Living in Boston on minimum wage.

[isthispossible]

I had a more refined budget but didn't bother after editing the post didn't work. Here it is...

1,500mo
-500mo rent
1,000mo
-300 food
700mo
-100 internet and cellphone
600mo
-60 T-pass
540mo
-140 down the black hole ( households, too.. probably spend 40/mo on them )
400
-100 having a life ( I rarely go out )
300mo

And if the job doesn't cover health insurance then -200 for that and 100 leftover. I'm a guy and I don't dress fancy, if I do I've got enough shirts already.

I haven't looked far down the list but here's this...

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/abo/2757006510.html (broken link)

4br $400/mo house in Dorchester. They don't seem to be that rare.

[mdovell]

No offense but that isn't $400 a month that is $1550.

The other thing to consider is that if there is a long term lease what if someone walks out on it. I'd argue it might be better to find something at $800 or more and be alone or go a tad down and find one roommate.

Banking on three other people's lives to be OK can be iffy. You say that you are healthy and that is fine but what if there is an accident with a roommate and they cannot pay the rent for a few months?

What if a job moves and it is outside of the range of the t? the commuter rail is not nearly as consistent as the subway. If someone loses their job or has to get a car to get to work that can be taxing as well.

If you are on minimum wage one could say the only way to go is up..ok that's fine but that also means moving out. In some cases being promoted also means you have to travel to other places. the idea of everything being on the same site forever isn't going to work.

Also when the economy picks up some more (unemployment rates here are going down) you might see land lords start to raise rents. a 4 bedroom for $1550 this year could be $1800 in 2013 if not $2000.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by mdovell

No offense but that isn't $400 a month that is $1550.

The other thing to consider is that if there is a long term lease what if someone walks out on it. I'd argue it might be better to find something at $800 or more and be alone or go a tad down and find one roommate.

Banking on three other people's lives to be OK can be iffy. You say that you are healthy and that is fine but what if there is an accident with a roommate and they cannot pay the rent for a few months?

What if a job moves and it is outside of the range of the t? the commuter rail is not nearly as consistent as the subway. If someone loses their job or has to get a car to get to work that can be taxing as well.

If you are on minimum wage one could say the only way to go is up..ok that's fine but that also means moving out. In some cases being promoted also means you have to travel to other places. the idea of everything being on the same site forever isn't going to work.

Also when the economy picks up some more (unemployment rates here are going down) you might see land lords start to raise rents. a 4 bedroom for $1550 this year could be $1800 in 2013 if not $2000.

true. living w/ roommates may mean having a minimum of a month's rent and utilities in the bank in case a roommate flakes out. Rarely do landord hold just that one person liable and the whole household can find itself facing eviction if one roommate doesn't pay. And god help you if half the household flakes out. TRUST me, I'm speaking from experience.

I would also check to see how much it would cost to heat a duplex since heating doesn't appear to be included. Oil heat in a drafty duplex can cost as much as $100+ per person (another area I've had experience w/).

I still think that budget is a bit too low to be comfortable w/. You won't be saving much, which makes it hard to save for hefty security deposits and other costs of moving. And finding rent that low, including utilities greatly limits your options. The few places like that duplex that may pop up will either have issues or be snapped up w/in days

[Wolfpacker]

Originally Posted by isthispossible

I know some roommates, and how to keep my teeth clean. I'm young and active so I don't expect to be spending much on my health. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing big I was leaving out - it's good to know this can be done.

Just so you know, Massachusetts requires it's residents to have some form of health care coverage.