Can I survive slumming it in San Francisco? (Sacramento, Concord: 2014, house)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Whoa Nelly! I haven't visited this thread in a while. The Negative Nancys came out to play.

OP, of course you can do this. For God's sake, don't move to Sacramento. I used to live there. It is NOTHING like the SF Bay Area. Sorry, Sacto fans, but it's a totally different vibe in Sacto.

The colleges in CA don't get to ignore their own rules. If the rules say 356 days or whatever you said, then that's what it is. They aren't going to sabotage you because you are from out of state. If they wanted to do that, they'd say you had to be born here. Sheesh. There's no attitude about people moving to CA to take advantage of the tuition. Where do people get this stuff?

You are obviously a smart cookie. You've done your research and you will be fine. I'm sure you will also kick butt on the LSAT. It's just one test. You can always sign up for one of the LSAT courses. There are plenty of UC law schools in CA. There's even one on the UC Davis campus.

As far as food stamps, yes, you would likely qualify, as your income would be low enough, but you can't have savings. they'd figure you should use up your savings first. You'd have to either lie, or take your money out of the bank.

Pre-Screen. Eligibility Tool

BUT, if you don't feel like committing fraud......you can go to the food banks and get lots of free food. They normally don't need any proof of income, just proof of residency. Living on $1,000 and getting free food from the food banks is completely acceptable. No fraud involved. . You can always volunteer at the food banks, and you can always give back to society when you are a lawyer, by doing some pro bono work.

Focusing on Berkeley again, LOTS of free food resources:

Berkeley Food Pantry - Home

Berkeley Food Pantry

Alameda County Community Food Bank

Berkeley CA Food Pantries | Berkeley California Food Pantries, Food Banks, Soup Kitchens

Berkeley Emergency Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens - Berkeley CA Food Bank listings - Berkeley California Food Banks, Pantry

As far as healthcare, you can usually get it cheap/free through the county:

Indigent Health - Health Care Services Agency - Alameda County's Official Website

There is also a free clinic in Berkeley, and they also always need volunteers:

Medical Services | Berkeley Free Clinic

And get a bike to avoid transportation costs within the city.

You'll be fine. I mean, really, what do these naysayers think will happen? You will spontaneously combust if you discover you can't make ends meet? A young, healthy educated person like yourself, with family, won't be able to figure out what to do? Horse feathers.

All you have to do is live like a frugal student. Poor students have been living full and busy lives throughout history. So, make spaghetti and some iced tea and invite people over to watch a Red Box movie you rented for $1.35. Go find and enjoy all of the free entertainment in the area.

I focused on Berkeley, because I think you would enjoy it and can afford it, and I personally love Berkeley. But, it's not your only option in the SF Bay Area. Just need to do your research.

Enjoy your new life in CA!

[ccm123]

Stay in Texas, 17K wouldn't even pay your basics for a year.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by ccm123

Stay in Texas, 17K wouldn't even pay your basics for a year.

No. It wouldn't pay YOUR basics for a year. I live on $877.40 net per month. My rent is $350. And I pay for a lot more insurance alone than the OP would ever need. I even pay $48 a month for pet insurance. $60 for liability auto insurance. $25 for renters insurance. I buy one tank of gas per month at about $35.

It can be done. If he's making $1,000/month and pays $500 for a room or a shared room, that leaves him $500. He can get a really cheap renters policy, if he even has anything worth replacing in his room, for around $10/month. Let's say he gets a bike. Even if he pays $100/month for a fancy smart phone, he's still got $390. Let's say he shares the utility bill. That would cost him maybe $25? Now he's got $365. I bet the house shares wireless internet, but I've got ATT U-Verse and it costs me $26. Now he's got $339. He gets lots of free food at the food bank, where he also volunteers. He can go to the free Berkeley clinic and/or get free/cheap health insurance through the county.

Those are the basics for a struggling student or a person on a fixed income. He'll be fine. OP, if you're female, I apologize for calling you "he."

[04kL4nD]

Just because you choose to live in poverty, doesn't mean you should actively encourage someone else to do the same.

Aren't you trying to move back to the Bay Area after you found out how dangerous Redding is? LOL. You are the last person to be giving people advice on where to live.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Just because you choose to live in poverty, doesn't mean you should actively encourage someone else to do the same.

Aren't you trying to move back to the Bay Area after you found out how dangerous Redding is? LOL. You are the last person to be giving people advice on where to live.

Ahhh, the kindness just drips off your posts... no, wait, you're just being "realistic"...

[04kL4nD]

Sorry, but as someone who struggled for years and lived as an extremely broke college student, I think it's HORRIBLE advice to encourage someone to deliberately live in poverty and try to bend the rules to get in-state tuition- as if it's a guarantee he'll just get into law school and get in-state tuition. He has no money, no family, no contacts, and no resources. It's poor advice and I think it's very foolish of you to encourage him.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Sorry, but as someone who struggled for years and lived as an extremely broke college student, I think it's HORRIBLE advice to encourage someone to deliberately live in poverty and try to bend the rules to get in-state tuition- as if it's a guarantee he'll just get into law school and get in-state tuition. He has no money, no family, no contacts, and no resources. It's poor advice and I think it's very foolish of you to encourage him.

Um, you might want to go back and read. The OP does have family, as well as savings. His father earned VA benefits for his dependents which can be used in CA. He's not bending any rules. He learned the rules and will benefit from his knowledge of the rules, which include eligibility requirements, which he qualifies for. Unfortunately, these rules also require that he live in poverty in order to get the benefit. He's willing to live in poverty for the chance to go to law school on the benefit his father earned for him.

Reading between your lines, you're also saying that you used to be a struggling student, and now you're not. Therefore, if the OP struggles and gets through college, he/she should also benefit from having an education like you. Right?

Or are you saying that he shouldn't get to use the benefit that his father earned in the military, even if it's there for him/her?

Or are you saying he might not get into law school, so he shouldn't even try?

What IS your point?

[04kL4nD]

My point is that willfully choosing to live on 1k a month and having to possibly lie to get foodstamps, as you yourself suggested, is NOT a wise idea. It's great that you're encouraging him to commit fraud though.

He doesn't have any family in CALIFORNIA, so he can't stay with them. He'll be on his own if ***** hits the fan. I was fortunate enough to stay with a relative for a few months when I first moved to California, but he won't have that luxury.

I have no problem with him using a benefit that he's entitled to. In fact, come from a long line of retired military vets and my grandparents went to college VIA the GI bill. But I still wouldn't ever move to CA and live off 1k a year with nothing more than a hope and prayer of getting into a top tier law school. The odds of getting into these schools aren't good. This isn't college where thousands get in each year, this is law school. And even if he does get in, he might not get in-state residency right away. It happens sometimes. People in this very thread (myself included) have had to jump through hoops to get in-state residency. It's not as easy as it sounds. Schools are strapped for cash and will do whatever they can to make ends meet, even if it means weeding people out by forcing them pay out of state tuition.

This 'plan' of his has far too many 'ifs' and not nearly enough wiggle room if anything goes wrong. It's wonderful that you can scrape by on less than $1000 a month, but most people can't. Especially in one of the most expensive areas of the country. You're giving really poor advice and being overly naive.

If he really wants to make it work, he needs to do much more research and come up with a much better plan. So far, this sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[jade408]

I agree with 04kL4nD, the OP is trying to move to one of the priciest places in the US with no support network.
1. Getting in-state tuition is not easy (even when the counselor tells you it is, that is exactly what happened to me, and it took 9 months to work out. Meanwhile, I got dissed in 3 of my first 4 semesters at college and couldn't register for classes on time)
2. Hoping to qualify for the safety net programs in order to fill in the gaps of a low paying job. Sure, you might qualify for food stamps, but it might take you 3 weeks or 2 months to get your benefits. What will you do then?
3. Relying on food banks etc. TEchnically those places exist, but with the economy we have these days, those places run out of food fast due to overwhelming demand
4. OP wants to live te "good life" (i.e. have fun like young people) do with no budget. A cheap night out costs $20 for drinks, not food. That's a lot to spare when 50% of your income goes towards housing.
5, The OPs plan has a lot of ifs built into it, and not a lot of absolutes. You might have the luck of the irish. Or not.

Maybe it is "hip" to live in severe poverty on purpose....... but personally, I'd suck it up for a year and live somewhere cheaper in the state.

[ExeterMedia]

Do it OP. If a homeless drug addict can get $500,000 worth of Health care and Rx pills in SF fully subsidized, you can claim a few entitlements too.