Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, VA is much lower - DC and MD are higher though.
I can't speak for MD, but when I moved to DC from VA my rates went up less than $100. Considering it's still far lower than what I'd pay back in Philly, I'm happy (not quite half-price, but very very close).
Stocking a new apartment cost more than I thought it would be...there are so many little things to get and they all add up!
My solution has been to buy most furniture/carpet/other bigger things on craigslist, and I just rent a zipcar pickup truck to pick them up. The trucks rent for ~$7.25/hr incl gas, so its not a bad deal at all. Good for hauling big furniture bought on CL.
At first a lot of my friends were like "oh you got your furniture on craigslist...thats weird" but when they saw that I ended up with much nicer furniture than them at about 1/4 of what they paid, those opinions changed.
Of course there are some things that are worth buying new (like a mattress) but for most other things, get your furniture on CL and stocking your new apt won't be as big of a financial surprise.
Stocking a new apartment cost more than I thought it would be...there are so many little things to get and they all add up!
My solution has been to buy most furniture/carpet/other bigger things on craigslist, and I just rent a zipcar pickup truck to pick them up. The trucks rent for ~$7.25/hr incl gas, so its not a bad deal at all. Good for hauling big furniture bought on CL.
At first a lot of my friends were like "oh you got your furniture on craigslist...thats weird" but when they saw that I ended up with much nicer furniture than them at about 1/4 of what they paid, those opinions changed.
Of course there are some things that are worth buying new (like a mattress) but for most other things, get your furniture on CL and stocking your new apt won't be as big of a financial surprise.
One craigslist trick is to go to Ikea, write down what you like, then buy it on craigslist. It seems like about 75% of the furniture on there is from Ikea so you can basically find anything that's available in the store for 25% of the cost (or less).
Funny that you mention that idea - I have an ikea bed frame, dresser, desk, chair, and kitchen table that I got from craigslist...all originally from ikea!!
You're right - this is a great way to save $$. Especially since a lot of people move in and out of DC, you can often find furniture that is only 6 months or a year old on CL.
Living in Louisville and paying $250/month insurance for two cars so guessing you'll find it cheaper all around. Hope you get home soon, but tough economy. Still Louisville not hit as hard as some areas. Best of luck.
clothes are expensive. mostly because people like to dress nice here and seem not to wear the same thing more than a few times.
gas in the district is usually significantly higher than in the suburbs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
