Moving to Denver, restaurant job, $5k in savings. Advice? (Aurora: apartments, rent)

[Ballen0311]

I'm moving to Denver in May, and I'm single age 35, and have no family or friends. I'm looking towards Glendale, but I'm open. To anywhere close to downtown. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm moving with a 5 grand savings, so hopefully it will keep me living until I find a job. I'm nervous, but very excited. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[NorthDenverGirl]

So here are some things to consider.

Which line of work are you in?

While our job market is pretty good it is easier to get jobs in some areas of employment and harder in others. I would start searching the job sites to see what is out there that matches what you are looking for.

Denver can be costly.

Do you have enough savings to cover rent and expenses until you get a job?

Commute

The commute can be a pain so it is hard to move to an area unless you know where you will be working. I would consider some kind of temporary accommodation until you can get a job locked down and then you can find a more permanent living solution.

[2bindenver]

Why Glendale?

[Ballen0311]

I have worked in the restaurant industry all my life, as a server, and management. So I'm gonna try to just get a job as a server until I get more situated. As for commute, I have no car so public transit will be my transportation. I'm hoping with all the restaurants around downtown I can just walk to work. I'm willing to work 2 or even 3 jobs if needed. I saw some apartments in Glendale for around 900.00 a month. That's pretty pricey for me, but I know I can make it work. Thank you so much for your response. I feel like I'm moving into a alien world. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah which is a lot like Colorado in a way. Should I save more than 5 grand? Also should I get an already furnished apartment or bring my stuff from Utah which is very little.

[NorthDenverGirl]

Originally Posted by Ballen0311

I have worked in the restaurant industry all my life, as a server, and management. So I'm gonna try to just get a job as a server until I get more situated. As for commute, I have no car so public transit will be my transportation. I'm hoping with all the restaurants around downtown I can just walk to work. I'm willing to work 2 or even 3 jobs if needed. I saw some apartments in Glendale for around 900.00 a month. That's pretty pricey for me, but I know I can make it work. Thank you so much for your response. I feel like I'm moving into a alien world. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah which is a lot like Colorado in a way. Should I save more than 5 grand? Also should I get an already furnished apartment or bring my stuff from Utah which is very little.

It is hard to move to a new state, I have been there a couple of times and without some type of guidance it is tricky.

I would save more than $5,000 and for the most part you can expect $900.00 to be on the low end of rent, an average price for a 1-bed apartment is around $1100 - $1200. Prices are certainly not ultra-affordable here in the Denver area and it can be quite a shock when you are moving from a more affordable part of the country.

The good news is, if you can make it work, it is a great place to live!

[emm74]

Originally Posted by Ballen0311

I have worked in the restaurant industry all my life, as a server, and management. So I'm gonna try to just get a job as a server until I get more situated. As for commute, I have no car so public transit will be my transportation. I'm hoping with all the restaurants around downtown I can just walk to work. I'm willing to work 2 or even 3 jobs if needed. I saw some apartments in Glendale for around 900.00 a month. That's pretty pricey for me, but I know I can make it work. Thank you so much for your response. I feel like I'm moving into a alien world. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah which is a lot like Colorado in a way. Should I save more than 5 grand? Also should I get an already furnished apartment or bring my stuff from Utah which is very little.

Do you have anyone at all that you know professionally in Denver that can help you get an in somewhere to get started? There are plenty of server jobs out there, we've got a pretty booming restaurant scene, but it's always helpful to have a personal recommendation.

5K would definitely be the minimum, but odds are pretty high you'd find something quickly and start to build some contacts and a network to land something better (not sure if you want mgmt or server jobs at this point?)

The major issue I see is the need for public transport. Glendale has some restaurants but not that many, and not the higher end ones that will provide some decent money and you'd be relying on busses to get around and potentially multiple transfers to get to where you need to go.

The Central Business District has plenty of restaurants, of course, and you could also look at the Highland area, Uptown and Stapleton/Aurora where there are quite a number of restaurants between the 29th Street Town Center, Eastbridge Town Center and The Stanley Marketplace, plus also a bunch of hotels near there if you are interested in that side of it. The main problem is that rents in any of those areas will be a bit higher except for the Aurora part of Stapleton/Aurora, but that's not the greatest area.

[ponyupgrl]

Would you maybe consider living with a roommate / roommates to save on rent in the beginning and stretch your 5k to last a little longer? It might be a good way to meet some new people in the area, too.

[lovely40]

Originally Posted by ponyupgrl

Would you maybe consider living with a roommate / roommates to save on rent in the beginning and stretch your 5k to last a little longer? It might be a good way to meet some new people in the area, too.

^^This. And if so, you could try hostel (dorm style) living for a little while to save some money. You can pay by the week and there's some good deals around town.

Cheap Denver Hostels - Search all Hostels in Denver at Hostels.com

[little pink]

Your car registration and tags are going to be $$ if you have a newer vehicle , also car insurance is more in Colorado . I would have more saved if I were you . I'm trying to move my son to Indy with his 4k saved and that it stretching it in a low cost of living area.

[himain]

I think you aren't thinking this out. Denver is not cheap. You should save more money