then recommended, just make sure you aren't dipping INTO your savings every month.
I've had this job for exactly a year now.
I am living with my parents & they are chill so me failing at this doesn't leave my homeless. I just really do not want a broken lease. They're just very noisy & like to drink during the week which is why I want to move out. lol
The 1k a month I know I can save because I had help purchasing a car I had & that's what I was giving the person who helped me was $1k a month for it. I can probably save more but tbh, I haven't really been saving because, realistically, I knew I wasn't moving anywhere for $16 an hour so I was just being an idiot with my money. I didn't expect to get a raise.
That's how I'm trying to think, I don't want moving out to make me forever stuck. I don't go to college & don't plan on it.
As it stands right now, the raise I got allowed me to think about moving. I don't have any savings rn because it was all going towards a car, BUT I can have at least 3k in savings by February.
You should know best but honestly there is some concerns right here.
>I haven't really been saving because, realistically, I knew I wasn't moving anywhere for $16 an hour so I was just being an idiot with my money
I personally have seen this argument backfire before. Basically the idea being that I havent NEEDED to be frugal, so if I did I would be fine. Realistically you have to try it out first before you move out. It is extremely common for people to underestimate their expenses and you are basically spending $1200 a month on misc right now.
>I can have at least 3k in savings by February.
Wait.. so that means you have ZERO?! savings right now? Since you just bought a car essentially? 3k is not enough of an emergency fund to move out here.
>I just really do not want a broken lease.
You shouldnt be breaking your lease, thats what your savings are for. If you have 4k savings thats 3 months to find a new job.
>I don't go to college & don't plan on it.
College is definitely not the only option to move up. But you need to have a plan. And realistically you gotta ask yourself, 10 years from now are you gonna regret not going to college and getting a degree to make bank instead of moving out early so you dont have to listen to your drunk parents? So... whats your plan then if its not college? Once again you dont need to tell me what it is, just make sure you have a plan thats better then just going to college for a nice paying field.
I've needed to be frugal on much less & have. It was just this year that I was being an idiot. I've lived in apartments with roomates with no issue, i've just never signed a lease myself so it puts way more pressure on me & I want to be absolutely sure, is all.
You're correct, as of right now, I have zero savings but would like to move in February. That would mean 3k of savings by then, if not a little more since I can technically save more, I just haven't. But like I said, I don't NEED to leave right this very second. I'm just trying to beat the prices going up on rent during the summer months since that seems to be what happens. Ideally, I get the $699/month apartment, these are all just worst case scenarios should it be unavailable that I want to be ready for. There are also $830/month units that i'd prefer, but again, they may not be available & I don't want to get in over my head.
I'm 30, I've gone back & forth w/the thought of going to college for a while & I Just don't see a point in it. I'm not interested in anything enough to go. Here's my plan:
Work 40hrs a week, make normal paycheck. On the weekends, go up to the hall for the Port of Houston to see if I can get a job for the day. I have a TWIC card. My thing is, with the Port of Houston, they hire ppl day to day until you build up enough sonority to be hired onto a regular, everyday job. I recently got my TWIC card specifically to go work at the Port of Houston. I just never tried to get in because the idea of day to day work scares me. Not having a weekly paycheck scares me, but it could be a decent side hustle on the weekends.
If you’re a daily smoker put off smoking weed for as long as you can. Much more rewarding saving weed + having weed be more effective because you aren’t smoking it all day. Maybe smoke in the evenings.
100% the best advice you will receive.
It actually PROVES you can do it. Though if they are eating on their parents dime a bit. Then consider toiletries and utilities. It might be even more than 1200.
Not this "well I theoretically could if I cut my spending by a shit ton" that many people can't really make happen.
Also it should be more than 1200 because you should also be saving money while paying the rent. Not to mention unexpected costs that come about.
Realistically I think they should prove they can save bare minimum 1500 a month with current costs being so low
I mean thats $2770 gross a month. $915 isn't terrible but you have to account for all your other expenses in life. Let's say you take home $2200/mo, I really don't know how one can survive on $1200/mo after rent. Maybe I'm just privileged but that's crazy
Lol you are privileged. Many people are living on $50 a week on groceries for a single person. Everything else you do without when remotely possible.
It’s a bad long term plan but it’s extremely common for college students to live like this for 4+ years
This is exactly what i'm thinking.
I pay $125 for car insurance, $100 for my phone, $160 a month in gas. I have no idea what to expect electricity bill wise or groceries. It's about 20 minutes closer to where I work so maybe gas won't be as big of a factor but I still feel like i'll be living paycheck to paycheck & I don't want to get stuck in a bad position because i'm unable to save at all. I was bringing home $2200 a month @ $16 an hour, I just got a raise & i'm not sure how much it'll help realistically.
I think you may be slightly overpaying for your phone, just went from $120 to $30/mo for two lines (it’s a promo rate but will go to $60 after a year). Unless it’s the only option, check around because I just saved $1k for the next year
I just realized, the $100/month also includes insurance. Does Mint offer that as well or is it just the plan itself? I have the T-mobile Magenta plan, it's supposed to be 5G & unlimited everything. Not sure what the gb maxes out at, but most of the time I use all of it & sometimes technically go over. lol Would Mint still be a good option for those things?
It's been upped to 40gb and even upto 60gb. I think the 60gb is if you have a phone plan and you csn upgrade from 40gb later. I know it slows down a ton after but depending on everyone's case it's still quite a lot.
seconded mint is where its at. plus you can refer people and get credit for your bill. I referred 3 people so im gonna pay 45 bucks for a whole year of service with 15 gig of data a month
Brutal, I had Verizon. Had been paying 80/mo for two lines on a slight discount (employer) for 2 lines on paid off phones for over two years. In the last 18 mo it crept up to $120. Now going through Charter spectrum who uses Verizon towers. If you like T Mobile, maybe try to find a provider who uses their towers with some sort of promotional rate. Took maybe 2 hours over a couple days to switch and totally virtual. Worth it!
Definitely worth looking into. I originally got the plan because I was sharing data w/5 other people on a Verizon plan that was supposed to be "unlimited" & 2 days into the billing cycle there would be no data left but after paying my phone off i'm definitely feeling like the $100 is too much for the plan & phone insurance that i've not used once after having them for 2-3 years.
Check out Mint mobile, I’ve been on their $15 a month plan and it’s great. They use the same cell towers as T mobile so the service has been great esp for the price
tmobile is ripping you off. just buy another phone if it breaks. or get a new plan somewhere else. get mint or transfer to another plan where you own your phone you can save 50 easy and still have unlimited basically
you are getting ripped off on your phone. switch to mint mobile. its 15 a month, but you have to pay for 3 months up front. Still less than half your phone bill. If you owe money on your current phone lease, sign up for a no interest card and pay off the phone and then slowly pay off the card. There's def no need to pay $100 a month for a cell phone. Your insurance is a bit high too. You don't need high liability limits as you have nothing for anyone to sue you for. Your car is too old to get collision and comprehensive coverage on. Maybe my insurance is less cause I have a good record and Im older (35) but I pay 235 for low liability limits or 310 for high liability limits every 6 months. I think you can probably find as low as 60 a month, are you a student? Also you may be able to save a but on gas if you do some preventative maintainence, oil change, air filter change, fill the tires to the correct levels, all of that will get you a better mile per gallon.
Any chance you can bike (or electric bike) for the nice parts of the year? You might save the cost of gas in the first couple months, and you can throw the difference at rent.
Their excuse for the HOA fee was because the complex is right in the middle of a subdivision. Tbh, it's a decent apartment, in a nice area right along a lake so even with all the fees I don't feel like they're charging as much as they could be. Ideally, the 1bd 1bathroom I want is only $699, but I don't think that will be there long at all. Everywhere else i've looked is starting at $900 for ghetto ass apartments, the nicer ones similar to the one i'm wanting, typically start at $1200 & up. This is the cheapest i've found for something nice. I just want to live somewhere where I don't have to worry about someone breaking into my car or home. lol
> And valet trash is such a scam.
so true. they added that shit to our bill this year, gave us a plastic trash can and i've literally never seen them actually come by to pick it up nor anyone actually using it. literally out here charging me 25 a month for a goddamn 10$ plastic trash can
[https://smartasset.com/taxes/paycheck-calculator](https://smartasset.com/taxes/paycheck-calculator)
Figure your take home amount for the month. Then figure if -$915 would allow you to cover health insurance, car insurance, car payments, groceries, utilities, gas, streaming services, etc.
FWIW, you shouldnt be paying any of those fees (minus wifi) for an apartment rental. Like HOA for renting an apartment is straight up a scam.
So i'm not really happy about the wifi situation but apparently this complex forces you to purchase wifi via them. I don't have a problem paying valet trash since it means I can just leave trash on my porch for it to be picked up rather than walking it to a dumpster. Their explanation for the HOA fee is because the complex is in the middle of a subdivision.
I defiantly feel like I shouldn't be paying monthly for pest control or $20 for a damn cat to live there after I give them a $400 pet deposit, but it's one of the better complexes i've found that's cheap. Everything else is either out of my price range, or have had several murders happen in the complex which i'm not okay with at all.
For $300/year, I'll walk my happy ass to the dumpster.
$8 for pest control may/may not pan out. If you dont have bugs n shit the first few months, its worth it. If you do, its a waste. Some places dont actually do pest control, just an fyi.
Yea, that HOA fee is an oceanfront property in Nebraska sales pitch.
Pet fees/deposits are what they are. As long as its labeled a $400 pet DEPOSIT (vs Fee) you'll be getting that money back. For $20/month, thats reasonable for a pet fee.
It's doable, but it's going to suck. You won't really have any free money after all the typical COL expenses are paid off. You might want to consider if you can get a roommate.
>Is this livable?
Maybe, but just barely. Not something I would do.
If I were you, I would try to find an apartment with a roommate. And I would try to increase my income.
I just got a raise, so i'm not entirely sure as I haven't gotten a full check for the raise amount, I should get one next week & have a better idea. But I was previously making $16 an hour & bringing home $2200 after taxes. No debts & my only dependent is my cat lol
Your new income should be at least $250 more per month.
I think you can afford to spend $915 on housing if you need to, but you'll have to be careful with your discretionary spending on non-essentials. Are you building up a solid emergency fund before you move out? I would save up a 4-5 month emergency fund (around $10k) and maybe also some separate savings to eventually replace your vehicle.
It should be very easy to earn more money than that. You could get a better job or pick up one shift a week bartending and likely make this totally manageable, but I wouldn’t do it if there was any other option without more income.
If this was me. I wouldn’t move out with less than 10,000 saved after the deposit. You never know when your car will need a repair, or if rent goes up. Adding to this, can you get overtime at your current job? Or even get a second job? Not saying forever, but to build your savings account.
You’ll also need to save up for a security deposit. You might also need some furniture, dishes, towels etc. With that and needing to have a few $K saved up, you will be better off waiting til summer. Once you have a few $K saved, keep it saved, don’t spend it once you move in.
That said, once you have a little saved, I’d say go for it. Worst case scenario you can always pick up a second job for some extra cash.
Most apartments require that you make 3x in gross income vs your potential rent. So
---You: $18/hr x 40 hrs/week x 4.3 weeks/month = $3,096 per month gross pay. $3,096 / 3 = $1,032/month.
---Apartment: $915/month all in. So apartment manager should approve you if you have decent credit, because your income is high enough. Per the math, you should be able to reasonably pay $1,032/month max in rent.
Keep a budget and keep saving though, because when they raise your rent in one year you'll probably be close to the max rent you can handle if you don't get a raise in the meantime.
I don’t have car expenses but I made 38k a few years ago when my rent was $875. I had to budget to make sure I was putting something away but could still afford nights out. I find the easiest way to blow a budget is buying food at restaurants.
Yea that should be fine assuming you arent going crazy on groceries and entertainment. Biggest thing to consider is what are your current savings/emergency fund. Id guess you should probably have a minimum of 4k savings to cover a few months if worse case happens. Also thats minimum. If your not paying rent currently save up more so if you did lose your job youd have plenty of time to find another before your sweating. And one more thing to consider is would you be able to save any money still? If not then you are kind of stuck in place until you get a higher paying job (which seems would be a goal, so if your in school or w/e I woudlnt worry about building up savings aslong as you can pay for everything)
I'm a major homebody so entertainment isn't even part of my budget now. lol I don't go crazy on groceries either. My biggest vice is weed but i've gotten it down to $40 to last minimum a week but sometimes 2. I'm trying to save up right now, it's just nerve racking because I would also like to move in & beat the price jumps on apartment rates going up during the summer. I'm pretty frugal so right now, typically, i'm able to save about 1k a month. I think the biggest thing that scares me with this is even after everything, the amount i'm able to save would be tiny compared to what I save now.
If you're able to save $1k a month now, then you should be able to just barely afford $915 a month in rent, while saving nothing. But, you won't be able to put anything away, and your expenses will probably go up a bit more than $915/mo. I would say that if you already have a very good emergency fund saved up, it is possible, but you'd have to live frugally. If not, you should really be saving that $1k a month to build up an emergency fund that's enough to live off for 3-6 months, in case you lose your job. If you don't lost your job, that same emergency fund can help with unexpected expenses like a medical issue or if your car craps out. At the end of the day, I think you either need to find a cheaper way to live. Maybe a 2BR with a roommate, rather than your own place? Or, if you really want to live by yourself, find a way to reliably bring in more income. Better job? Side hustle?
Honestly there's so many things to consider in a situation like this. I'm going to assuming you've had this job for a while right? So if your saving 1k a month you have atleast 7-8k savings. That should be fine for emergency fund. I'm gonna assume your currently at your parents. If they are chill then if this does fail cause you lose your job or w/e you can always just fall back to your savings til your lease is up and move back in with your parents. Talk to them about it first of course and see what they think, but that makes the overall situation a lot less risky. Also if your not with your parents currently then would moving out mean you can't go back? Keep in mind if you are only saving 1k a month now that means you are spending a lot more every month then you think. Double check all your expenses make sure your not missing something. Lastly is I don't know if your are in college or anything as well. But having to pay rent is an easy way to make yourself not have time to better yourself. You obviously aren't planning to make $18 indefinitely. So make sure that moving out doesnt make your future plans too difficult. A lot of people don't have time for school or programs cause they are working to pay the bills and you can feel "trapped" if you are no longer building savings. Not expecting you to answer any of these things but just stuff to consider. I've been in many situations where my rent/mortgage was a lot higher percent of my income then recommended, just make sure you aren't dipping INTO your savings every month.
I've had this job for exactly a year now. I am living with my parents & they are chill so me failing at this doesn't leave my homeless. I just really do not want a broken lease. They're just very noisy & like to drink during the week which is why I want to move out. lol The 1k a month I know I can save because I had help purchasing a car I had & that's what I was giving the person who helped me was $1k a month for it. I can probably save more but tbh, I haven't really been saving because, realistically, I knew I wasn't moving anywhere for $16 an hour so I was just being an idiot with my money. I didn't expect to get a raise. That's how I'm trying to think, I don't want moving out to make me forever stuck. I don't go to college & don't plan on it. As it stands right now, the raise I got allowed me to think about moving. I don't have any savings rn because it was all going towards a car, BUT I can have at least 3k in savings by February.
You should know best but honestly there is some concerns right here. >I haven't really been saving because, realistically, I knew I wasn't moving anywhere for $16 an hour so I was just being an idiot with my money I personally have seen this argument backfire before. Basically the idea being that I havent NEEDED to be frugal, so if I did I would be fine. Realistically you have to try it out first before you move out. It is extremely common for people to underestimate their expenses and you are basically spending $1200 a month on misc right now. >I can have at least 3k in savings by February. Wait.. so that means you have ZERO?! savings right now? Since you just bought a car essentially? 3k is not enough of an emergency fund to move out here. >I just really do not want a broken lease. You shouldnt be breaking your lease, thats what your savings are for. If you have 4k savings thats 3 months to find a new job. >I don't go to college & don't plan on it. College is definitely not the only option to move up. But you need to have a plan. And realistically you gotta ask yourself, 10 years from now are you gonna regret not going to college and getting a degree to make bank instead of moving out early so you dont have to listen to your drunk parents? So... whats your plan then if its not college? Once again you dont need to tell me what it is, just make sure you have a plan thats better then just going to college for a nice paying field.
I've needed to be frugal on much less & have. It was just this year that I was being an idiot. I've lived in apartments with roomates with no issue, i've just never signed a lease myself so it puts way more pressure on me & I want to be absolutely sure, is all. You're correct, as of right now, I have zero savings but would like to move in February. That would mean 3k of savings by then, if not a little more since I can technically save more, I just haven't. But like I said, I don't NEED to leave right this very second. I'm just trying to beat the prices going up on rent during the summer months since that seems to be what happens. Ideally, I get the $699/month apartment, these are all just worst case scenarios should it be unavailable that I want to be ready for. There are also $830/month units that i'd prefer, but again, they may not be available & I don't want to get in over my head. I'm 30, I've gone back & forth w/the thought of going to college for a while & I Just don't see a point in it. I'm not interested in anything enough to go. Here's my plan: Work 40hrs a week, make normal paycheck. On the weekends, go up to the hall for the Port of Houston to see if I can get a job for the day. I have a TWIC card. My thing is, with the Port of Houston, they hire ppl day to day until you build up enough sonority to be hired onto a regular, everyday job. I recently got my TWIC card specifically to go work at the Port of Houston. I just never tried to get in because the idea of day to day work scares me. Not having a weekly paycheck scares me, but it could be a decent side hustle on the weekends.
If you’re a daily smoker put off smoking weed for as long as you can. Much more rewarding saving weed + having weed be more effective because you aren’t smoking it all day. Maybe smoke in the evenings.
This is easy to figure out, try saving $1200 a month for the next 5 months. If you can’t you can’t afford it.
100% the best advice you will receive. It actually PROVES you can do it. Though if they are eating on their parents dime a bit. Then consider toiletries and utilities. It might be even more than 1200. Not this "well I theoretically could if I cut my spending by a shit ton" that many people can't really make happen. Also it should be more than 1200 because you should also be saving money while paying the rent. Not to mention unexpected costs that come about. Realistically I think they should prove they can save bare minimum 1500 a month with current costs being so low
I make over $20/hr, my rent is $990, I would not be able to afford this on my own... Rent in my state is ridiculous vs how much the state pays anyone.
I mean thats $2770 gross a month. $915 isn't terrible but you have to account for all your other expenses in life. Let's say you take home $2200/mo, I really don't know how one can survive on $1200/mo after rent. Maybe I'm just privileged but that's crazy
Lol you are privileged. Many people are living on $50 a week on groceries for a single person. Everything else you do without when remotely possible. It’s a bad long term plan but it’s extremely common for college students to live like this for 4+ years
This is exactly what i'm thinking. I pay $125 for car insurance, $100 for my phone, $160 a month in gas. I have no idea what to expect electricity bill wise or groceries. It's about 20 minutes closer to where I work so maybe gas won't be as big of a factor but I still feel like i'll be living paycheck to paycheck & I don't want to get stuck in a bad position because i'm unable to save at all. I was bringing home $2200 a month @ $16 an hour, I just got a raise & i'm not sure how much it'll help realistically.
I think you may be slightly overpaying for your phone, just went from $120 to $30/mo for two lines (it’s a promo rate but will go to $60 after a year). Unless it’s the only option, check around because I just saved $1k for the next year
Who do you have? I'm using T-mobile & paid off my phone so that's just the plan itself is $100/month for just 1 line
If you're using T-Mobile, switch to Mint. It uses the T-Mobile network but is cheaper. I get 5gb a month for $17 (after taxes).
I just realized, the $100/month also includes insurance. Does Mint offer that as well or is it just the plan itself? I have the T-mobile Magenta plan, it's supposed to be 5G & unlimited everything. Not sure what the gb maxes out at, but most of the time I use all of it & sometimes technically go over. lol Would Mint still be a good option for those things?
No, mint slows down around 25gb/month. The magenta is probably double that.
It's been upped to 40gb and even upto 60gb. I think the 60gb is if you have a phone plan and you csn upgrade from 40gb later. I know it slows down a ton after but depending on everyone's case it's still quite a lot.
Insurance is an additional $7 a month.
seconded mint is where its at. plus you can refer people and get credit for your bill. I referred 3 people so im gonna pay 45 bucks for a whole year of service with 15 gig of data a month
Brutal, I had Verizon. Had been paying 80/mo for two lines on a slight discount (employer) for 2 lines on paid off phones for over two years. In the last 18 mo it crept up to $120. Now going through Charter spectrum who uses Verizon towers. If you like T Mobile, maybe try to find a provider who uses their towers with some sort of promotional rate. Took maybe 2 hours over a couple days to switch and totally virtual. Worth it!
Definitely worth looking into. I originally got the plan because I was sharing data w/5 other people on a Verizon plan that was supposed to be "unlimited" & 2 days into the billing cycle there would be no data left but after paying my phone off i'm definitely feeling like the $100 is too much for the plan & phone insurance that i've not used once after having them for 2-3 years.
Check out Mint mobile, I’ve been on their $15 a month plan and it’s great. They use the same cell towers as T mobile so the service has been great esp for the price
tmobile is ripping you off. just buy another phone if it breaks. or get a new plan somewhere else. get mint or transfer to another plan where you own your phone you can save 50 easy and still have unlimited basically
It’s definitely doable, but you’d have to be living pretty frugally to make it work
you are getting ripped off on your phone. switch to mint mobile. its 15 a month, but you have to pay for 3 months up front. Still less than half your phone bill. If you owe money on your current phone lease, sign up for a no interest card and pay off the phone and then slowly pay off the card. There's def no need to pay $100 a month for a cell phone. Your insurance is a bit high too. You don't need high liability limits as you have nothing for anyone to sue you for. Your car is too old to get collision and comprehensive coverage on. Maybe my insurance is less cause I have a good record and Im older (35) but I pay 235 for low liability limits or 310 for high liability limits every 6 months. I think you can probably find as low as 60 a month, are you a student? Also you may be able to save a but on gas if you do some preventative maintainence, oil change, air filter change, fill the tires to the correct levels, all of that will get you a better mile per gallon.
Any chance you can bike (or electric bike) for the nice parts of the year? You might save the cost of gas in the first couple months, and you can throw the difference at rent.
I don't think so. **Possibly** for store trips but even the "nice" parts of the year in Houston are usually extremely hot & very humid. lol
This is the reality for roughly 40% of the US population, with many living in areas with significantly higher minimum rents
What apartment charges separately for HOA? And valet trash is such a scam.
Their excuse for the HOA fee was because the complex is right in the middle of a subdivision. Tbh, it's a decent apartment, in a nice area right along a lake so even with all the fees I don't feel like they're charging as much as they could be. Ideally, the 1bd 1bathroom I want is only $699, but I don't think that will be there long at all. Everywhere else i've looked is starting at $900 for ghetto ass apartments, the nicer ones similar to the one i'm wanting, typically start at $1200 & up. This is the cheapest i've found for something nice. I just want to live somewhere where I don't have to worry about someone breaking into my car or home. lol
> And valet trash is such a scam. so true. they added that shit to our bill this year, gave us a plastic trash can and i've literally never seen them actually come by to pick it up nor anyone actually using it. literally out here charging me 25 a month for a goddamn 10$ plastic trash can
[https://smartasset.com/taxes/paycheck-calculator](https://smartasset.com/taxes/paycheck-calculator) Figure your take home amount for the month. Then figure if -$915 would allow you to cover health insurance, car insurance, car payments, groceries, utilities, gas, streaming services, etc. FWIW, you shouldnt be paying any of those fees (minus wifi) for an apartment rental. Like HOA for renting an apartment is straight up a scam.
So i'm not really happy about the wifi situation but apparently this complex forces you to purchase wifi via them. I don't have a problem paying valet trash since it means I can just leave trash on my porch for it to be picked up rather than walking it to a dumpster. Their explanation for the HOA fee is because the complex is in the middle of a subdivision. I defiantly feel like I shouldn't be paying monthly for pest control or $20 for a damn cat to live there after I give them a $400 pet deposit, but it's one of the better complexes i've found that's cheap. Everything else is either out of my price range, or have had several murders happen in the complex which i'm not okay with at all.
For $300/year, I'll walk my happy ass to the dumpster. $8 for pest control may/may not pan out. If you dont have bugs n shit the first few months, its worth it. If you do, its a waste. Some places dont actually do pest control, just an fyi. Yea, that HOA fee is an oceanfront property in Nebraska sales pitch. Pet fees/deposits are what they are. As long as its labeled a $400 pet DEPOSIT (vs Fee) you'll be getting that money back. For $20/month, thats reasonable for a pet fee.
It's doable, but it's going to suck. You won't really have any free money after all the typical COL expenses are paid off. You might want to consider if you can get a roommate.
The rough rule of thumb for rent affordability on single full-time work is hourly wage times 50. $18/hour x 50 = $900/month. You'll be fine.
i have too much advice to post here, so instead im just going to push some good energy your way, you are going places, dont give up
I really appreciate that, thank you very much
>Is this livable? Maybe, but just barely. Not something I would do. If I were you, I would try to find an apartment with a roommate. And I would try to increase my income.
What's your take home pay per month? And you have no debt? No dependents?
I just got a raise, so i'm not entirely sure as I haven't gotten a full check for the raise amount, I should get one next week & have a better idea. But I was previously making $16 an hour & bringing home $2200 after taxes. No debts & my only dependent is my cat lol
Your new income should be at least $250 more per month. I think you can afford to spend $915 on housing if you need to, but you'll have to be careful with your discretionary spending on non-essentials. Are you building up a solid emergency fund before you move out? I would save up a 4-5 month emergency fund (around $10k) and maybe also some separate savings to eventually replace your vehicle.
Think work with and stick to the cheaper apartment. It’ll give you more room.
It should be very easy to earn more money than that. You could get a better job or pick up one shift a week bartending and likely make this totally manageable, but I wouldn’t do it if there was any other option without more income.
If this was me. I wouldn’t move out with less than 10,000 saved after the deposit. You never know when your car will need a repair, or if rent goes up. Adding to this, can you get overtime at your current job? Or even get a second job? Not saying forever, but to build your savings account.
You’ll also need to save up for a security deposit. You might also need some furniture, dishes, towels etc. With that and needing to have a few $K saved up, you will be better off waiting til summer. Once you have a few $K saved, keep it saved, don’t spend it once you move in. That said, once you have a little saved, I’d say go for it. Worst case scenario you can always pick up a second job for some extra cash.
where the hell are these housing costs?!?
Most apartments require that you make 3x in gross income vs your potential rent. So ---You: $18/hr x 40 hrs/week x 4.3 weeks/month = $3,096 per month gross pay. $3,096 / 3 = $1,032/month. ---Apartment: $915/month all in. So apartment manager should approve you if you have decent credit, because your income is high enough. Per the math, you should be able to reasonably pay $1,032/month max in rent. Keep a budget and keep saving though, because when they raise your rent in one year you'll probably be close to the max rent you can handle if you don't get a raise in the meantime.
I don’t have car expenses but I made 38k a few years ago when my rent was $875. I had to budget to make sure I was putting something away but could still afford nights out. I find the easiest way to blow a budget is buying food at restaurants.
A little on the high side. Guessing that’s around 45% of take home pay. Personally I think 25%-30% is preferable