Working/Living in PIT (Pittsburgh: low income, student loans, home)

[Rust Belt Kid]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

Thanks, so I'll elaborate a little:

-I am not IT, I am urban planning and just starting out with some experience.
-In 5-10 years, I'd like to have a nice house with some property and family...I prefer semi-rural BUT right now, as a single dude, I know in a new area I would be incredibly lonely and isolated. So, I'd like a neighborhood where it would have a balance of:
-Being convenient to work, able to meet others my age, nice.

I'd like a one bed, ideally with a terrace, parking, WITHOUT a roommate.
So
-Which neighborhoods if working downtown work
-What cost am I looking at
-What salary do I need to be able to not be rent poor?

This is hard to answer because it really depends on your financial situation and preferences. If you don't have a ton of student loan/credit card/other debt, following the 1/3 rule, you should probably keep your rent under $900. Personally, I would stay under $800. Without a roommate it is tough but not impossible to find a decent 1br at that price point--it likely will not be in the trendy areas, though.

A young single person who moves here typically wants to move to the Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, East Liberty areas. If you are commuting downtown and want the most for your money, I would check out the South HIlls along the T (subway) line. I would recommend Dormont, Brookline, Beechview. You can also look to the North Side, which is an easy commute downtown on the bus. At your price point, Brighton Heights and Bellevue may work. Something up in Troy Hill may work, as well, I don't know how many rentals are in that area though.

You may luck out and find something pretty nice in the East End, too. If you really maxed out your budget, a $900 1br shouldn't be that hard to find in Bloomfield or Friendship.

[guy2073]

Last month I saw a place in Carnegie, it was 1 bedroom with washer and dryer, 1 parking spot and basic cable for 425 including all utilities

This apartment was upstairs from a business, the owner wanted someone he could trust to call the police if someone was messing with his stuff after hours

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by guy2073

I don't require much, I am very basic. I would buy a cheap house or rent a small place. I personally don't need to live in a trendy place. People do it all the time. I know people that are on disability who live off of $731 a month plus $216 in food stamps.

Please don't get me wrong, I don't live that way anymore. I have a wife and kids that are spoiled rotten. Hard work does pay off and I am enjoying the fruits of my labor now, but I have lived on alot less than 20k a year and I was fine with it.

Until I bought my house I had never paid more than $425 in rent, I lived in castle Shannon, north Strabane, and bridgeville.

Did you have any other help? Food stamps? Utility help? etc? A minimum wage job for 40 hours a week is around 15k per year. $425 per month leaves about $200 per week for everything else. I think food and transportation cost would make or break the result.

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

Did you have any other help? Food stamps? Utility help? etc? A minimum wage job for 40 hours a week is around 15k per year. $425 per month leaves about $200 per week for everything else. I think food and transportation cost would make or break the result.

No, it is not that hard to live off of 20k when you are single. I would not want to do it again but I could. Your lifestyle choices can eat up 10's of thousands of dollars a year. I do everything myself from working on my car to doing my own cooking. I pay for haircuts, inspection stickers on my car, and groceries. I still don't pay anyone to do anything even when I can afford to.

I would rather spend $40 at the butcher for some steaks, $20 for some beers and cook at home for my friends than spend a ton at the club drinking.

[yinzer93]

Originally Posted by guy2073

No, it is not that hard to live off of 20k when you are single. I would not want to do it again but I could. Your lifestyle choices can eat up 10's of thousands of dollars a year. I do everything myself from working on my car to doing my own cooking. I pay for haircuts, inspection stickers on my car, and groceries. I still don't pay anyone to do anything even when I can afford to.

I would rather spend $40 at the butcher for some steaks, $20 for some beers and cook at home for my friends than spend a ton at the club drinking.

I smiled so much when I read this - did we live the same life!? I couldn't agree more with everything here. Though I'm doing better now, living like that taught me a lot about myself and what the word "need" really means. To this day, I benefit from having found out that money can only truly buy (some) security. Happiness and self satisfaction others begins with you!

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by yinzer93

I smiled so much when I read this - did we live the same life!? I couldn't agree more with everything here. Though I'm doing better now, living like that taught me a lot about myself and what the word "need" really means. To this day, I benefit from having found out that money can only truly buy (some) security. Happiness and self satisfaction others begins with you!

Thank you, started feeling a little ambushed over here.

[Benzman66]

"I know some places where you can get a great, delicious, huge meal for under $8"


I agree! Many great Chinese/American all u can eat buffets are around here. Ask me, I know them all.



"I would be incredibly lonely and isolated."



Maybe, maybe not. Depends on your personality and outlook. I have lived on and off in the Burgh for nearly 11 years and still lonely and isolated, but that's just me.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by guy2073

Thank you, started feeling a little ambushed over here.

Don't feel ambushed. I only ask because I was previously in a similar situation where I had a very low paying job. It was not easy for me, so I was curious. At what income level would it not be easy? I found a very cheap apartment and ate a lot of cheap things like pork and beans. However, it is the unexpected expenses that are tough, because of not having much money saved to deal with them. I once got hit with a $1500 gas bill because the previous monthly estimates were so far off during the spring and summer that when that first cold month came it completely changed everything. I don't remember all of the details, except eating a lot cheap food like rice and beans. But... I did it and did not want or receive any help.

This connects to the thread about the new tax for more affordable housing in Pittsburgh. It is annoying as someone who worked myself into a decent job and home ownership, to then be asked to pay more in local tax to fund more cheaper housing, when there is already a lot of cheap housing available. At some point, people should be required to work hard.

[robrobrob]

For starters, living on the cheap is much harder with a car payment and/or student loans.

I do think it is a little tougher these days than in the past. Mainly because of cable/internet and cell phones. Both are pretty common now but 10-15 years ago they weren't as common.

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

For starters, living on the cheap is much harder with a car payment and/or student loans.

I do think it is a little tougher these days than in the past. Mainly because of cable/internet and cell phones. Both are pretty common now but 10-15 years ago they weren't as common.

Car payments are hard to make poor. Until I got married I never spent more than $1100 on a car. I never really sacrificed on what I had to eat or missed out on doing things, it just took alot of planning if it was going to be expensive. I never had much of a savings. Cell phones were not common and I used to "borrow" my neighbors cable. At the time I was making $8 an hour. My take-home pay was $256 a week. My parents passed away when I was younger so I have been out on my own since my middle teens, at the time I thought I was a high roller.

I work on my own vehicles, I always looked for a truck with a blown engine or transmission. I could get one for around $300 or so. I would get a junk yard engine for around $250-$500 plus the cost of fluids and tune-up parts. I just did that recently because my son is turning 16, I bought a really nice pickup for $800 and I got a used engine for $500. I try to teach my son some of the lessons that I learned growing up, but I think you have to just live them and adapt to learn.