Roommate or no in NYC?
I’m a 24 F and moving to NYC soon. My budget is about 2k per month, and that’s with a pretty strict budget. At my last job I was paying about 1k in bills, and of course I’m chilling at home now because of the pandemic. My salary did not double; it increased only about 25%, so I am freaking out about doubling my bills. Budget has not been tight at all, if not non existent. I spent whatever I wanted and traveled whenever I wanted... and I’m super used to that. Now I will have about 1k after rent each month in a much more expensive city. (Saving and investments have already been automated). A part of me feels having my own space will be worth the struggle until my next raise in January... but a part of me feels it might be worth it to share space and maintain my current lifestyle; nothing crazy, just not counting every penny I spend. Now, there will be hardly anything left over... TLDR: are roommates in NYC as bad as many people say they are? Is having my own place worth the extra coin? Additionally, what sort of pro tips do you have for the apartment hunt? Thank you guys! #housing #rent #nyc
Total budget is 2k, or housing portion?
Ideally total but will stretch utilities for a great place
Seems crazy to move to NYC if your food/clothing/housing/utilities/entertainment/misc/health budget is $2k/mo. Am I understanding properly? I would rent a room with many housemates.
Can only help if we know your TC. Wall of text means nothing without it, so many words saying nothing
I make 250k and I always lived with roommates and will always have roommates as long as i am single. Apart from saving so much money all these years, I like having someone to talk to on a daily basis. If you manage to have your own private bathroom, it reduces most of the inconveniences associated with having housemates.
I cant comment on your budget. But a good or bad roommate makes all the difference in my experience. Generally, all my roommates have been friends or acquaintances who I can generally trust to be calm, collected, and financially secure. I would interview any prospective roommates to see if we have compatible personalities. (for example, I usually like introverts like me who like to cook and share food every once in a while.) That doesn’t mean we need to have the same interests. The roommate only needs to be pleasant enough to talk to and be around. Oh and it helps a lot if each gets a separate washroom to take care of, in case that roommate turns out to be a slob. I also have a cute cat that my roommate takes care of for me when I need to travel for work or vacation. Which is a relief from things like hiring a cat sitter. One final thing is to discuss and create a roommate agreement for things like expectations of general cleanliness (kitchen and washroom standards, etc), guest rules (advance notice, length limits, etc), pet rules (vacuuming, litterbox upkeep, emergency plans, etc), division of chores (who takes the trash and when, vacuuming common areas, etc) and the list goes on. I find even if this isn’t enforceable in many cases, it does get the conversation going on how to deal with conflict as well as set a standard/expectation for how living together would be. I found in my experience it is super important to be clear on the stuff above. (example: my cat will destroy your expensive leather couch, so do not bring it) Just going through this process will tell you a lot about being able to live with the person.
It’s going to be really tough to get a 1 br in NYC for $2k. I’d recommend getting a roommate!
That budget is too low for Manhattan. You could get something in queens or Brooklyn. My advice is Dw about maximizing savings, your income will grow, you’ll get a bf who will share rent with you surprisingly quickly. Man what I would give to relive my younger 20s in Manhattan over Seattle
If you’re this freaked out then get a roommate to lessen the burden