Getting your own Apartment for the first time?

you go boy

you go boy

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Ok so i made a timetable of when I want to move out preferably August to get my finances straight and other responsibilities to take care of. Im hoping some of you who moved out your parents crib can shed some light on this topic and this would be a good resource for people thinking of moving out... The first order of business is paying off my expenses which is my car and my student loan.... i already paid my car off yesterday and should be completed tomorrow and hopefully in 2 weeks i will get my title... i have the money to pay my student loans off in full but my parents offered to pay half so i will let them do that... ok now heres the part where i need help which will be budgeting my money to keep up with the monthly expenses like apartment, gas, food, cell phone, cable, insurance and utilities...i am looking at getting an apartment at 850 or less im in NJ btw central to be exact... my paycheck ranges between 900-1100 every 2 weeks but mostly in between... my paycheck fluctuates because i work overtime and i do it most of the time but my hours are never consistent... i get paid hourly....so ya will i have enough to move out? im considering not moving out until i get a better job... and i plan on living by myself and not getting a roommate and even though a roommate would help cut costs i just want my own place period...

gas - 200
food - 200
cable with internet - 150
insurance 100
apartment 850
cell phone 57
utilities ?
 
I'm making the same thing you are and my expenses are pretty close as well.

 I moved out with 2 close friends last August. Rent on our 3 bedroom is 900 and we each pay 450 to cover everything.

Theres always some money left over which we just put away for a rainy day. 

Even though you can swing it if you want to. You'll be kinda roughing it if unexpected expenses pop up. (ie. auto repairs, broken phone, buying new clothes or furniture, side chick wants to eat somewhere besides Mickey Ds for once, etc.)  Also you have to watch that food budget when the folks aren't making meals. To answer your question I don't think you should go it alone even with your 4-700 surplus in income. However; if you really have a need it can be done. It's manageable. If you save up 3-5k before you go, you should have no worries at all.
 
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I suggest you start fresh. Try to cut back on some luxury items and see what you can and cannot afford.

gas - 200 (for your car right? Seems about right)
food - 200 (Youre on your own now so you gotta learn to cook for yourself. Eating out is great but healthy eating is expensive. A lot of people move out and gain mad weight because of their eating habits).
cable with internet - 150 ( Do you really need cable? If you do, do you need the higher package? Try the cheapest packages first and modify after your first month. If you think you can afford the expensive package, then go for it)
insurance 100 (Car insurance? Good).
apartment 850 (Does this include water and gas? Some complex throw that in)
cell phone 57 (This is a must so this is good)
utilities ?

As far as work goes, the last thing you want to do is move back in to your parents house. Try working as much as you can and hit that overtime every time you work. The bigger your paycheck is, the better for you.

Remember to prioritize, if you dont need it then dont buy it.

I moved out of my parents home when I was 21 and never had to go back.
 
DLee23 said:
I'm making the same thing you are and my expenses are pretty close as well.
 I moved out with 2 close friends last August. Rent on our 3 bedroom is 900 and we each pay 450 to cover everything.
Theres always some money left over which we just put away for a rainy day. 

Even though you can swing it if you want to. You'll be kinda roughing it if unexpected expenses pop up. (ie. auto repairs, broken phone, buying new clothes or furniture, side chick wants to eat somewhere besides Mickey Ds for once, etc.)  Also you have to watch that food budget when the folks aren't making meals. To answer your question I don't think you should go it alone even with your 4-700 surplus in income. However; if you really have a need it can be done. It's manageable. If you save up 3-5k before you go, you should have no worries at all.
Click to expand...

Doggy where u at?

Im in North jers. Everything is above 1000

Looking to get out and get a place with some friends too
 
How much do you single dudes in your 20's spend on groceries per month? Say you don't go out to eat and just buy from the grocery store just for you, no girlfriend. 
 
the win associated with living by yourself is SOOOOOOOOO HIGH…. girls love to stay over especially if your pad is pimped out, i can burn when i want to, music as loud as i want to, i can walk around naked without a roommates permission lol, and did i say the Yambs rate shot through the roof for me….





BUTTTTTTT….. you do pay for it lol I'm in $9xx with my rent and stuff
 
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Rocky437 said:
 
How much do you single dudes in your 20's spend on groceries per month? Say you don't go out to eat and just buy from the grocery store just for you, no girlfriend. 
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100-150 every 2-3 weeks.

gotta love costco....buy stuff that isnt perishable in bulk my man

cereal, pasta, bread ( daily sandwich), granola bars, gatorade/soda/juice. 
 
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My expenses for the month in NYC

Rent : $980
Gas + Electricty (same bill in Manhattan) : $50-85
Cell Phone : $156 (includes my parents bill)
Food : $125-150 a month
Internet : $35 w/ TWC. I use OUYA/XBMC for all my tv needs.

*Bringing your own lunch can save you a ton of $$.

Is the car an absolute necessity? It might be better off to just start using public transportation if you can.
 
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I'm in central NJ too, Middlesex to be exact and paying about $900. Just moved out as well. You can certainly find something in that range. Your utilities may be included where ever you go. I know it is with mine. The area we're in is relatively cheap, in my opinion. I hope you find something.
 
ill do my best to answer some of yall questions and thanks to everyone for their tips... i do have money saved up quite a bit actually so i will be able to use that just in case money does run tight... i dont know how to cook but i plan on learning or least buying groceries with food i can just throw in the oven....I dont plan on buying food at all for lunch and will bring my own food to work... i dont know how much utilities are because i never had an apartment and i still have to look around to be honest... i just havent looked because i dont plan on moving out within the next month... and yes im single so bringing yambs over is a must and one of the reasons why i want my own place...i do buy myself sneakers and other random things but i cut down a lot and i plan on not buying myself anything when i actually do move out to save money...and yes a car is a necessity my job is 20 miles from me and public transportation is not an option....but the big picture of me moving out is not only having the freedom but me growing up as a person.... i feel like the responsibilities and the discipline of having my own place will make me a better person
 
Bruh if you can smash chicks in your current situation, I wouldn't even move out if I were you. Living on your own is expensive, I hate paying rent. The main benefit to having my own place is the ability to smash whenever, I'd prefer to live at home and let my dough stack.
 
I'm currently in the process of buying my first apt in Long Island. It's a exciting process. Gonna be tough, I'm hoping my girl moves in with me eventually too. I made my initial deposit and have been pre approved for a mortgage, currently working on the actual mortgage and then going in front of the board
 
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you go boy said:
Ok so i made a timetable of when I want to move out preferably August to get my finances straight and other responsibilities to take care of. Im hoping some of you who moved out your parents crib can shed some light on this topic and this would be a good resource for people thinking of moving out... The first order of business is paying off my expenses which is my car and my student loan.... i already paid my car off yesterday and should be completed tomorrow and hopefully in 2 weeks i will get my title... i have the money to pay my student loans off in full but my parents offered to pay half so i will let them do that... ok now heres the part where i need help which will be budgeting my money to keep up with the monthly expenses like apartment, gas, food, cell phone, cable, insurance and utilities...i am looking at getting an apartment at 850 or less im in NJ btw central to be exact... my paycheck ranges between 900-1100 every 2 weeks but mostly in between... my paycheck fluctuates because i work overtime and i do it most of the time but my hours are never consistent... i get paid hourly....so ya will i have enough to move out? im considering not moving out until i get a better job... and i plan on living by myself and not getting a roommate and even though a roommate would help cut costs i just want my own place period...

gas - 200
food - 200
cable with internet - 150
insurance 100
apartment 850
cell phone 57
utilities ?
Click to expand...

I hate to say this to you, but with that bi weekly salary it's going to be very difficult to live. And the expenses and costs you're giving yourself are pretty tame and a bit unrealistic.
 
all the expenses i listed are how much i spend right now on a monthly basis.... and my rent for 850 is my limit... i refuse to get a place higher than that
 
here are two of my bachelor essentials

rice steamer with veggie tray, foreman grill and toaster oven. 

i cook but sometimes its easier to prep a chicken breast with a lil seasoning and pop it on the forman grill or toaster oven
 
The most absolute thing you have to do if you want to save $$$ is cancel CABLETV and just stick with top tier INTERNET.  

Depending on your provider, I'm guessing somewhere between $60-80 a month?

You can use the extra $80+ a month....equals to $960 a year....SAVE THAT MONEY BRUH!!!

Next thing you do is lower your gas bill by using the Apartments BBQ Grills and grill your food (hoping your apartment offers that)

- Like others have mentioned, learn how to cook and buy your groceries.  

- Carpool to work
 
Your expenses seem pretty solid. You really just need to get a feel for how it is and if you need to cut back on anything. We have some similar budgets with some differences and additional stuff on my end (I pull in more money, but I'm also counting my emergency funds, private savings account, student loan payments, and some others). We still end up about the same. Only concerns would be that your're not budgeting anything for savings (not sure if you're job offers 401k, but you'd want your own personal savings outside of that).

Another thing you want to consider is the "additional costs" of the apartment. Mine charges crap like $4 processing fee, mandatory trash valet for $30, etc. Mine also splits the water bill across all the tenants so I also try to budget at least $10 above what my last bill read for water usage. Also see if you'll need renters insurance. Should only be 20 odd something dollars.

Is food budget groceries or does it include dining out? Grocery spending is amortized i.e. dropping $300 to fill up your fridge the first you move in, but only spending $15 dollars a week the next month because you're only replacing stuff like milk and eggs. But keep track of how much you're spending on food and drinks when out.
 
you go boy said:
ill do my best to answer some of yall questions and thanks to everyone for their tips... i do have money saved up quite a bit actually so i will be able to use that just in case money does run tight... i dont know how to cook but i plan on learning or least buying groceries with food i can just throw in the oven....I dont plan on buying food at all for lunch and will bring my own food to work... i dont know how much utilities are because i never had an apartment and i still have to look around to be honest... i just havent looked because i dont plan on moving out within the next month... and yes im single so bringing yambs over is a must and one of the reasons why i want my own place...i do buy myself sneakers and other random things but i cut down a lot and i plan on not buying myself anything when i actually do move out to save money...and yes a car is a necessity my job is 20 miles from me and public transportation is not an option....but the big picture of me moving out is not only having the freedom but me growing up as a person.... i feel like the responsibilities and the discipline of having my own place will make me a better person
Click to expand...



Your right about what you said in your last sentence but it can basically make or break you .

Here is the deal , you say your going to be disciplined and not buy sneakers ,clothes and eat out for lunch but watch when you move out. You say that now but your going to slip up because "being" disciplined is a process. You have to understand that the things you use to do and take for granted now living at home is what your going to completely lose such as free home cooked meals, extra income to buy dumb **** like jordans , DVDs/Blurays ,video games , and being able to eat out anytime. Once you get your own place , for the first time in your life your going to have to budget and plan your money out in order to make all your payments on time and consistently.


Me and my friend share a 2 bedroom apt for $300 each so its $600 total for our rent and our monthly expenses comes up to like a little over $100 in bills so we only pay like $450 each a month in rent and bills . We live in buffalo btw.

The keys to successfully moving out for your first time is finding very good and reliable roommate or roommates , Saving up extra income while your at home for emergencies when you move out and making a effort to be extremely disciplined early on . So, that means don't buy sneakers if its not needed ,basically don't buy stuff you don't need and don't eat out all the time. You can still do these things every now and then with a good budget plan but don't do it on the regular. The big key is also finding the cheapest place you can get because you want to ball eventually you don't want to have to budget for the rest of your life so your going to have to take the bare minimum when it comes to apartments at the moment once you starting making more money you can move on to a better apartment.

You got to remember their is levels to this , So don't go out and get a expensive *** apartment that you can barely afford because you will never be able to stack your money and build.

venom lyrix said:
I'm currently in the process of buying my first apt in Long Island. It's a exciting process. Gonna be tough, I'm hoping my girl moves in with me eventually too. I made my initial deposit and have been pre approved for a mortgage, currently working on the actual mortgage and then going in front of the board
Click to expand...

Why don't you just buy a house ? .. how much is the apartment ?
 
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OP I know there's apartments available on Route 28 through Dunellen, Bound Brook. Unless you're in the New Brunswick area and want to stay there. But again you can find something here. I think you're expenses are ok
 
Nikekidwonder said:
Why don't you just buy a house ? .. how much is the apartment ?
Click to expand...

because I don't have $ to buy a house right now, and I was going to rent but for the prices of renting i can buy so I am.

Buying a place for $160,000 after some negotiating
 
^ the only time i will want to ball out is if i order take out or hang out with my friends and get drinks... the latter i rarely do but buying take out food is my weakness... and im starting to get over the phase of buying jays and other useless stuff... i have enough clothes and sneakers to last me a lifetime... im a real cheap guy so budgeting and being discipline will be tough but i can adjust easily... my 1 promise to myself when i do moveout is if i want to ball out and buy something the consequence will be to sell 1 of my shoes...so ill be ready to budget or else ill have to pay for it :{ and my job is in sayreville so i want to get somewhere close by... those towns you listed are ok i will have to check it out... and i might have to get a place cheaper than 850 to save so i will consider that i just said 850 is my limit so i will definitely look for something cheaper... and cutting cable sounds like a great idea but i watch a lot of sports and streaming sucks... im a homebody and im not on the internet all day so i do watch tv every now and then
 
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