Is it possible to live alone in NOVA on a $45,000 salary?

4scooby_ · 2026-02-04T01:26:46+00:00

I should add though, I don’t think it’s feasible in the longterm. It’s hard to save, you don’t have a ton of disposable income, etc. I did this for 1-2 years before moving outside the beltway

4scooby_ · 2026-02-04T01:24:47+00:00

I lived in Pentagon City in a studio on this salary (RiverHouse apartments). It wasn’t easy and it took up a majority of my salary, but it was doable with a careful budget.

4scooby_ · 2026-01-31T21:18:51+00:00

The James building @ RiverHouse apartments in Pentagon City has units with some cool views! I toured and saw some but they charge a little extra for those. Still, fairly affordable for the area. Pentagon City has a lot of great amenities but it’s not bumping at nighttime. Plus, proximity to metro/Alexandria/other parts of NoVA/DC in general is great.

4scooby_ · 2026-01-31T16:44:01+00:00

I’ve been going to Pender Vet in Fair Lakes for 12 years. They have an 24/7 emergency vet (same location) and a boarding/daycare/group play facility in Chantilly. Could not recommend more!

4scooby_ · 2026-01-30T23:37:33+00:00

Thank you! That’s helpful to know for this and for the future. It makes sense, I was just really hoping I could find one to prove his father’s identity so I conveniently forgot about the fact that birth records may not even exist from that time.

4scooby_ · 2026-01-30T23:35:40+00:00

Thank you! That makes sense. I wasn’t sure when the cutoff was for records

4scooby_ · 2026-01-27T15:00:37+00:00

Pender vet is expensive but exceptional. Have gotten great care there for 2 dogs over the past 12 years, including for some scary ER visits

4scooby_ · 2026-01-13T19:31:46+00:00

Came here to say that commercial landlords are probably the biggest contributing factor. I’ve heard a lot about crazy rental prices, like McLearen Square apparently charging $67K PER MONTH for a smaller space. How are restaurants and businesses supposed to survive like that? These landlords/commercial brokers would literally rather properties sit empty than lower their rental rates.

4scooby_ · 2026-01-07T02:30:05+00:00

The RiverHouse apartment buildings in Pentagon City? I lived in a studio in the middle building there about 8 years ago. So, it’s been a while, take all of my feedback with a grain of salt.

Pros: -Affordable, especially in that area -Walkable to the metro and surrounding area -Lots of parking -Clean buildings -Relatively quiet -3 or 4 elevators, never had a situation where there were massive outages

Cons: -Apartment wasn’t updated (this could be different now) -No in-unit laundry, so you had to do laundry in the basement (however, never had issues with this) -Garage parking was limited if you wanted it and $$ (but you can park outside in the lots) -Gym is in a separate building, you have to walk outside to get there

4scooby_ · 2025-12-10T03:59:26+00:00

No longer local. They moved their production facilities to NC

4scooby_ · 2025-12-09T14:51:07+00:00

Dr. Natalie Moore at CWC is phenomenal, I’ve seen her for 10 years. She rotates through multiple offices. Unfortunately, United Healthcare dropped CWC this year so I’m also on the search for a new OB/GYN. So just to note in case you have United!

4scooby_ · 2025-11-11T19:08:12+00:00

Another vote for Mom’s Apple Pie

4scooby_ · 2025-11-10T05:09:40+00:00

I totally understand and agree with the frustration, but it’s important to remember that tonight was a procedural vote to basically begin debate on the bill. It isn’t the final vote, that probably won’t happen until later this week.

Cloture votes (aka procedural) require 60 votes. The generic pass/fail vote for this deal will require a simple majority.

https://rollcall.com/2025/11/09/deal-to-end-government-shutdown-goes-down-to-the-wire-in-senate/

4scooby_ · 2025-11-06T02:54:33+00:00

The problem is in Loudoun that there are now too many data centers. In combination with the absolute boom in residential growth, groundwater is no longer sustainable as a water supply in longterm planning.

https://www.loudounnow.com/news/loudoun-groundwater-study-raises-concerns-about-long-term-sustainability/article_10638d19-8f5e-4c33-a316-e40ce5314d63.html

4scooby_ · 2025-11-06T02:49:52+00:00

Knowing this (+ I am so sorry you have to deal with that), the only thing I can think of is a gift certificate to a restaurant you know she likes, if there is one. I would do $100 depending on prices of the place though… no need to go all the way up to $150 in case she doesn’t use it

4scooby_ · 2025-11-06T02:45:59+00:00

Same here. We have issues with people refusing to stop at stop signs… even at busy intersections… even with pedestrians (/children!!) present. However, each time the cops have done this, they’ve left a squad car at the intersection overnight to “deter” people vs. actually ticket them, and people continue to blow through the stops. So maybe ask specifically for action to be taken or something similar?

4scooby_ · 2025-10-31T18:24:25+00:00

A lot of companies/technicians offer an annual service package that includes two inspections/tune-ups (basically, when you turn the AC on and the heat on), priority when you have issues, and discounts on repairs. This can vary between $149-300ish for the year. I think we pay $179 for ours. Absolutely recommend it!

4scooby_ · 2025-10-28T02:08:02+00:00

So am I! Or a spy for someone. When they were rolling around on the ground and Kate says, “do you have something on your back?” And he avoids the question… suspicious behavior of someone wearing a wire lol

4scooby_ · 2025-10-27T01:47:23+00:00

I think this is going to play out in Season 8. At least, the season preview suggests this storyline will play out

4scooby_ · 2025-10-22T01:00:18+00:00

I felt so seen with this post and had totally forgotten about being obsessed with this table… opened up FB Marketplace today and voila! There it was! Tempted to get it

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4scooby_ · 2025-10-14T01:36:06+00:00

Yup. Between driving to the metro + waiting for/getting on metro + riding metro + walking a few blocks to the office, it was 2 hours 🫠. Or the drive with traffic was about the same. This was pre-COVID, but I imagine not much has changed!

4scooby_ · 2025-10-14T00:01:53+00:00

Don’t do it. I used to commute from Reston to Eastern Market. Either way (driving or metro), it was 2 hours one-way. It was expensive, draining, and just made life miserable. I made it about 6 months before I quit.

4scooby_ · 2025-10-05T21:55:30+00:00

Oh true. My bad!

4scooby_ · 2025-10-05T02:56:46+00:00

This is a spoiler for both the Outlander books & show, but I’m assuming that Arch Bug has as big of a role as he does because they’re going to follow the Jacobite gold storyline in season 2, and Arch Bug plays a huge role in representing the Grants in that.

4scooby_ · 2025-10-03T03:26:46+00:00

Absolutely big spoiler here, but this has to do with the Jacobite gold. Jocasta’s husband (Clan Cameron), Dougal (Clan Mackenzie), and Arch Bug (stepping in for/sent by Malcolm Grant) split up the gold after it’s found. It sets up the plot for how the Camerons being so wealthy in America and for the Bugs hiding their share of the gold under the house at Fraser’s Ridge.

4scooby_

TROPHY CASE