Moving to Twin Cities, good idea to commute from St. Cloud for a while? (Minneapolis: apartments, home)

[Radical_Car]

Ok, after I graduate from high school and if I would want to move down to the cities, the best way I think to do it would be to get a job down there and commute for a few months and save money up. My parents would let me live at home for anywhere from a few months to a year and save up money before I were to move out.
I would probably want to get a job down there and commute there until I move out, I think it would be easier then getting a job in St. Cloud(where I live now)for a few months, then I would have to quit it and try to get a job in the cities. Is that a good idea? I could easily commute, it wouldn't bother me at all, and I would get an apartment there when I am planning to move, and I already have a couple apartment magazines from the twin cities, and am well aware of the cost of apartments in the twin cities compared to the cost of apartments in st. cloud( I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with my family now in st. cloud).

I would try to get a job at basically any store I found that was hriing, preferably something along the lines of target/walmart/best buy, something like that.

Do you think this is all a good idea?

[StilltheSame]

Youre young - have lots of time and an opportunity to save money. Go for it! I know quite a few people who did that commute - at least for a short time.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by StilltheSame

Youre young - have lots of time and an opportunity to save money. Go for it! I know quite a few people who did that commute - at least for a short time.

Ya, I have the opportunity to live at home for free as long as I am working or going to school, so I could basically stay at home anywhere from a month to a few years and save money up. I know quite a few people who commute about that far too, and my dads commute is about an hour every day and doesn't mind it at all.

[uptown_urbanist]

Don't forget to factor in the cost of that commute. I can understand doing it for awhile, especially for a really good job, but if you're working a low-wage job (which is the most likely scenario if you're right out of high school and don't have specialized training or experience) the savings might not be as great as you think.

As far as those apartment magazines: those don't tell the whole story of apartments availability. You might find something good in one of them, but generally they tend to be the bigger buildings or the big management companies. You should also explore other options; maybe do some browsing on Craigslist to get a sense of prices. You might find it's ultimately a better deal (not to mention more fun...) to get a roommate (or a studio apartment) in the Twin Cities rather than burn through gas (and time) doing that drive. In your situation I could only see doing that commute on a regular basis if you don't want to make the move until you find a job (which would make sense) and are doing it only for a couple of weeks while you search for a place to live closer to your work.

If your goal is to save money before you move to the Twin Cities I think you're better off either getting a job in St. Cloud (and if it's at a big chain you could always try to see if you could transfer once you're in the system), living with your parents, and saving money, OR moving to the TC as soon as you can once you line up a job and get a roommate. All that said, I guess it also depends on where in the TC you're working. If you end up working in a suburb on the way to St. Cloud the commute and its costs (both financially and quality-of-life) might not be as bad.

[Kebinminn]

Not my thing, I like my sleep too much, but if you can swing it. I would look for a job on the Minneapolis side because commuting through the citites would add a lot of time.

When figuring it out make sure to factor in gas and wear and tear on your car to see if the job is worth the commute.

[marmac]

The only way I would comute from St Cloud to the metro daily was if it was for a good paying job that payed a lot mote than what I could earn in St Cloud.

Otherwise, the hassle of traffic ( it gets quite heavy beginning at Monticello and real heavy at Rogers), expense and time of driving isn't worth it.

Sorry, but Target/Walmart/ Best Buy doesn't meet the criteria for a good paying job worth comuting that far.

[Scurvette]

i really feel like you will save less money because of the cost/amount of gas you are using!

[Radical_Car]

Very helpful posts everyone, thanks

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

If your goal is to save money before you move to the Twin Cities I think you're better off either getting a job in St. Cloud (and if it's at a big chain you could always try to see if you could transfer once you're in the system), living with your parents, and saving money, OR moving to the TC as soon as you can once you line up a job and get a roommate. All that said, I guess it also depends on where in the TC you're working. If you end up working in a suburb on the way to St. Cloud the commute and its costs (both financially and quality-of-life) might not be as bad.

You know, that maybe would be better to just move once I get a job lined up, i'm still in high school so I have time to think and everything

Originally Posted by marmac

Otherwise, the hassle of traffic ( it gets quite heavy beginning at Monticello and real heavy at Rogers), expense and time of driving isn't worth it.

Yes, Monticello can be a nightmare, and like you said, real heavy at Rogers.

[Squeamish]

Yes - when I look at the traffic maps during rush hour, the stretch between Rogers and Maple Grove is always one of the worst. Once or twice when I drove through there, I noticed that the backup going outbound in the afternoon was actually going up the exit-only lane to the exit ramp for 101 going north towards Elk River. The backup in that one lane appears to have caused all three lanes to crawl along farther south. The stoplights along 101 must play a major factor in why it gets so backed up.

Most of the time when I travel west on 94 during rush hour, I've looked at the traffic maps, seen a lot of red on 94, and ended up taking highway 10 from 35W to Elk River, crossing the river, and taking county 39 over to Monticello to rejoin 94. There's no way of knowing whether I saved time, but traffic was usually flowing going that route.

If you're not commuting during rush hour, you should be fine, but during rush hour, that commute will be quite a headache.

[gweilo845]

Retail jobs in the Cities don't pay much (if any) more than they would in St. Cloud. I worked at Target when I was going to SCSU, and when I moved back to the Cities after graduation, I got 25 cents more an hour :b

Doing an hour-plus commute (in addition to the wear and tear on your car, cost of gas, etc) for a retail job is not a good idea at all. Just find a retail job in St Cloud, and once you move to the Cities, you can probably transfer to a store there.

But, FYI, stores are actively getting rid of their seasonal help and not looking to hire new people for the most part. Even if you did get hired, you're not likely to get 40 hours/week (probably closer to 20-30) and you'll most likely get stuck with a crappy schedule (closing one night, opening the next morning, etc.).