How do I go about relocating to Madison? (fit in, apartments)

[Christoph83]

I'm looking to relocate to Madison, WI. I currently live in Texas (not by my own choice), and want to go back to the Midwest, which is where I'm originally from. After doing a lot of research and looking into places I have come made the decision that Wisconsin, and especially Madison, is where I want to be. But, how does someone go about relocating? I'm a 25 y/o part-time college student. I have an Associate degree and work full-time. I don't have a lot of money since everything I make generally goes to bills and groceries, etc. I'm assuming I will have to find a job in Madison first, so I have been sending out resumes like crazy, but I'm doubtful that any job would want me so badly that they would be willing to pay to relocate me. But, if an employer is interested in me and wants to hire me, but won't pay to relocate me, how would I relocate myself? I mean, I would need to get a place to stay and money for expenses until my first paycheck was to come in. I doubt that I could save up enough surplus money as I don't make enough to save any. What should I do? I would like to move as soon as possible, but in reality, I should probably wait until the end of the current college semester (which is the middle of May), or the end of my current apartment lease in October.

[Megan1967]

I hate to be the one to say this, but if you can't save up the money, you probably can't move. Is there any possibility of getting a higher paid job down there? How far are you from graduating? If you graduate and get a better paying job where you are, you could probably save up the money in a year or so.

If you are really determined to move here are some numbers.

How much stuff do you have? You may be able to do it fairly inexpensively if you don't have much. If you can put everything in the back of your car then your expenses would break down like this.

You'd have to pay for gas to get up here. If you are moving from Austin it's 1200 miles/30 miles per gallon x $4.00 per gallon = $160.

It's an 18 hour drive. I suppose you could try to go straight through or sleep in your car, but if you stop at a hotel, that would be another expense.

You could pack food from home to avoid buying food at restaurants while on the road.

Then there are expenses once you get here. That really varies by person, but here are a couple of things off the top of my head.

If you don't bring up any furniture you could try to get a furnished apartment, but there aren't a ton ,so you'd probably need to get some, a bed at least.

You'd need to put down first month's rent and a security deposit which is usually one month's rent. Rent is kind of pricey around here. What kind of apartment would you be looking for?

If you need to rent a van it would probably go like this.

It's almost impossible to find a company that will rent one-way and when they do there is a *big* upcharge. Round trip is $60 per day so let's round it up to $100 per day to compensate for the upcharge. It's going to take you two days driving to get up here and then odds are you won't be able to schedule it so that you can drop off the same day you arrive so let's assume 3 days. $300

.20 per mile (with the first 150 miles free), so 1200 miles - 150 miles x .20 = $210

gas would be 1200/29 mpg x $4 per gallon = about $160

For a total of $670 + hotel maybe

[Christoph83]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

I hate to be the one to say this, but if you can't save up the money, you probably can't move. Is there any possibility of getting a higher paid job down there? How far are you from graduating? If you graduate and get a better paying job where you are, you could probably save up the money in a year or so.

If you are really determined to move here are some numbers.

How much stuff do you have? You may be able to do it fairly inexpensively if you don't have much. If you can put everything in the back of your car then your expenses would break down like this.

You'd have to pay for gas to get up here. If you are moving from Austin it's 1200 miles/30 miles per gallon x $4.00 per gallon = $160.

It's an 18 hour drive. I suppose you could try to go straight through or sleep in your car, but if you stop at a hotel, that would be another expense.

You could pack food from home to avoid buying food at restaurants while on the road.

Then there are expenses once you get here. That really varies by person, but here are a couple of things off the top of my head.

If you don't bring up any furniture you could try to get a furnished apartment, but there aren't a ton ,so you'd probably need to get some, a bed at least.

You'd need to put down first month's rent and a security deposit which is usually one month's rent. Rent is kind of pricey around here. What kind of apartment would you be looking for?

If you need to rent a van it would probably go like this.

It's almost impossible to find a company that will rent one-way and when they do there is a *big* upcharge. Round trip is $60 per day so let's round it up to $100 per day to compensate for the upcharge. It's going to take you two days driving to get up here and then odds are you won't be able to schedule it so that you can drop off the same day you arrive so let's assume 3 days. $300

.20 per mile (with the first 150 miles free), so 1200 miles - 150 miles x .20 = $210

gas would be 1200/29 mpg x $4 per gallon = about $160

For a total of $670 + hotel maybe

Well, I have an Associate of Liberal Arts degree at the moment, which I obtained in 2005. I am currently taking some prereq's so I can start a Bachelor's program. I can only take one or two classes each semester because I have to work full-time to put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. At which rate, I'm estimating, it will take 4 years or so to get my Bachelor's. I currently make $13.02/hr at 40/week. As for what I would bring, well whatever I could fit in my car. I'm a minimalist. And once I got where I was going all I would need is clothes, my laptop computer and wall projector, a pillow and a few blankets so I could sleep on the floor, pots, pans, and dishes so I could cook, and then whatever toiletries, hygiene products, etc. Either I would look for a [vegan] roommate, or get an efficiency/studio apartment.

[Megan1967]

A wall projector? Sorry, I gotta ask, why a wall projector?

Check out Startrenting.com for apartments. You will get better deals the further you are away from the UW campus. Someone else can give you a better idea of how much efficiencies go for, but I think it's around $400 per month (if you want your own bathroom). Craig's list is also a good place to look for apartments, too.

You might want to take your prereq's at the local tech college (matc.madison.edu) as they transfer to most 4 year colleges and are much cheaper than the UW. It's $311 for a three credit class. There is a parking permit fee, but I can't remember how much. It is based on the number of classes you are taking. You could use the bus system or bike to avoid that expense. I'll warn you though, our bus system sort of sucks. It takes forever to get from point A to point B because you have to stop at a minimum of one transfer point, often times 2.

There is a pretty decent vegetarian population here, but vegans are a little more rare. They're out there though, you just have to hook up with them. Try VegMadison.com: The Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to Madison, WI. It hasn't been updated in awhile, but it may give you some leads. There is a meetup group for vegetarians/vegans, too. The Madison Area Vegetarian Meetup Group (Madison, WI) - Meetup.com

Good luck. I want to move to Austin (hence my detailed cost break down), but I'm not traveling as lightly as you are.

[Christoph83]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

A wall projector? Sorry, I gotta ask, why a wall projector?

Check out Startrenting.com for apartments. You will get better deals the further you are away from the UW campus. Someone else can give you a better idea of how much efficiencies go for, but I think it's around $400 per month (if you want your own bathroom). Craig's list is also a good place to look for apartments, too.

You might want to take your prereq's at the local tech college (matc.madison.edu) as they transfer to most 4 year colleges and are much cheaper than the UW. It's $311 for a three credit class. There is a parking permit fee, but I can't remember how much. It is based on the number of classes you are taking. You could use the bus system or bike to avoid that expense. I'll warn you though, our bus system sort of sucks. It takes forever to get from point A to point B because you have to stop at a minimum of one transfer point, often times 2.

There is a pretty decent vegetarian population here, but vegans are a little more rare. They're out there though, you just have to hook up with them. Try VegMadison.com: The Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to Madison, WI. It hasn't been updated in awhile, but it may give you some leads. There is a meetup group for vegetarians/vegans, too. The Madison Area Vegetarian Meetup Group (Madison, WI) - Meetup.com

Good luck. I want to move to Austin (hence my detailed cost break down), but I'm not traveling as lightly as you are.

Well, I love my wall projector. It's not very big and I watch movies with it. It creates a mini theater. Hehe. Anyhow, thanks for all the good links, and good luck with Austin. I'm not too fond of Texas, but if you like heat and humidity, it may be right for you.

[Megan1967]

Originally Posted by Christoph83

if you like heat and humidity, it may be right for you.

<Smirk> Well, if you like cold and dark, Wisconsin is *perfect* for you.

[Christoph83]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

<Smirk> Well, if you like cold and dark, Wisconsin is *perfect* for you.

Well, I hate the fact that in Texas, or at least where I live in Texas, the summers are in the high 90's and super humid. It's so hot and miserable that I avoid going outside at all costs, unless it is to dart to my air conditioned car, which is still miserable because the inside will be at least 120+ degrees and takes forever for the air condioning to blow cold. *lol*

It's pretty much summer here 3/4 of the year, and autumn 1/4. But, I remember growing up in the Midwest as a kid and loved it. I'm sure it isn't always dark in WI! There should be plenty of sunshine! At least more than WA or OR gets... *lol* ;-p

[katreese]

I have been where you are, so I feel for you! It took me a few years to move (my parents paid for the moving van), then a few more years to go back to school (I had found a better paying job). I don't have any more advice than the previous poster's, but one thing I might suggest is looking into living at a co-op here. There are some that are vegan-friendly, and they are a lot cheaper than an apartment.

[Christoph83]

I have posted on Craig's List and also contacted some co-op houses.