Moving to NoVA on $54,000. What area? Apt suggestions? Please help. (Reston: car insurance, house)

[mac10]

Originally Posted by KTuner

Back on topic. I do have a car payment of $350/month, so that is a good chunk of money there.I currently live in an apartment that costs $450/month, and get by fine on a slary of $38,000 so according to calculations I will be making approximately $1000 more a month after taxes, meaning if all other costs stayed the same, I could afford $1450 on rent. I think bumping up to $1200 is reasonable and leaves me an extra $200 a month to live on. Yes, I will have to cut back my lifestyle a bit as living here in STL on $38,000 I can afford, and love to buy, things many other semi-single (we have been dating for 4 years, but live separate) people in this area cannot.

What about food, gas, insurance? Just a few essentials you should probably add.

[JfromReston]

KTuner:

Check out this post I just made on another thread.
//www.city-data.com/forum/10369251-post14.html


My information is problaby not of interest to those considering apartments as I have a SFH.
What is the sqFt of where you live? 3600
What is the total cost of electric, gas, water, etc? All electric house with annualized monthly at $180. Water $90/quarter (we have a lawn to water)
How many people live in your place? 2

[KTuner]

Originally Posted by mac10

What about food, gas, insurance? Just a few essentials you should probably add.

I am figuring those separate from hosing. My food cost can only go down as I eat out just about every night here. Gas will stay about the same if not go down as I will not being driving from one side of STL to the other daily, and depending on where I live, insurance will be factored in. If i find a place close enough to walk to work, i will save about 150/month on car insurance as the car will then be classified as a "pleasure" vehicle rather than "commute" vehicle.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by KTuner

I am figuring those separate from hosing. My food cost can only go down as I eat out just about every night here.

FWIW, outside of the lunches I buy at work, my grocery bill for two is about $100/wk for the "non-ramen" but not luxury diet.

If i find a place close enough to walk to work, i will save about 150/month on car insurance as the car will then be classified as a "pleasure" vehicle rather than "commute" vehicle.

Have you gotten quotes on that? How much are you spending as it is? I pay $80/mo for liability only on two cars.

[KTuner]

Originally Posted by anonymous703

FWIW, outside of the lunches I buy at work, my grocery bill for two is about $100/wk for the "non-ramen" but not luxury diet.



Have you gotten quotes on that? How much are you spending as it is? I pay $80/mo for liability only on two cars.

Yes. Right now I spend about 252/mo on full coverage insurance (brand new car coupled with being a single 22 year old male). Taking it from being used for commute to being used for pleasure takes about $100 off the cost of insurance.

[tennisplyr]

I would go with Sterling, if I were you. Stay away from Sterling Park. But Sterling is nice for young couples who don't want to party much and who do enjoy to go out every now and then. It is quiet in most areas except near the airport, then you might hear the planes at night and that might not appeal to you. Don't go closer to DC, the commute is bad either way. Don't go to Manassas or Centreville, you'll be driving north on 28 going to work and it is bad in the morning. I think you can afford Reston, while it is nicer too, it is a bit pricier. Good luck

[Badger21]

OP, i am pretty much your twin when I moved over here in terms of our situation.

here's what I came up with for monthly expenses

100 - phone
150 - utilities (condo pays for my water)
120 - (I moved here not knowing anybody, damn it if I'm not going with DVR and FiOS)
300 - student loans
500 - food (highly suggest you don't eat out every night...an oven is a beautiful thing, thing is I like to cook so I end up paying a lot for food anyway )
100 - Car Insurance (i'm lucky to have my car paid off)

of course, adjust according to your preferences...but you should end up somewhere around 1300 total if you're anything like me, i'm currently paying 1275 for rent in Reston so that leaves me about 300 savings/entertainment, (most likely, 300 dollars entertainment )

btw, ur not privy to the personal property tax if your employer doesn't reimburse you for the miles you commute to your work site each day correct? or am I misinterpreting the rules here, panel?

[SteelCityRising]

Here's my current budget:

Net Monthly Pay: $2,250
Less: Rent - $1,135
Less: Utilities (Including Fios High-Speed Internet/High-Def. Cable) - $200
Less: Car Insurance - $150
Less: Car Payment - $222
Less: Groceries - $250
Less: Gasoline - $100
Less: Church Offerings - $80
Add: $250 Monthly Check From Parents (Parents forced me to buy a new car in order to replace my clunker when I moved, so after negotiating we finally decided I'd pay the down payment, and they'd cover the first year's payments until I was earning a "decent" salary in 2010)
Net Monthly "Wiggle Room" - $363 (I'm sure I'm missing a few expenditures here because in the end I normally "break even" every month).
When my student loans kick in at the end of 2009, that additonal roughly $200/month payment will have me cutting it VERY close, but I'll still manage. I was smart enough to have worked full-time through college to save a small nest egg for a tough first year in an area with over-inflated rent prices.

Apartment Complex: Archstone Charter Oak
Location: East Central Reston (Town Center Region)
Square Footage : 960
Size: 1-BR, 1-BA, Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Patio
Monthly Rent: $1,135
Monthly Price Per Square Foot: $1.18

Am I living "lavishly" on my $41,210 salary? No. Am I "struggling?" No. I, too, find it hillarious that some on this forum think you're "slumming it" if you're earning a sub-$50k salary, especially considering many of today's college graduates are NOT earning anywhere near $50,000! I clip coupons, shop at dollar stores, dine out/go to movies sparingly, conserve utilities, etc. with the knowledge that I'll be earning around $50,000 in 2010.

[anonymous703]

ScranBarre,

If you weren't struggling, you wouldn't be accepting money from your parents, no?

Take away their $250 payment each month, add that extra $200 in student loan payments, and then here's what I see:

No money for vacations.
No money for emergencies (car repair bill, etc.)
No money for retirement.

So I would say you are living very tight, if not struggling.

[athousandlogins]

That made me do a double-take for a minute, too. I'm not struggling but my parents are paying for my car. Heh.

But to be fair to ScranBarre, he's paying a *lot* more in rent than most people do their first year out of college. I'm not deriding his choice - his to make - but if he was in a roommate situation he'd be spending a lot less on rent and he would have more wiggle room in his budget.

Point is, I think a person can live decently on his salary here. Not in the lap of luxury, but well enough. Especially for a very young 20-something. I wouldn't agree if ScranBarre was 45, or if he had a couple of kids, but in his situation it seems fine.