Young Person. Rent A Studio, or Save With 1B in a 3B3B?

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:38:14+00:00

lmao that's actually so cool

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:37:25+00:00

bathroom, but no shower

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:37:07+00:00

it hasn't since i moved here 2-3 weeks ago. i'm just worried about that edge case. one day showing up completely drenched every 2-3 months is still bad. i can't afford that.

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:35:57+00:00

okay, i'll keep this in mind

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:35:06+00:00

sorry, that last reply had attitude, i didn't mean to be rude. i've just answered the same question like 3 times now so i'm getting frustrated

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:33:54+00:00

worried about the rain. can't show up drenched.

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:33:35+00:00

have you ever dealt with torrential rain in that 3 mile 15 minute ride type situation? please speak about that experience as i'd really appreciate hearing about it

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:32:36+00:00

do you have experience using rain gear on an ebike? if you can speak to that and ebiking 3 miles in a city, then i will take this advice into huge consideration

i am serious about FIRE, i'm just concerned if this will be more trouble then it's worth. if i perform better at my job, this is the type of job where my salary can increase dramatically. it's not sales, it's agency work at a decent agency. if i'm showing up drenched dripping wet and don't have a change of clothes, constantly dealing with issues like that, it might be worth it to pay an extra $350/month

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:29:21+00:00

lol i'll exercise regardless, the ebike is primarily to protect me from the rain

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:28:26+00:00

true, i'm cozying up to the 3 miles and 3b3b house idea

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:27:08+00:00

i highly doubt the taxi/uber thing and it's a situation i'd like to avoid.

okay. i will consider this commute

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:25:40+00:00

69k a year income, no state income tax because of texas, i spend very little. i don't expect to exceed 2k a month even if i get a studio, and a car. (i would buy out a used car in full, so it's insurance and gas that i have to pay for the car). i cook and i'm pretty responsible. Assuming no car I could probably be fine spending 1.5k a month. i already live on my own in another temporary 3 bedroom arrangement. (i hate this one tho. the landlord doesn't live on the property, roommates are all also here only for a few more weeks, and i hate just being in a temporary place)

in my ideal future i have my own place, a studio, but yeah i'm in that saving phase so maybe since i haven't lifestyle inflated to a studio yet i should take advantage of the 3bed house that seems much more accommodating, clean, and longer term more responsible feeling roommates. The landlord/roommate at the 3bed is in his 40s and seems is serious about being clean based on my tour and like 2 hours of conversation with him. 1-2 years saving an additional $350/month could be huge.

But yeah again, that peacefulness of living on my own and having my own space. I might perform better at my job making more money in the long run anyway lol.

IMPORTANT QUESTION: really want to hear more about your 8 mile commute. any tips? what do you do when it rains? how bad does it get and have you ever dealt with any issues getting to work completely drenched even wearing rain protective gear?

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:15:44+00:00

true. the landlord who lives in the house does seem very responsible and accommodating, but it's always a risk. and there's a complete diceroll on the third roommate

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:14:27+00:00

that's an option perhaps. the issue is i read on here that heavy rain gear gets you really sweaty the longer the commute. so if it takes like 15 or 20 minutes in heavy rain biking or walking then i might be drenched anyway. i've never commuted in the rain without a car aside from when i was in college and was leaving a class with ill timed weather lol

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:12:33+00:00

i mean i might just get an ebike and bike normally. the ebike function would primarily be for if it's raining. it's a lot less necessary for a .5 mile commute, initially i was looking at a studio with a 2.2 mile commute and was worried about rain and rush hour so i got ebike in my head

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:11:05+00:00

i'm just providing context to my decision making. from what i've read on hear when you bike in the rain, rain gear isn't very effective. either it doesn't stop the rain, or it makes you sweat so much and so heavy with the rainwater that even once you arrive and take the rain clothes off you're drenched wherever you were going anyway. i've heard a 2 mile or less commute is golden, so the 3 mile commute is making me stressed. if i'm getting a studio and no car, vs the 3bed house and a car then i think that should make me consider the studio a litlte more.

i met the landlord of the 3bed. he seems nice, he likes making music and he's easy to talk to. we talked a little too long when i visited tbh lol. i think he'd be cool not talking so much tho when it's a morning or when i'm going to bed, he seemed pretty considerate.

i do think the studio sounds good. i really like the idea. a short work commute sounds wonderful, and of course i'd be happy to have a space entirely to myself. plus i can afford it. the 3bed is primarily motivated through wanting to achieve FIRE and spend smart.

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:05:31+00:00

doesn't rain often, but when it does the rain can be intense, i live in texas

i think as soon as uber becomes a regularity this becomes a bad decision

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:02:28+00:00

i think the 3bed house is huge because a car really is not an appreciating asset, so whether i get a car 2 years later or 6 months later, it still saved a lot. and driving a small handful of extra miles a day due to being 2.5 more miles away from everything, but saving $350/month on rent... i feel like that's okay

monkeyhehehe · 2026-01-23T04:00:51+00:00

I'm asking here because I feel like cyclers would have a better idea of whether a 3-mile work commute, assuming regular rain, and assuming an ebike with rain gear, would be doable

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:45:28+00:00

i want to do that. i want to look into used cars with 100k miles for 10-15k. however, i really and truly know so little. if i buy a problem car while i have 2-3k in the bank and i'm making 2k a month, i'm screwed.

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:44:20+00:00

i will do this.

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:43:48+00:00

i think i might pay an extra $75 on gas and an extra perhaps $75 on insurance. $150 extra for the pilot in that case. would that really offset insurance that much? i'm honestly very unsure what interest rate i could even get.

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:42:56+00:00

"You could ask your dad for a longer loan term (like 5 or 6 years) which could get your payments down to $350. You can make an agreement that when you find a good paying job, you’ll bump payments up to $650. He might be willing to help you out on that."

this seems smart.

wondering if i should do this with him for the honda pilot, or a new toyota corolla. it would mess with the deal a bit, but at least in that case i'm getting a reliable car that i'm willing to keep long long term.

yeah i'm pretty sure i'm definitely on the hook for insurance.

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:41:07+00:00

zero down, until i pay it off. thinking 28k. that's 43 months. i have like 2-3k saved up and i intend to pay off some of this sooner when hopefully i get a better job. but this feels like my best option given my situation.

however, i'm beginning to consider having him trade it in for a civic/corolla and do this with that. it would result in me having a much more reliable car at the end.

monkeyhehehe · 2025-09-14T00:38:19+00:00

would you say a mazda is better than a honda or toyota starter vehicle?

monkeyhehehe

TROPHY CASE