help me planning to move from nj to orlando, fl (Sussex: to rent, insurance)

[WillPunisher]

hey everyone. i'm new here as i was searching online for a few stuff about moving to orlando and i came across this forum which looked perfect for me to ask.
i'm tell a little about myself first. i'm 23 years old, live in hudson county, nj, dont go to school as i have no money for college, so to me is the usual ****ty jobs, working at restaurants, construction, painting, moving. i hate the cold and winter, i love the hot weather, the hotter the better when its 100 degrees here in nj everyone hates it and are inside with their ac on, i'm loving it either out playing sports and lifting weights or watching a movie or playing video games. I have a bad back and neck thanks to when i first started lifting weights and knew nothing about it and than working with moving company.
now that you know a little about me.. i wanted to know what do you guys think. i was planning on driving to florida so i can take all my stuff, laptop, clothes, dvd collection which is 600, ps2 and super nintendo, tv, ipod, and some other junk. some i can take with me if i go by plane but others like super nintendo, ps2, tv and my dvd collection wont be possible.
i was doing some calculations and it would be a 16 hour drive with no sleep, with sleep 25 hours to get there. my car is like 28 gallon so it be like 84 gallon total of gas which by approximally $3.20 of gas would be around $268 in gas. and the toll that i have no idea how to calculate.
am i better off driving taking all my stuff or flying? which would be cheaper? i can get a ps2, super nintendo and tv once i get there again but i wont let go of my dvd collection, clothes, laptop and ipod.
also i hear all kinds of stuff about florida.. my friend has been living in orlando for 6 years now and hurricanes has never come close to where he lives in orlando so he never had that problem. he also tells me that there are a lot of jobs at like hotels and restaurants cuz of a lot of tourist go there, what other jobs are there that are a little better? how much is the minimun they pay for the hour? like nj is $7 i think, how much is there? are things there expensive? clothes, food? what about rent? what am i better off doing renting a room or an apt? how much would be pseg? do they include hot water and heat? actually how cold does it get in orlando on winter or is it hot all year around? whats the gas price like there? is it true that nothing is close to anything that you need a car to get around? college any cheaper in florida than here in jersey? how much the internet a month or is it easy to get wireless internet there? how much is slice of piece? how much to get into a club? how much is a case of 12 coke cans?
i think thats it for now. i know too many questions but please if you guys can. i'd appreciate. thank you very much.
Will

[EB2]

Min wage in FL is 6.67.

As other FL posters will tell you, please try to have a job lined up before you get here. It's not anywhere near as easy to get one as you'd think. The economy is hurting badly, and FL isn't being spared.

[EB2]

Also, prices are rising not far from NJ's.

Clothes are taxed. Food, from what I've seen runs about the same, maybe a little more in some cases (probably depends on the item). Rent depends...I don't know much about Orlando, but I know in my area it runs on average from 900+. Electric varies as to what you would use. Some places include water, it's all at the discretion of the owner. I haven't seen anywhere that includes heat (for the short time you'd need it. You WILL need AC in FL. While yes, NJ can get very hot, FL's summers last a lot longer). Colleges in FL might be cheaper depending where you go; keep in mind, the year or so you're here, though, you'll be paying A LOT of out of state tuition. On average, they're the same when comparing in-state to in-state, though (for university). Internet varies depending what you'd get. I have yet to find a place that sells individual slices that are worth the money. Not sure about clubs, I don't do 'em I think most are 10-20+ cover, depending. Believe a 12 pack of coke is around 4 bucks now.

Hope that helps.

[ottomobeale]

I came from FL to NJ.

>Clothes are taxed.< True

>Food, from what I've seen runs about the same, maybe a little more in some cases (probably depends on the item).<

Nope. Higher in FL than Ohio but less than NJ. The lack of Super Walmarts in NJ is probably part of it. In NJ the supermarkets can charge pretty much what they want.

>Rent depends...I don't know much about Orlando, but I know in my area it runs on average from 900+. <

Rent is less in FL

>Electric varies as to what you would use.<

Electric was 12 cents KWH when we left Florida last June. Its like 17 winter rate and 22 summer rate in Sussex Co NJ.

>Some places include water, it's all at the discretion of the owner.<
FEW places in FL include water and it is expensive

>I haven't seen anywhere that includes heat (for the short time you'd need it. You WILL need AC in FL. While yes, NJ can get very hot, FL's summers last a lot longer).<

FL summer is May 1 to Oct 20. 90+ degrees almost every day between those dates. The heat literally breaks about Oct 20 -30 and drops 15 degrees. Its wierd.

Florida pay is MUCH MUCH lower.

The economy in Florida stinks right now

Everything I have ever heard says working (as a grunt) for Disney is 0 fun.

[EB2]

Ottomobeale:

I'm only saying what I know about MY area, that's why I noted (or otherwise noted that it depends on the area)

[ottomobeale]

Not a critique EB now worries. Lived in both places.

I knew I was going to get smacked on rent.

What I didnt expect was much higher food and electric costs.

My auto insurance did go down just a hair.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by EB2

Also, prices are rising not far from NJ's.

Clothes are taxed. Food, from what I've seen runs about the same, maybe a little more in some cases (probably depends on the item). Rent depends...I don't know much about Orlando, but I know in my area it runs on average from 900+. Electric varies as to what you would use. Some places include water, it's all at the discretion of the owner. I haven't seen anywhere that includes heat (for the short time you'd need it. You WILL need AC in FL. While yes, NJ can get very hot, FL's summers last a lot longer). Colleges in FL might be cheaper depending where you go; keep in mind, the year or so you're here, though, you'll be paying A LOT of out of state tuition. On average, they're the same when comparing in-state to in-state, though (for university). Internet varies depending what you'd get. I have yet to find a place that sells individual slices that are worth the money. Not sure about clubs, I don't do 'em I think most are 10-20+ cover, depending. Believe a 12 pack of coke is around 4 bucks now.

Hope that helps.

re college tuition, In state Fla tuition is much lower than IN state NJ tuition,
Schools like FSU or UF ar about $3900 per year for IN state students

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by WillPunisher

hey everyone. i'm new here as i was searching online for a few stuff about moving to orlando and i came across this forum which looked perfect for me to ask.
i'm tell a little about myself first. i'm 23 years old, live in hudson county, nj, dont go to school as i have no money for college, so to me is the usual ****ty jobs, working at restaurants, construction, painting, moving. i hate the cold and winter, i love the hot weather, the hotter the better when its 100 degrees here in nj everyone hates it and are inside with their ac on, i'm loving it either out playing sports and lifting weights or watching a movie or playing video games. I have a bad back and neck thanks to when i first started lifting weights and knew nothing about it and than working with moving company.
now that you know a little about me.. i wanted to know what do you guys think. i was planning on driving to florida so i can take all my stuff, laptop, clothes, dvd collection which is 600, ps2 and super nintendo, tv, ipod, and some other junk. some i can take with me if i go by plane but others like super nintendo, ps2, tv and my dvd collection wont be possible.
i was doing some calculations and it would be a 16 hour drive with no sleep, with sleep 25 hours to get there. my car is like 28 gallon so it be like 84 gallon total of gas which by approximally $3.20 of gas would be around $268 in gas. and the toll that i have no idea how to calculate.
am i better off driving taking all my stuff or flying? which would be cheaper? i can get a ps2, super nintendo and tv once i get there again but i wont let go of my dvd collection, clothes, laptop and ipod.
also i hear all kinds of stuff about florida.. my friend has been living in orlando for 6 years now and hurricanes has never come close to where he lives in orlando so he never had that problem. he also tells me that there are a lot of jobs at like hotels and restaurants cuz of a lot of tourist go there, what other jobs are there that are a little better? how much is the minimun they pay for the hour? like nj is $7 i think, how much is there? are things there expensive? clothes, food? what about rent? what am i better off doing renting a room or an apt? how much would be pseg? do they include hot water and heat? actually how cold does it get in orlando on winter or is it hot all year around? whats the gas price like there? is it true that nothing is close to anything that you need a car to get around? college any cheaper in florida than here in jersey? how much the internet a month or is it easy to get wireless internet there? how much is slice of piece? how much to get into a club? how much is a case of 12 coke cans?
i think thats it for now. i know too many questions but please if you guys can. i'd appreciate. thank you very much.
Will

you will be able to find many low wage jobs in FLA, if that's what floats your boat. Housing can be cheap too if you don't care about the neighborhood. you will need a car public transport either doesn't exist or at best runs on poor schedules, gas is 30 cents a gallon higher than NJ, it gets cool in orlando during the winter, you could see 40's at night but that isn't too often.

[BobKovacs]

Ahhh...to be young again- the entirety of your worldly possessions consisting of your game console, DVDs, computer and clothes, and your biggest concern being the price of a case of soda and a slice of pizza.....those were the days.........lol.

[EB2]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Not a critique EB now worries. Lived in both places.

I knew I was going to get smacked on rent.

What I didnt expect was much higher food and electric costs.

My auto insurance did go down just a hair.

I'm surprised - I've heard insurance there is a killer.

I wouldn't know...I don't drive.

Rent here is about what I've found there that I'd want to rent - so it doesn't really shock me.

I guess the fact that I live in a tourist trap somewhat prepared me for that