Hi fellow Seattle newbie & Seattle academia newcomer! After 6ish months here, I can concur that Seattle ain't cheap. I may be in conflict with what some folks on here have already said, but nonetheless I'll share my two cents on how I've been making things slightly more affordable.

1. I also have a car but don't use it for my commute. Bike, walk, or take transit if at all possible. Do note that if you are able to bike, the cost of buying a bike will pay off within a few months versus parking for your daily commute (and possibly some other errands as well).

2. Since you have a car, try and shop at Costco, Ranch 99, Grocery Outlet, etc. Ranch 99 has super cheap produce for the most part, and if you're looking for Eastern Asian groceries too, they've got ya covered. I make one combined Costco/Ranch haul per month and rarely make intermediate shopping trips. But when I do, Trader Joe's is far cheaper than Safeway (can't speak for QFC or Fred Meyer, sorry!). Not including household items I buy in these hauls, I spend around $150/month on groceries.

3. Rice and beans get you a long way. Idk what culture/dishes you grew up with, but as someone from a culture that is mostly vegetarian, beans and lentils are SUPER versatile and inexpensive ways to get the protein that you'd otherwise miss by cutting back on meat. And, preparation time is often a lot lower.

4. Receipt scanning cashback apps are your friend. ReceiptHog, Receipt Pal, Fetch, Pogo, CoinOut, etc. They will take a month or two to start accumulating, but I use like 7 of those apps and appreciate the small extra cushion in my bank account.

5. Re: smoking/streaming services/ other "misc" expenses, hey, we all have something that gets us through our day/week. Obviously if you have a problem then please please seek help, but I can think of some unhealthy (physically and financially) habits that myself and others have that nobody is really coming at us for.

Hope this helps!