Seattle on a tight student budget? (Roosevelt: rentals, how much, houses)

[Blackbettyboop]

Hello! I'm looking to transfer to the University of Washington this fall. I'm extremely excited about it, but I was wondering how much I would be able to truly enjoy Seattle with very little spending money. I don't want to live in a remarkable, vibrant city and be forced to stay cooped up in my dorm eating cup noodles. Is it possible for a poor college student to truly enjoy everything Seattle has to offer?

[ryanmm]

Many generations of students have done just what you have planned, just find things to do other than shop and eat at expensive restaurants and you'll be fine. The UW and the city in general have lots of activities and things to see that can be done cheaply.

[Hemlock140]

When my daughter went there she worked part time, took the bus so no need for a car, and rented a house with roommates so only paid $300-$400/month.

[Malloric]

You'll find a way. I used to "I've already eaten, but I'll tag along" quite a bit. Which meant I quickly ate and then met up at whatever eatery and just had a cup of coffee and maybe split dessert. Nothing wrong with ramen, but get the normal block in a pack. It's twice as much food for less than half the price. Throw in some frozen veggies, shrimp, egg, etc, and its a warm meal for less than a buck. Crock pots are great as well. In one of my living arrangements we had a creepy soup/stew/chili concoction thing that would go on for as much as a month at a time with people constantly adding new ingredients to whatever was left. You did have to be careful if you got home late or went home for lunch as mornings and late night was when it was restocked. If you'll be living on your own they don't work so well unless you really like eating the same thing day after day.

There's also plenty to do that isn't expensive. Seattle is great for coffee shop camping while studying and people watching, outdoors activities, local music scene, etc.

[noexcuseforignorance]

You should be able to do things without much difference from the rest of the country. There are plenty of people who share houses as someone noted. Outside of housing, your costs will be largely the same as the rest of the country.

I would check with the UW staff. I'm not sure what it's like for transfer, but I seem to recall hearing that first year students have to live on campus. They would have some pretty clear guidance on costs in that case. That would also probably include at least most of your meals.

[sean98125]

You are going to be living and studying among 30,000 other students who don't have any money. Just do what university students have done for a thousand years - hang out with each other, share meals, and find the cheap stuff to do in town.

You'll have a bus pass with your UW student ID card that you can use to get around the whole region. There are student discounts at most of the major arts institutions in town and certain free days. There are cheap boat rentals at the boathouse behind Husky Stadium. You can get a used bike fairly cheap and head out to explore on your own.

There are lots of cheap eats on the Ave and in Seattle - especially if you like Asian food. If you don't, develop a taste for it!

Take up offers to join study groups with people in your classes. Make friends. Join one of the hundreds of social groups on campus. Use your UPass to hop on a bus and head out to explore the city.

You'll be fine, and thirty years from now you'll have fond memories of what it was like when you didn't have any money and the friends you met when you were at the university.

[hamellr]

University Avenue is the cheapest part of Seattle for dining. The added bonus is that I've never had a bad meal anywhere along the street.

[anyone101]

There are houses in the nearby neighborhoods that rent rooms out for around $400mo. with shared bath & kitchen. I've seen one house, where each room has its own lock & key but you share the bathroom, living room and kitchen with housemates and the owner lives separately in the basement. I found that through Craigslist. For eating it's typically cheaper to eat in than eat out. For buying groceries I only know Trader Joe's and Wholefoods (in Ravena off of Roosevelt & 65th) or Albertson's by Greenlake on the other side of the freeway from Ravenna, which are expensive. Others can chime in to suggest what other grocery stores are around there. But, if you're willing to travel a bit you can go down to the Vietnamese or Chinese grocery stores in Little Saigon on Boren & S Jackson and buy groceries there or travel up to Target just north of Northgate Mall. Target is implementing groceries into their stores.

[Vinylly]

You go to college to study, so your lucky if your on a tight budget, this will force you to do what your suppose to do while in college, -study. Other then that, for a brief escape from you studies, the UW student center has a lot of activities going on and the University District has a couple of theaters that show good movies and there are a few coffee houses in the area. That's all you'll need.