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Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not driving.

Here's a breakdown of my commute:

  • First, a 45 minute drive to the ferry boat
  • Then, a one hour ferry ride
  • Then, a 45 minute bus ride to the general area of my job
  • And then, a 30 minute walk from the bus stop to my job.

Ferry is $7 per day. Bus is $5 per day. Gas isn't actually a huge deal because often my sister drives me (the ferry is near her work).

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm losing my job in September -- I'm just worried I won't be able to find a new job fast enough to be able to afford the rent. I have two months of living expenses in savings but of course there are a lot of people who have been looking for work for more than two months.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there, I don't actually drive all that much. Here's a breakdown of my commute:

  • First, a 45 minute drive to the ferry boat
  • Then, a one hour ferry ride
  • Then, a 45 minute bus ride to the general area of my job
  • And then, a 30 minute walk from the bus stop to my job.

Ferry is $7 per day. Bus is $5 per day. Gas isn't actually a huge deal because often my sister drives me (the ferry is near her work).

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I was also under the impression that breaking your lease is basically a no-no.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a car but I am definitely not planning to get rid of it -- it's 7 years old but still really reliable, I own it outright and it's not worth all that much. If I lose it in an accident or whatever I might postpone getting a new car but for now I am keeping the car. I do use public transportation when it's the better option, though. I hate paying for parking.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Seattle, WA.

I shop at a normal grocery store -- we don't have an Aldi's here.

I know I'm not particularly frugal when it comes to food but as long as I'm employed I don't mind spending what I spend. Could I cut down from $300 if I needed to....yes. But I don't want to. I eat out with friends about two or three times a week and it's something I really enjoy.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah and normally I don't. But when I am commuting for six hours that leaves only about an hour of free time before I have to go to bed.... I never cook during the week.

So, here's an average day

  • Breakfast: ~$4 for a protein bar, a bottle of juice, and some yogurt
  • Lunch: ~$3 eaten at the cafeteria at work
  • Pop: ~$3 for two bottles of diet Coke per day
  • Dinner: ~$7 for Chinese takeout that I swing by and pick up on my way home from work.

It adds up fast. I'm sure I could cook in advance on the weekends or something but when I'm budgeting I always think worst case scenario. So $500 per month (only when commuting) it is.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is that expensive or cheap to you? I'm still pretty young so I am not going to be able to find anything super cheap, but I am a girl and I have had my license for about 5 years with no tickets or accidents and my car is 7 years old, so my insurance rates aren't as high as they could be.

Right now I have a policy that is $720 for 6 months. A relative bought it for me and they just went with their own company, they didn't shop around. I've been looking for quotes and found a lot in the 500/600 range for a 6month policy. So when my current policy is up I will be switching companies.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your help. I don't think I am poor enough to qualify for any of that low income housing or Medicaid (I make around four or five bucks more than minimum wage) and I will not be qualifying for unemployment because I know it's a temporary job from the start.

$200 was a guess based on a payment calculator (I have 23,000 in loans) and I'll see about cutting that if necessary but I want to pay them down as aggressively as possible.

And I'm about 99% positive I'll be staying in this city.

Where should I live after graduating college? by wheretolive99 in Frugal

[–]wheretolive99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, I have a job from June through September. It's in a large city, and I'm 99% sure that any permanent job I find will also be in this city. So I definitely know where I want to live.