Barbecue Blog

Getting ready to move and the place i’m moving to it’s about the same to rent a 3br house as it is a 3br apt. My question is which would be cheaper utility wise? And most apartments down there do not includes utilities.

If you rent an apartment, One of the few good things about it is the utility bills are cheaper. The reason why is because the apartment next to you keeps your walls warm, if it’s a 3 story building the 2nd floor is the best on heat. The top floor on a multi-floor apt. building is always the worse. The wind blows in winter & makes the building feel like it’s swaying, also the top floor is the hardest to get out of in case of fire. Air-conditioning in summer is cheaper also, the next apartment is a great insulator & you don’t loose much air. There are other good points, lighted drives, lawn up-keep, snow removal, no property taxes & generally cable is ready to go. With house payments & rent being so close in price, it’s hard to beat owning though, what ever improvements you make are yours. Just make sure you can afford the payments, utilities & taxes…Good Luck & God Bless

So, I make a pretty good amount an hour, but have carnote, pay daycare for 2 kids, plus clothes, my half of all expenses from rent, utilities, cheap cell phone bill, blah blah blah…….. I am getting child support so that makes it alot easier, but there are sooooo many things that seem high dollar that I need to get done…….I need to make a dental appt (which I know will be about $200), belts replaced on my car engine (up to $400), a new catalytic converter on my car (upwards of $1000 possibly more. Had to afro-engineer it last year to get thru marta), my car painted, get insurance on my car (down payment will hurt on that one – have a high insurable car) and pay off alot of other bills (not big amounts, just small) ………..I need it all done NOW, but I dont know what to concentrate on, I feel like if I do one, then another will bite me in the butt…….any suggestions?

First off I want to say I’m sorry for what you are facing. That is a big load to carry and I tip my hat to you for all you need to do. Well I’m assuming you need your car to make money. If this is the case you need to focus on the mechanical issues first. Painting it should be last on the list. If you can then get it fixed, gt insurance. If you cannot get it fixed, let your insurance lapse and while using public transportation take the extra insurance money and save it to fix the car and get your teeth fixed. Then start making bigger payments on your other debts. The best thing you can do right now is not get overwhelmed, take things day-by-day, don’t miss out on the wonder of being a mother by worrying about tomorrow. You can and will make it through this and you will be stronger as a result.

I recently answered a question with this but I think it deserves it’s own spot for proper focus.

A minimum wage job pays about 13k annually (before taxes) IF they get a full 40. So after taxes they have about 900-980 a month depending on filing status and children.

The cheapest apartment I could find locally was a 2 room efficiency for $375 a month (note not a 2-bed, a 2-ROOM)

food will cost at least $100 person per month

Utilities would be cheaper for a small apartment so lets say $150 for electric & heat. $20 for water.

If you have a job you’ll need a car so $200 for a car payment and $30 for insurance throw in $40 for gas

$25 for a phone (cheap for a landline)

let’s see I’ve covered rent, utilities, food and transportation what’s left? Oh clothes, toiletries, cleaning supplies and other little things, hmm…. we’ll go cheap here to and say $20 a month.

What do we have so far …. $960 a month to live in a 2 room hovel and eat raman noodles on a regular basis.
How would someone in your area do with a budget of $900-990 a month?
HA, food stamps that’s a good one. A single person making minimum wage doesn’t qualify for food stamps.

And I’ll tell you My family of 4 has an income of about $1200 a month (barely above minimum) and we get a grand total of $225 in food stamps a month. So there ya go family of 4 on $1425 a month, do that budget. Find a place to live locally for a family (we need a 3-bed as my kids are the opposite sex) and make a car payment on that. If ya want to try adding in a job for me but don’t forget childcare costs and a second car.
Oooooo…. college education, good point there, I have an accounting degree (assoc. for now and 10 classes from a BA)

To finish my degree I need about $3600 a semester and FA will pay $2050 of it. Don’t forget the child care…..
Oh, I’m not talking about immigrants here, I’m talking about Americans who have no where else to go and are trying to compete with the illegals.

You don’t, especially if you have children,that’s why i’m living with family right now. I was making just a little above minimum and after struggling,starving and selling everything I had, I couldn’t do it on my own anymore.

Okay I am in ohio right near michigan and we are looking in michigan because the taxes and utilities are cheaper. Do I just need to transfer my drivers license and insurance or are there other things and do I have to take another test. I want to be prepared in case we find a house soon

no test if u have a current lic…just gona cost money

How much is it typically suppose to decrease after you renew for another year? we pay 1156 without utilities and now they said 1044 w/utilities is that good or should i ask for lower?

I would not balk too much, usually the rent increases, not decreases.

About 10 years ago I got very sick and had to leave a very good paying job. My medical bills went up and income went down. No bankruptcy, but slow payment history, house went into foreclosure, but I was able to sale it to get out from payments. Moved to an apartment to cut expenses. Cheaper than my old house payments and utilities are cheaper. Since then my health has vastly improved, but I still have outstanding medical bills, and my prescriptions and Dr. visits take about 10-12 % of my monthly income. Now my car has died and I have not been able to save any down payment since I have been trying to pay off old bills. What are my best options for getting a decent running car that I can make the payments on without having a large down payment, and without getting over my head?

Go to a dealer. They will have lots of payment options for you.

What companies have the cheapest rate? We are moving into an apartment and looking for local water and energy rates. Who is the cheapest.
houston, tx

Here’s a link to find and pick your own electricity. You can’t pick the water in apartments it comes from what ever City you are in.

I am looking for an apartment for rent including all utilities, with 2 bedrooms in the oak lawn, evergreen, chicago ridge or crest wood area…. Trying to stay at 600-775?? Help!

try www.craigslist.org and look under housing available. If you cannot find anything listed, you can make your own post and the nice thing is, this is a free site. And keep in mind, a "cheap apartment" will no doubt be in a not-so-good area. Good luck.

Is one cheaper on utilities somehow?

Gas is cheaper. Takes a little longer, but it’s still cheaper to run.

gas heat and water.

im moving out and want to know what to expect for rent.
not sure if its better to go for the more expensive apt with them included or the one thats cheaper with out.

Hi.
This is contingent on where you live. I believe everyone is entitled to safety in renting. I like to look at the Sunday Papers and see the range of rent rates for a 2 bedroom, based on varying neighborhoods. I sort of take an average of the highs in the good areas, to the lows in the bad areas, i try to look at somewhere in the middle but up about $200 as a good rent.
Utilities are complex–if included great but make sure the heat is at 68 or you have control. If the hot water is included, do you get to control the thermostat. I prefer hot that I can make cold rather than boiling water on the stove in the spaghetti pot and pouring it into the tub.

I am finding based on square footage, in Massachusetts, that I’m paying all electric utilities about $250 per month in winter, down to about $80/month in summer with central air.

In MA i’ve had apartments , lucky ones, near boston, with $1300 as the rent for a large apartment all utilities. This is the exception rather than the rule. Craig’s list seems to be the place.

Without knowing whether you are in florida, Washington or Maine, it’s hard to answer. How big is the place, zoned heating? A made up number assuming your weather is about 40 degrees in the winter and hotwater, heat are gas is about $120. We don’t pay water in MA.