College grad moving to McLean, VA (Arlington, Bailey's Crossroads: apartment complexes, for rent, health insurance)

[Wiarumas]

I have a job lined up in McLean, VA right outside of DC starting next summer. It is very close to Tyson's Corner according to Google Maps. I'm a senior in college and I haven't even been to DC before. I know NOTHING about the city other than the many hours I have been researching the cost of living and whatnot.

I was just wondering what are some suggestions on moving to the area? I will probably have to commute, but what nearby suburbs and/or apartment complexes should I be looking at that has a reasonable commute time? I know the traffic is horrible, so would it be a good idea to pay a bit extra to rid myself of hours of traffic (or vice versa)?

Also, if you could answer how much I should expect to be paying, how much utilities generally cost, and what are some public transportation alternatives I could use. I'm trying to get a ballpark idea of my expenses so I can form a budget. I've tried Craigslist and rent.com and it seems all the places are $1200+ for a studio or 1BR. Also, I'm unsure if these places even include utilities. I know the area is expensive but I would like some leftover cash after rent, student loans, and necessities like food haha.

Thanks ahead of time! ANY advice regarding ANYTHING will be appreciated.

[SmerkyGrl]

Looks like you'll be working where I am:P Welcome to NoVA, by the way. It's a fantastic place to work and live for us college grads. While it is true you will probably commute, the one thing you haven't disclosed to us is how much you will be making per year at this job. Once we have your salary, finding apartments for you is a heck of a lot easier. I might add, though, that there are the Dolly Madison Apartments right by Tyson's Corner in McLean. Last time I checked, I believed their rent is around $1300, not a bad price to pay for convenience in the Tyson's Corner area where traffic is enough to make you secretly wish you could run people over.

Utliities-wise, it depends on what kind of apartments you're residing in again. There are many apartments like mine that are Co-Ed, where you pay a chunk of the final utility bill for the building. The pricetag depends on how large your apartment is and how many people are living there. I've been looking at a steady 60-70 dollar utility bill that includes electricity, gas, and water.

As fro public transportation, there is a bus that runs through Tyson's but I would highly suggest that you still use your car if you're not living right IN Tyson's. It would prevent you from having to get up at 5 every morning to catch the bus and that's definitely a horrible way to start the work day.

One thing I'd like to suggest that has worked well for my coworkers is to share an apartment with a roommate. If a minimum of $1200 is too much for you, it is entirely feasible and reasonable to share a 2 bedroom with another person and cut the bill down to about $600-$800. Then again, you could be like me and highly value your privacy but that's for you to decide :P

Hope to hear from you again. Let us know some more details--how much are your loans? Do you have car payments? Credit card debt? Do you party? Drink? Have a pet platypus?

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

I was going to say the same as the above - if you could find a roommate, you could pay significantly less. I think you should try to find some sort of roommate situation in Tysons (obviously sometimes you just decide to split everything with a friend, etc.; other times you might find someone with a house, townhouse, condo, who wants to rent out a room).

I would check craigslist, the Washington Post, and you college (alum) board, especially if you went to school somewhat nearby or on the east coast. There are other networks - military, attorneys, etc.

My utilities were never exorbitant in my Tysons condo. This was a few years ago, but gas + electric was always less than $100, depending on the time of year.

I wouldn't recommend going too far away; you could also consider McLean along route 7 or Falls Church near McLean (along route 7).

[Wiarumas]

Thanks for the great info!

To answer your questions I will be making 55k/year starting, 80ish thousand in student loan debt (about 500 something a month), no credit card debt, no car payments, and I do like to drink but I would probably sacrifice it to afford food (it was a tough decision, trust me haha). I also have no pets other than fish.

My budget so far looks like...

Pay of approx 3200/month after taxes
600 for student loans
200 for food
100 for utilities
100 for car insurance
100 for health insurance
200 goes into savings

That leaves me with 1900 (hopefully not forgetting anything). That leaves me with enough for rent and some play money... but I wanted to get a new car. My current car is bad on gas mileage and has RWD... and is horrible in ice, snow, and even rain. My parents also promised to help with the student debt until I get my feet on the ground.

So there it is... if you see any flaws in my budget just let me know. This is my first time going to live on my own and I'm trying to get an idea how poor I'm going to be, how much car I can afford, and if I should start looking for a roomie.

Thanks again!

[goldenmom7500]

I would look for a roommate situation no matter what. It will make a huge difference in the type of place where you will be living - huge.

I would also try to live close to your work. You probably don't want to go without a car for other reasons, but still, think of how much you will save on gasoline, maintenance, repairs, etc. I don't know the calculus here, but off the top of my head I would say that no car at all (not that I recommend this) could save you upwards of $500/month; and little or no commute could save you maybe $200/month. So if you are comparing apartments in McLean vs. Arlington, keep this number in mind.

[claremarie]

Based on your figures, I'd seriously consider either renting a studio, a room in a group house, or looking for a roommate, at least for your first year in the area. For instance, you've got nothing budgeted for the considerable start-up expenses of setting up on your own (unless you already have linens, kitchen items, furniture, etc.), plus the costs of establishing and maintaining a "grown-up" working wardrobe. A new car will also increase your car insurance and personal property tax bills. And $200 for food for a month works out to just over $6 per day -- which means oatmeal for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich brought from home for lunch, and beans and rice with some meat flavoring for dinner. Every day.
I live in McLean, and would suggest that you look in Arlington -- the Ballston corridor has many people your age, and a wide variety of housing options, from funky group homes in bungalows to garden apartments to high-rises. It's an easy hop into DC on weekends, but also a reasonable driving commute to Tyson's.

[SmerkyGrl]

Your work is making you pay for health insurance? :O Dang. THat's free for me. I concur with Claremarie and Goldenmom that a roommate situation would probably be the safest bet for you. 200 dollars a month for food is doable if you don't shop at safeway/giant every day. Try Asian supermarkets like H-mart that offer the same fruits, veggies, and meat for much cheaper. Regardless, 1900 left over for rent and utilities is cutting it pretty close. Your car doesn't last forever and repairs will probably come up every 6 months. Also, you've got to consider other expenses like household products (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, soap and shampoo) that you use on a daily basis. Those add up. As matter of fact, I think I spend way more on those "household" things than I do on food!

Though I do have to disagree with Claremarie on one thing--don't bother living in Ballston. The apartments there are mucho expensive. If you are going to get expensive apartments, at least get ones that are close to your work. Ballston/Arlington is like a 30 minute drive on a good day during rush hour. Unless you're working third shift, those extra minutes waiting for moronic NoVA drivers to get their act together do add up. Falls Church/Bailey's Crossroads area has plenty of affordable (cheaper) apartments. I'd look there.

[claremarie]

The Ballston area is expensive if you insist on living in your own 1 BR apartment in a new high-rise within walking distance of the Metro. However, there are plenty of more affordable options nearby, especially in the older garden-style apartments or modest single-family homes that are not that close to the Metro, and even more especially if you're sharing the costs with one or more roommates. Bailey's Crossroads is more affordable, but that is because it's less convenient to DC (nightlife, museums, etc.) and less desirable generally.

[Wiarumas]

honestly, I don't know if its paid for or not. It probably is... I never really had to pay insurance before (I'm still covered by my parents) so I'm kinda new to the whole concept haha.

[goldenmom7500]

... well, even if it's 'paid' by an employer, they take something out of your paycheck each pay period, but that would already be included in your calculations of net pay ...