Are we crazy to think that we will survive in Chicago? (Lincoln: credit, day care) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

knitgirl · 12-17-2008, 11:15 AM

get heat included. The other utilities you will pay yourselves. I can't swear that there are no apartments that include your electric - some might include cooking gas if the building isn't separately metered, but 99% of the time you will need to pay your electric.

IloveLoganSquare · 12-17-2008, 11:37 AM

It's a whole lot safer! hahaha. Avenger, I know your exact buttons.

I am kidding though, like I said not a whole lot safer, about the same though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Anyone that says Logan Square as a whole is safer than Edgewater or Buena Park has no idea what they are talking about.

IloveLoganSquare · 12-17-2008, 11:43 AM

Oh man your friend had to be angry!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Looking back through this thread, DEFINITELY stay far away from South Shore!! Why would you even consider that?!? Yikes.

Apartment finding services tend to get you less apartment for the money than you might find on your own, but they can be useful for people moving to Chicago who aren't familiar with the city or who don't have time to search around. A friend of mine got burned by Apartment People when she moved here in 1999, even though they are probably the most reputable service. They told her she was in "Wrigleyville" when she was actually in Ravenswood near Montrose and Wolcott.

anr_black · 12-17-2008, 12:44 PM

No specific advice, just chiming in to say good luck on your move! Your post made me nostalgic. The hubby and I were in your exact shoes 10 years ago and newly married. One thing you might try is looking for a studio near a college campus. We lived above a chinese restuaurant in Evanston for $500 a month (of course, that was a long time ago), but noticed in our search places that specifically cater to college kids were the cheapest, if not cleanest, places to be. One last thing: sit down, go through your budget line by line, to see exactly how much you can spend. Can you get away without a car? Eat mac n cheese and be happy?? Get the tiniest place, in the best area, and enjoy it. You can make due without a lot when you're young, but rarely get those years back :-)
Good luck!

CarolinaBredChicagoan · 12-17-2008, 12:58 PM

You can totally survive. I swear, I don't know where some people get these ideas...

I'd avoid apartment services. I think the better deals come in the form of smaller, often owner-occupied buildings. As we've discussed on this board before, you'll often find building owners whose mortgage is paid off just looking for a little extra income to defray tax costs, etc. I had friends who had a BEAUTIFUL three bedroom in Ravenswood for like 900 or 1000 a month. The owners lived downstairs. I know you aren't looking for an apartment that big or that expensive, but my point is, they're out there...

If you live in an area where you don't need a car, that's a huge load off, financially. If you can find a place with heat included, I'd HIGHLY recommend it. Electricity is pretty cheap here. I live in a decent-sized 2 bedroom and we pay 30-40 bucks a month most times. There are plenty of places for cheap groceries here, too. Some on this board have debated me on that point, but I spend less on groceries here than I used to in North or South Carolina. Seriously.

So come. Give it a try. Prepare for things to be lean every now and then, and you'll have a blast.

mattywo85 · 12-17-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sl2050

Alright, so my boyfriend and I went to visit Chicago in early November and loved it. We went to visit a film school that he was interested in going to. We fell in love with the city, and the school and have decided to move there. Everyone thinks that we are crazy and that we aren't going to make it. We are from a small town in Indiana, and leaving this small town and going to a city is going to be different but we are ready for the change. We are a young couple (we are both 22), so keep that in mind when you read the rest of my questions. Anyway, when we move up there my boyfriend is going to be at school 40 hours a week, and I am going to be working. I will have an Associates Degree in Marketing (I graduate in May). We will probably be living off my income but he hopes to find a part time job. I also want to find a job as a dance or cheerleading coach part time. So I guess my question is are we going to be able to survive on my income from a full time job and a part time job? Also, I have been looking at apartments on Craigslist and stuff and have found a few that are less than 600 a month (we aren't looking for anything special or big..a studio is fine). I was just wondering are there any neighborhoods that we should stay away from? Are we crazy to think that we can find an apartment for 650 or less in a decent neighborhood? Should we live in the suburbs or is that going to be a waste of our time because we will have to be in the city everyday? Also, how soon should we look for an apartment before we move up there (moving up there in August, and we are going to visit a few more times so that he can get stuff ready for school) Personally, I think that we are going to be okay, since we aren't going to try and be expensive or waste our money. We also have 6,000 bucks saved up for emergency money.
I guess I am just looking for some advice from some people that have been there, if anyone has any. I really appreciate it. Thanks.

Which Film school if you don't mind me asking?

ChiMack · 12-17-2008, 06:09 PM

which ever area you are in just dont wear your baseball hat to the side and you will be safe

sl2050 · 12-17-2008, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattywo85

Which Film school if you don't mind me asking?

Flashpoint Academy.

sl2050 · 12-17-2008, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anr_black

No specific advice, just chiming in to say good luck on your move! Your post made me nostalgic. The hubby and I were in your exact shoes 10 years ago and newly married. One thing you might try is looking for a studio near a college campus. We lived above a chinese restuaurant in Evanston for $500 a month (of course, that was a long time ago), but noticed in our search places that specifically cater to college kids were the cheapest, if not cleanest, places to be. One last thing: sit down, go through your budget line by line, to see exactly how much you can spend. Can you get away without a car? Eat mac n cheese and be happy?? Get the tiniest place, in the best area, and enjoy it. You can make due without a lot when you're young, but rarely get those years back :-)
Good luck!

Thanks for the luck! We will need it! I know that we have to take at least ONE car in order to drive back home if need be. We have had a lot of family problems lately(just this week my boyfriends grandfather passed away and then today is brother-in-law was put in the hospital for liver failure, not to mention his mother had a stoke a year and a half ago that left her physically and verbally handicapped ), and we need that car in case we need to get back to Indiana. But we can DEFINETLY eat mac and cheese and be happy, I eat mac and cheese all the time already! But thank you again for the luck, we appreciate it and thank you for the advice that you did give! I am glad to see that there are others out there that have made it from the same starting point!

aragx6 · 12-18-2008, 08:33 AM

Honestly, you might well find it's cheaper to rent a car on the few occasions where you need it than to constantly pay the city taxes, maintenance and insurance on a car you rarely use.

Figure out, on average, how much those things cost you per month and then figure out how often you'd have to rent a car to make up for that.

We always rent from Enterprise because we're under 25 and they only charge a very small surcharge for 21-25 year olds (I think $20 total -- not per day)