Student moving out for the first time - help and advice needed :)

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Incman

Thanks

And thanks a lot for your list of stuff, very helpful.

The place is in line with the prices of the hundreds of kijiji ads I've looked at in my area near the university, but it stood out to me as being miles above in terms of quality. It's 475 plus utilities/month. There is no central air, but I will be buying a high efficiency window unit, and the furnace is a brand new (couple months) high efficient unit, so hopefully utility costs will be reasonable. I'm absolutely stoked to finally be able to be independent.

nice looking place.
I'm going to recommend you spend some money on some area rugs. That floor looks like it might be chilly come Windsor winter.

Good luck to you.

 

[Incman]

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

nice looking place.
I'm going to recommend you spend some money on some area rugs. That floor looks like it might be chilly come Windsor winter.

Good luck to you.


Thank you sir

Rugs are definitely an item on my list. The furnishing will be ongoing due to the sheer amount of stuff to buy for a new apartment, but they are up there on my list of essential furniture.

 

[Jekyll]

Those pics actually look quite nice, especially for that price. Around here, $500 gets you a nasty little shithole with stained, off-white carpet.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Originally Posted by brokencycle

Do you goto school in Minneapolis? Because if so, I don't know how/why you would spend that much because you can find much cheaper. I am willing to bet the supply was a lot lower in Madison and rent was nowhere near that high.

You'd have to talk to the other thousands of students who are paying just as much or more than me about that. I wish that was reality, but it isn't.

Plus, demand was probably low in Madison because it sucks--nobody wants to live there.

Yes but that's stupid enough that living far away would mean your rent savings would subsidize a car lease. Actually assuming rent further away is more or less reasonable, you could probably subsidize a really NICE car with those savings.

Bus pass is under $100 a semester. Living off campus and owning a car would end up costing more after gas, parking, insurance, etc.

I swindled an awesome 5br, 3-level townhome next year for $560/mnth.

Next year I'm planning to live off campus a few miles. Although I don't think it will end up saving me more than MAYBE $1k a year.

 

[jobro]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

I swindled an awesome 5br, 3-level townhome next year for $560/mnth. Next year I'm planning to live off campus a few miles. Although I don't think it will end up saving me more than MAYBE $1k a year.
Wow - $200 per week for a room is considered reasonable for a student in Perth, Australia.

 

[ConcernedParent]

Originally Posted by Jekyll

Those pics actually look quite nice, especially for that price. Around here, $500 gets you a nasty little shithole with stained, off-white carpet.

$500 here gets you a bedroom the size of a closet. $500 in New York probably gets you a hole where you can crawl and die (but your bodies gotta go once some young kid from the suburbs of Massachusetts decides he wants the bohemian life and bumps rent up).

 

[brokencycle]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

You'd have to talk to the other thousands of students who are paying just as much or more than me about that. I wish that was reality, but it isn't.

Plus, demand was probably low in Madison because it sucks--nobody wants to live there.

Madison does suck because of all the hippies. I dunno, I looked for places around Minneapolis, and I found places much better than that price (mind you in St Louis Park or Minneapolis but not near campus). Better if you don't want in unit laundry or two baths.

I guess it depends.

Back to the OP:

Good luck. I was so happy to move out, and I've never looked back.

 

[Incman]

Originally Posted by brokencycle

Madison does suck because of all the hippies. I dunno, I looked for places around Minneapolis, and I found places much better than that price (mind you in St Louis Park or Minneapolis but not near campus). Better if you don't want in unit laundry or two baths.

I guess it depends.

Back to the OP:

Good luck. I was so happy to move out, and I've never looked back.

Thanks. Yea, I'm stoked. Gonna be an unreal experience.

 

[Rambo]

don't buy brand new furniture. so long as it doesn't smell, and isn't horribly stained, nobody will really give a **** about your furniture. scour craigslist and consignment shops for good deals.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Originally Posted by brokencycle

Madison does suck because of all the hippies. I dunno, I looked for places around Minneapolis, and I found places much better than that price (mind you in St Louis Park or Minneapolis but not near campus). Better if you don't want in unit laundry or two baths.


No doubt. The SLP and uptown area have some good prices. Of course, you'd be battling a bunch of hipsters in uptown.

To the OP. Best of luck, man! It's going to be an awesome time.

 

[Monaco]

Getting a roomate is not all that bad, you just need to interview them, or just check your social network and see if anybody is willing to room with you.

When I moved away to work and had to find a place, I didn't want the hassle of leasing my own place and interviewing potential roomates, time didn't allow me to. I just checked craigslist and actually found some awesome roomates who worked, were responsible, played sports, respected my privacy, kept clean, cooked, and always left me goodies in my part of the fridge. I highly suggest having a roomate, you never know when you need some help with anything.

About things in general. Since you are limited in money, only get the things you absolutely need. Some people are talking about microwaves and panini grills, WTF? should he have a Jack Lelane juicer too? how about a magic bullet?

I have a wok, a pot and a skillet. If I need my food heated, I steam it, no harm done.

Food is rather simple. If you can, find a local farmer and be BFF's, it will help you out big time. If not, costco does pretty well, get your frozen meat, some veggies/fruits, and dairies. Learn how to make a good hearty stew, you can always re-heat and eat it anytime. Have rice, noodles and bread on hand and basic condiments like cheese, spaghetti sauce and jellies for a quick and easy meal. It all depends on your taste really, cooking is simpler than you think, only time I ever burn my food is when I leave it unattended, so just stick around the kitchen. For cooking oil, look nowhere else but coconut oil, you can cook with it and use it as a skin moisturizer if you need.

For living, all you need is light, toilet paper, self hygiene products and cleaning products (having vinegar and baking soda is good for personal hygiene and house cleaning). For sleep, you don't need anything fancy, just sleep on one of those 6 inch memory foam mattresses with a pillow and a simple blanket.
Aside from that, all you're doing is studying and if finances allow you to, going out occasionally. This is why I suggest you have a roomate, so you're not bored all the time and you don't have to go out to scratch the itch.

 

[Incman]

Originally Posted by Monaco

Getting a roomate is not all that bad, you just need to interview them, or just check your social network and see if anybody is willing to room with you. When I moved away to work and had to find a place, I didn't want the hassle of leasing my own place and interviewing potential roomates, time didn't allow me to. I just checked craigslist and actually found some awesome roomates who worked, were responsible, played sports, respected my privacy, kept clean, cooked, and always left me goodies in my part of the fridge. I highly suggest having a roomate, you never know when you need some help with anything. About things in general. Since you are limited in money, only get the things you absolutely need. Some people are talking about microwaves and panini grills, WTF? should he have a Jack Lelane juicer too? how about a magic bullet? I have a wok, a pot and a skillet. If I need my food heated, I steam it, no harm done. Food is rather simple. If you can, find a local farmer and be BFF's, it will help you out big time. If not, costco does pretty well, get your frozen meat, some veggies/fruits, and dairies. Learn how to make a good hearty stew, you can always re-heat and eat it anytime. Have rice, noodles and bread on hand and basic condiments like cheese, spaghetti sauce and jellies for a quick and easy meal. It all depends on your taste really, cooking is simpler than you think, only time I ever burn my food is when I leave it unattended, so just stick around the kitchen. For cooking oil, look nowhere else but coconut oil, you can cook with it and use it as a skin moisturizer if you need. For living, all you need is light, toilet paper, self hygiene products and cleaning products (having vinegar and baking soda is good for personal hygiene and house cleaning). For sleep, you don't need anything fancy, just sleep on one of those 6 inch memory foam mattresses with a pillow and a simple blanket. Aside from that, all you're doing is studying and if finances allow you to, going out occasionally. This is why I suggest you have a roomate, so you're not bored all the time and you don't have to go out to scratch the itch.
Thanks a lot for the detailed answer. I understand the points you are making regarding roommates, however at this time it isn't a risk I want to take. I'll be keeping plenty busy haha, studying a lot (obviously, my marks are important to me), working at my job on the weekends, potentially being a Teaching Assistant for a course I did well in last year, playing volleyball on the houseleague team, etc etc. I'll have plenty to keep me occupied/engaged. Regarding the points about not having a microwave or whatnot, I'm not looking to just try to get by. I want to genuinely enjoy this time in my life, and that's one of the main reasons I have for wanting to live alone. I still will hang out with friends and go out of course(once I turn 19 ), but I recognize the main priority is school/networking in order to have a solid career lined up when I graduate.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

No doubt. The SLP and uptown area have some good prices. Of course, you'd be battling a bunch of hipsters in uptown.

To the OP. Best of luck, man! It's going to be an awesome time.

SLP sucks.
It sucked 30 years ago and it has only gotten worse.

 

[Incman]

Bump for more help. Thanks guys

 

[Hombre Secreto]

Buy everything used, and try to survive for the post part on ramen, beans and water. Also since you're young people will take advantage of you. Keep mindful of that. Also use condoms.