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Old 03-30-2008, 02:15 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,465 times
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I grew up in South Arlington and my family still lives there. I moved to Minneapolis in 1998 and am still living there. We have it pretty good here, but I really miss my family and the DC area and I want to move back. I'm looking for your input as to whether or not we can (or should?) do this, and if so, how.

I have a family of 4 (me, husband, two kids - 7 and 1). In Minneapolis, we currently pay $659 a month for a 2 bedroom townhouse. He works as a truck driver (he has a high school education) and I'm a full-time student who works part-time for a non-profit. We make about $45K combined. I'll be graduating this year and I'm applying to law school for fall 09. I'm applying to GW, Georgetown, American, and maybe GMU. We'll be moving next summer if I get in (I'm reasonably sure I'll get into at least one of them).

I'm not sure if I'll be able to work while in law school full time or not. I'll be taking out crazy loans (wherever we move) with a little for living expenses. I'm also not sure about the availability of well-paying blue-collar jobs for him in the area. The rent is daunting - we'll be paying at least twice what we're paying here, probably more, right? How do families afford to live there? We'll be needing at least a 2 bedroom, and we're leaning toward NoVA, but we're open to whatever as long as it's relatively safe and within reasonable Metro and commuting distance to school/work. Schools for the kids are an issue too. The cost of living is so much higher there than it is here. We really want to make it work, but we know it'll be hard.

Are we crazy? Is this at all doable? What should we be doing to prepare? We're cleaning up our credit (all of our cards will be paid off by the end of the year) and saving as much money as we can, but it won't be a whole lot.

Thanks for your advice, y'all.
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Old 03-30-2008, 03:47 PM
 
4,176 posts, read 6,306,100 times
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I'm no expert, but there is a chance I'll be moving to the District so I have done some research. What I've seen implies that it will be VERY!! difficult for a family of 4 to survive in the DC area on $45K/year. That seems to be pushing it for a single person.
The studios I have seen in the city itself are $1200/month and up. I'd imagine a two-bedroom would be around $2000/month after utilities (including cable, internet, etc). That's without parking.
Unless you get into Georgetown, maybe you could consider an equally strong school in a more affordable place. Wait for some other responses, though, as many people know a LOT more about the area than I do.
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Old 03-30-2008, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,678 posts, read 41,509,172 times
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$45k? No way! No area is worth being mercilessly poor, especially DC. You will have a difficult time putting your kids into any DECENT school district with that income. For the amount your paying for a 2-bed TH you'll have to TRIPLE it not double it.

Especially since ya'll are trying to clean up your finances i'd strongly recommend staying in MN and keep saving your $. Moving here would set you back very far financially. I know there must be respectable law schools in MN.
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Old 03-30-2008, 05:15 PM
 
Location: Arlington, VA
2,015 posts, read 4,577,915 times
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I would strongly advise you to check out some good law schools in Minnesota and then consider moving to the DC area after you graduate and pass the bar exam. A family of four simply cannot survive well in Northern VA (or anywhere else in the DC area) on $45,000 per year. As far as your husband is concerned, this area is VERY white collar and highly educated, this makes the job market rather competitive. I'm not saying he wouldn't be able to find a blue collar job with only a high school degree here, but it would be rather difficult and probably result in a pay check that isn't sufficient to cover your family's expenses.

The going rate for two bedroom apartments (not townhouses) in this region is usually around $1800 per month and that is if you are lucky, the ones in my Arlington complex are in excess of $2,000. As alanboy mentioned above, if you want to rent a townhouse similar to that in MN you will have to at least triple your monthly payment.
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Old 03-30-2008, 06:14 PM
 
48 posts, read 168,652 times
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While I certainly understand the desire to be closer to your family. I think there is a possibility that you might be seriously underestimating the stress that will occur if you move to the metro DC area. Not only will you have the financial stressors which will be enormous but you will also have the stress of law school....juggling family and grad school of any type is exceptionally difficult. Day-to-day living in the metro DC area can be a bit stressful...traffic alone can drive you batty. Perhaps you might make moving to the DC area the long range goal and postpone the move for a few years until you are more secure financial footing.
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Old 03-31-2008, 06:43 AM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,395 posts, read 25,628,292 times
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Those who say you can't live, with a family of 4, here in DC area, on $45,000 a year are wrong. We are a family of 5 who has been living here for that much. However, if you can't live without all of the stuff everyone seems to have, or if you can't live without the latest car, or if you want to eat out all of the time, etc... than they are right. If you have a lot of debt than that will also hurt. It depends on you and your family if you can live like that or not.
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Old 03-31-2008, 07:05 AM
 
2,462 posts, read 8,887,695 times
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Are we crazy? Is this at all doable?

Yes and no.

Law school is a full-time job, especially in the first year. Add a family to the mix, and working, even part-time, will kill you. The schools to which you plan to apply are extremely expensive, and you won't be able to get in-state tuition at GMU (which is still a regional law school). All of these schools (especially Georgetown and GW) are also very difficult to get into. A blue-collar worker with a high-school education cannot expect to earn much around here, especially as he will be competing with many immigrants (legal and otherwise). Your husband will probably earn more here than he does in Minnesota, but not nearly enough to compensate for the much higher cost of living.

If your ultimate goal is to return to the DC area and practice law, your best bet is to go to your state university, get top grades, and then seek employment in DC. It's a myth that you need to go to a DC law school in order to work in DC. Most big firms hire from the top schools around the country. Also consider that the "crazy loans" you will need in order to study at Georgetown or GW will put a huge strain on your budget after law school graduation -- you will still be paying off those loans when your oldest child is ready for college. A law school degree is no longer a guarantee of high income, unless you are at the top of your class and/or have connections.

Alternatively, you could consider getting a full-time job in the DC area after you graduate, move to NOVA to establish residency, and then apply to GMU for fall 2010.
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Old 04-01-2008, 03:30 PM
 
480 posts, read 1,909,436 times
Reputation: 286
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkf747 View Post
Those who say you can't live, with a family of 4, here in DC area, on $45,000 a year are wrong. We are a family of 5 who has been living here for that much. However, if you can't live without all of the stuff everyone seems to have, or if you can't live without the latest car, or if you want to eat out all of the time, etc... than they are right. If you have a lot of debt than that will also hurt. It depends on you and your family if you can live like that or not.
God bless ya if you can do it, but I cannot fathom how it can be done. Do you eat ramen noodles and never leave the house?

Heck, 45k doesn't even cover rent and utilities after taxes in a place big enough for 5 people...how do you do it?
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Old 04-01-2008, 10:23 PM
 
Location: Arlington, VA
2,015 posts, read 4,577,915 times
Reputation: 1667
Yeah I have a couple friends making around $40-45,000 and while they aren't poor they DEFINITELY would be if they were married with kids. I admire your financial skills but I really don't think most people in the same position could do that...not in the DC area.
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Old 04-02-2008, 09:24 PM
 
1,054 posts, read 5,070,301 times
Reputation: 360
I think all I can do is echo, LOUDLY, the previous posters.

* First year of law school sucks
* Second year is even more busy
* Third year you are too tired to notice.
* Law school with kids is even more difficult
* Law school with a horrid commute really sucks.
* Law school with all of the above, and no money, is going to be nearly impossible.

If you can get into GWU or GU, you can can get into a dozen other 'good' schools around the country that won't break the bank or kill you doing so. Have you considered UVA? Lower cost of living, still relatively close to your family. Notre Dame, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Minn, Washington U in St. Louis are all good programs out your way that wouldn't put you in the poor house.

fwiw: in my law school class, first year broke up 2 engagements and 2 marriages.
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