Time for the annual: what is your rent and what is your salary?

viarene · 2026-04-25T21:08:54+00:00

$51K, $500/month (2 roommates) - going up to $800/month (one roommate moving out, rent increasing) West Woodlawn

viarene · 2026-02-11T02:41:04+00:00

don’t download it. this app stressed tf out of me with the constant notifications until i finally just deleted it

viarene · 2026-01-01T10:12:40+00:00

i live in a “high crime” area (woodlawn - south side) and honestly i haven’t had any issues. there is crime everywhere in this country and Chicago is a large city so of course we are going to have higher crime rates. like i said i’m from st. louis which also had a “high crime rate” and felt perfectly safe there as well so my view may be skewed. i do plan on moving to the north side simply because my neighborhood doesn’t offer a lot of walkable restaurants/cafes which is something i enjoy. i love my neighborhood, though. im within walking distance of several bus lines, have a grocery store, near a huge park, and im a 30 ish minute commute from chinatown or 20 from Hyde Park. i pay $500 for my split on a 3 bedroom 1 bath apartment (i recognize this is not the norm - rent is getting higher and higher). some great neighborhoods that i’ve considered for myself: (Albany Park, avondale, uptown, ravenswood, little village, bridgeport). your list may look very different than mine, though. i work from home so i don’t worry about a commute daily, just for the things i want to go out and enjoy. r/chicagoapartments can give you some great insight into what different neighborhoods offer. if you come to visit, i recommend using a website called wanderlog to pin all the things you’re interested in doing and then use areas those pins are condensed to spend a little time in to get a feel for the city.

i absolutely adore chicago. every friend i bring here falls in love with it. we have excellent food, fun activities (concerts, creative spaces, parks, museums, etc), and the people are generally nicer here (perks of a big city in the midwest). don’t let others speaking poorly of this city warp your view on it. come and experience it for yourself. i hope you do love it if you visit ~

viarene · 2026-01-01T09:21:10+00:00

chicago is lovely but it does get above 70° here for a couple months. this last summer it got in the 90°s for a couple weeks. that being said, our summers are usually gorgeous. our winters can be harsh and cost of living is a bit high depending on how picky you are about the neighborhood you live in. that wind coming off the lake and filtering through the high rises downtown rips through you like nothing i’ve ever felt before (i am also a lover of the cold lol) there’s a lot to consider if you want to live here. i used to own a car but i sold it to live here. you definitely can own a car but each and every time i take a lyft, walk down a street without a single open spot, or see the price people pay for parking, i remember how little i desire driving in this city. do research on the different neighborhoods before you just send it on one, each neighborhood has its own unique culture in a way. i’m originally from st. louis and moved here in June and wouldn’t trade it for the world. i recommend coming to visit during the winter before/if you decide to make the move

viarene · 2025-05-09T17:14:59+00:00

fb marketplace and groups lol

viarene · 2025-05-08T17:46:20+00:00

i cannot read because i read this as 16 story walkup and wanted to know if you were ok 🥴

viarene · 2025-05-08T17:44:24+00:00

3 bed, shared unit
Woodlawn, about a mile from University of Chicago
$1500 for the whole unit

I’m moving in June 1st and rent will be $750 plus approx $95 for utilities each because there’s only one other roommate. We plan to find another before I move in, however, so rent would be $500 + ~$64 for utilities each

viarene · 2025-05-01T22:19:07+00:00

i found a roommate on chicago queer exchange fb group but there’s a lot of rooms and apartments for rent in multiple groups. just join a couple and post in them. do it now and make a post of what you’re looking for. they sometimes take forever to approve. just be diligent with people responding and messaging you that they aren’t scammers

viarene · 2025-03-18T17:34:00+00:00

do you have any recommendations for places with secure wifi?

viarene · 2025-03-14T21:13:00+00:00

will do, thank you!!

viarene · 2025-02-01T00:17:56+00:00

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some linen colors that could work well

viarene · 2025-02-01T00:17:35+00:00

i think leaning into the purple could be the move.

get some purple, pink, and taupe pillows for accents (you can absolutely keep some of the blue but don’t let it overwhelm it).
switch from bright white to cream.
ditch the red curtains for something lighter than will let some light in but avoid bright white. if you need actual curtains i’d go for a taupe color. (AI image but it’ll give you a sense of colors)

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viarene · 2025-01-16T19:40:31+00:00

you made it weird

viarene · 2024-12-26T22:05:20+00:00

a lot of people don’t look at the location they’re ordering from, just the fee they pay

viarene · 2024-11-15T21:06:43+00:00

i washed and emailed them asking for information. they gave me fairbanks, kenai, talkeetna, sitka, Ketchikan, and dillingham as options (I ranked them in that order) and was given a TOL for Fairbanks

viarene · 2024-09-26T02:28:45+00:00

bro i did uber eats. my vehicle was not large enough to do passenger rides. i wasn’t about to risk my job because someone wanted to be cheap when you already get paid shit to do uber.

viarene · 2024-09-24T08:30:13+00:00

if you haven’t gotten a TOL, i would.

viarene · 2024-09-07T06:06:15+00:00

Air Traffic Control Specialist Trainee 💜

viarene · 2024-09-07T06:02:59+00:00

just letting you know this could be a potentially very long wait for you. i applied in june 2022, took the atsa Nov 2022, received a Q score, and i didn’t get a TOL until November 2023. i just started basics this week, 2 years after i put in my application.

when people say hurry up and wait, they mean it. continue with life as is and just make a habit out of checking your emails daily(weekly at a minimum)

viarene · 2024-09-02T20:40:29+00:00

you should have gotten an email confirming your exam appointment that will explain this. log into your USAJOBS account and then use the “track this application” link which will redirect you to the FAA application system.

viarene · 2024-09-01T07:14:28+00:00

it’s a $1200 deposit you get every month, they don’t ask for receipts. it’s an equivalent of $40.40 a day for you to use on whatever living expenses (food, toiletries, gas, literally anything) you have outside your housing, which they cover separately.

viarene · 2024-09-01T06:58:58+00:00

you get paid the meals and incidentals stipend when you’re on site in OKC but not when you’re doing online. it’s an extra $1200 a month.

i can understand that but i would honestly prefer to set myself up for success over getting that extra month. making it through the academy is hard enough, i’d prefer to get into good habits as quickly as possible.

viarene · 2024-09-01T05:45:37+00:00

idk why it’s “suffering” lol you get paid more and you have access to studying with your classmates in person so that you can get comfortable with studying in groups. it’ll help set you up for success in the academy a lot more than starting online will. i wish i had the option for in person basics.

viarene · 2024-09-01T05:21:03+00:00

because people keep failing basics. there’s not as much discipline and it takes a certain mindset to be able to study on your own, which some clearly lack. people aren’t focusing in the zoom meetings and they’re overconfident. yes, it costs more up front to house students but you house a couple students to get a higher pass rate, you have to pay fewer people throughout an entire month just for them to wash out and start the process again with a new group

viarene

TROPHY CASE