{"id":7850,"date":"2015-11-21T06:03:26","date_gmt":"2015-11-21T14:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/add-vodka.com\/?p=7850"},"modified":"2016-11-28T11:21:31","modified_gmt":"2016-11-28T19:21:31","slug":"how-to-move-to-an-expensive-city-when-money-is-already-tight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/add-vodka.com\/how-to-move-to-an-expensive-city-when-money-is-already-tight\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Move to an Expensive City When Money is Already Tight"},"content":{"rendered":"
San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle–these are all major cities that many of us would love the chance to live in and explore, at least for a little while. These are also a few of the most expensive cities in the country, where the average rent in well into the four figures and where even daily expenses like groceries and coffee can set a person back major bucks if they aren\u2019t careful. Living in an expensive city can be intimidating but now that you\u2019ve found that job or life opportunity that is giving you the chance to live in one of the greatest cities in the country, you have to take it!<\/p>\n
Pro movers like Mayflower have seen it all and can attest that each household move is drastically different. This is certainly true and, when you\u2019re moving from a relatively cost-effective city to one that is loads more expensive, some special care will need to go into getting you from your current point A to your new point B. Here are some tips to help you out:<\/p>\n
Aim Small and Shared<\/b><\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably thinking something along the lines of \u201cwait, roommates again? Yuck! No way!\u201d Yes way. Obviously if you\u2019re moving a whole family: kids, pets, the works, you might want to find a way to forego the roommate situation. If it is just you or you and a significant other, roommates are the way to go. Starting out in a roommate situation will give you the chance of living in the city at a much more affordable rate while you get settled in and explore your new neighborhood and get to know your new home base.<\/p>\n
This extends beyond roommate situations. If you are determined to find a home that is just yours, no sharing involved, aim small. Smaller apartments cost less to rent. Small houses cost less<\/a> to maintain. It\u2019s also good to pare down in the vehicle department. Be a one-car (or no car) family for a while. You can use the sale of your vehicles to boost your savings and offset your new cost of living while you get acclimated.<\/p>\n Suburbs Can Be Fun<\/b><\/p>\n San Francisco has some great suburbs where the rents and housing costs are (albeit marginally) cheaper than living in the city proper. New York, Seattle and LA have similar suburbs and boroughs. Unlike Seattle and LA, though, San Francisco and New York public transit are top notch and getting around is much easier without a car than with one, especially since the advent of ride shares, Uber, Lyft, smart cars, etc.<\/p>\n Pare Down? Not So Much<\/b><\/p>\n If you\u2019re moving into a roommate situation you can likely get rid of much of what you own so that you better fit into the smaller space. If you\u2019ve managed to find a place of your own, common wisdom says to pare down so that the move itself is cheaper and then you can re-purchase the things you need. Usually the rule is: if you haven\u2019t touched it within six months and it doesn\u2019t hold tremendous sentimental value, you can sell it\/donate it\/toss it.<\/p>\n With a move to a much more expensive city, however, you likely won\u2019t have funds to simply re-buy things as you need them. Paring down is still a good idea, but expand your parameters to a year or 18 months. The move itself might cost a little bit more money, but you\u2019ll save a bundle in household goods purchase costs.<\/p>\n Stop Shopping<\/b><\/p>\n