I'm looking for open ideas here. Lets be real it is hard to lock down a great paying job. And nice homes here are expensive. If I am a young single person who wants to live alone and this is my expected salary for the next few years then what would you recommend as far as living goes?

You should look at the apt booklet that are free at giant or safeway. With your salary you should probly look for a 1 bedroom

I believe your income qualifies for the low-income apartments.

Although I would probably look for a home with a completely separate basement apartment. Cheaper than a condo or apartment, but not as shady as some of those low-income apartments.

You may just want to suck it up though and find a decent roommate to split a 2/2 condo/apartment. Save even more money.

Well Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe your income qualifies for the low-income
> apartments.
>
> Although I would probably look for a home with a
> completely separate basement apartment. Cheaper
> than a condo or apartment, but not as shady as
> some of those low-income apartments.
>
> You may just want to suck it up though and find a
> decent roommate to split a 2/2 condo/apartment.
> Save even more money.


You can suck me up and come to Glory Days Sports Bar and ask for me.

Split a townhouse with some respectable people, rent a basement from elder folk, if you are quiet, clean, and work all day, I'd rent you a room. My ideal housemate is a person who works/studies all day and does not have time for anything else, besides sleep. (or her lesbian non-butch girlfriend).

Prince George or Prince William are more your speed.

Why on earth would anyone want to work for such low wages. Go on welfare and collect unemployment which will soon be extended to seven years. Apply for your own section 8 luxury condo which you could never afford if working. Throw in food stamps, free medical and dental and you will do better than you ever could at some pain in the ass job.

Fairfax Person Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking for open ideas here. Lets be real it
> is hard to lock down a great paying job. And nice
> homes here are expensive. If I am a young single
> person who wants to live alone and this is my
> expected salary for the next few years then what
> would you recommend as far as living goes?


Doing it now, but at 50k. did it on 40k.

1st. do not rack up credit card bills.
2nd. buy everything used, car, and other things to save cash.
3rd, do not get nigger rich.
4th. learn how to cook and take your lunch to work.
5th. Make sacrifices, do you need to spend $150 a month on cable and internet service?
6th. If you smoke ciggs, quit. Refer to #3. do not go out and spend a shit load of money/ credit card use, at the bar.

You can do it, Finding a one bedroom apartment will run you around $1200 a month, utilities not included. just choose your apt with care. You do qualify for section 8 housing at a few apt complexes. It's up to you if you want to live around that shit. Keep working hard and have positive attitude.

can be done Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fairfax Person Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm looking for open ideas here. Lets be real
> it
> > is hard to lock down a great paying job. And
> nice
> > homes here are expensive. If I am a young
> single
> > person who wants to live alone and this is my
> > expected salary for the next few years then
> what
> > would you recommend as far as living goes?
>
>
> Doing it now, but at 50k. did it on 40k.
>
> 1st. do not rack up credit card bills.
> 2nd. buy everything used, car, and other things to
> save cash.
> 3rd, do not get nigger rich.
> 4th. learn how to cook and take your lunch to
> work.
> 5th. Make sacrifices, do you need to spend $150 a
> month on cable and internet service?
> 6th. If you smoke ciggs, quit. Refer to #3. do not
> go out and spend a shit load of money/ credit card
> use, at the bar.
>
> You can do it, Finding a one bedroom apartment
> will run you around $1200 a month, utilities not
> included. just choose your apt with care. You do
> qualify for section 8 housing at a few apt
> complexes. It's up to you if you want to live
> around that shit. Keep working hard and have
> positive attitude.
God bless you

Even those apartments, might be hard at that income bracket. There are so many stipulations its ridiculous.

I hate to say this, and its not to be mean at all, but Fairfax is simply overpriced. Unless you can, as some folks have said, find a reasonable house to share, there's nothing this side of PW/PG. Good luck.

I agree with the above posters, its best to head out PWC or even Stafford or Spotsylvania if you can put up with an hour commute each way.

I had a pretty nice modern (built in 2001) 2-bedroom 2 level townhouse in spotsylvania county only 5 minutes off 95 south to myself for $900/month (in 2010) and dealt with the hour commute each way in order to have some space- and keep a puppy and had an actual yard for kids to play too! It was nice living near wawa/steak and shake/sonic, on the weekends I ate like a king! ;) There was also a super walmart/huge shopping center nearby with everything you would find here in Ffx so on weekends I could run my errands and be close to home. There was a NICE rec center up the street too so we could go to the gym/indoor pool/etc.

Just leave at 5:30/6am to beat the worst of the traffic, took me exactly 50 minutes to get from f'berg to reston! Just budget for about $15 worth of gas each day while commuting. Just one warning- on rainy/snowy days your commute can be 1.5 hours so learn how to take Route 1 and keep a gps and an ear to the traffic reports so you can bail if needed.

Good luck!

section 8 sharon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why on earth would anyone want to work for such
> low wages. Go on welfare and collect unemployment
> which will soon be extended to seven years. Apply
> for your own section 8 luxury condo which you
> could never afford if working. Throw in food
> stamps, free medical and dental and you will do
> better than you ever could at some pain in the ass
> job.


Hey S8S, you forgot to mention there is a 2 YEAR waiting list for those condos, sure he'll get the food stamps/unemployment but there is NO WAY he can just walk up and get one of those condos right now. We all know the amigos/people who cover their faces have those on lockdown right now so us american-born have to WAIT. Not to mention, his income is too high if he is working now. Nice try, though!

If you are female- I suggest a Sugar Daddy.

Send a picture and somebody might be willing to set you up with an all expenses paid few years of fun and excitement in a nice condo here in Fairfax.

Telecommute from the third world.

Fairfax Person Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking for open ideas here. Lets be real it
> is hard to lock down a great paying job. And nice
> homes here are expensive. If I am a young single
> person who wants to live alone and this is my
> expected salary for the next few years then what
> would you recommend as far as living goes?


Why are you so poor? Im pretty sure even burger king employees make 50k.
Are you unwilling to work full time? You should try to get an education.

A local contractor has been hiring illegals and murdering them at the end of the job to avoid paying them. Best way to LIVE on 38-42k per year in Fairfax County is to not be an illegal contractor.

I work at Walmart, I make $10.00 per hour as a head cashier

$10 x 2080 hrs a year equals $20,800

I pay $400 for a shitty room with 3 other people, if I elect health insurance for my family my income drops to $185 per week

Only way to survive is I give blow jobs for $50 a pop

im there now Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> section 8 sharon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why on earth would anyone want to work for such
> > low wages. Go on welfare and collect
> unemployment
> > which will soon be extended to seven years.
> Apply
> > for your own section 8 luxury condo which you
> > could never afford if working. Throw in food
> > stamps, free medical and dental and you will do
> > better than you ever could at some pain in the
> ass
> > job.
>
>
> Hey S8S, you forgot to mention there is a 2 YEAR
> waiting list for those condos, sure he'll get the
> food stamps/unemployment but there is NO WAY he
> can just walk up and get one of those condos right
> now. We all know the amigos/people who cover their
> faces have those on lockdown right now so us
> american-born have to WAIT. Not to mention, his
> income is too high if he is working now. Nice try,
> though!


I didnt say it would be easy but if he doesnt work he gets free health and dental care, free food stamps and a welfare check every month. That only leaves rent to worry about. If he gets a full time job and pays taxes all those previously mentioned free things will come out of his check which leaves him with nothing. He is better off on welfare and waiting for a luxury condo under section 8 to come up.

Share a town house with another professional. There are really nice 2 bdrms with 2 master baths for reasonable rent. You could probably get a nice one for $1300 per month. You take home what 2500 per month so you could afford 750 toward rent and utilities.

Just dont have kids it screws up the math.

38k to 42k is a lot of money for a single person or a recent graduate.
If you can live with a family member and pay low low rent that's the best option. if you have to rent, I would suggest not to pay more than $600 a month for rent.
Its not about what you make its about what you save.
Some high income earners spend every dollar they make.

Panhandling

If you can take a moonlighting job, like restaurant waitressing or stocking shelves at night, do it. Also, the posts about being frugal are on target.

Find a roomie

It's the best way to go. You shouldn't just be meeting expenses, but actually saving for retirement NOW, if you can. Trust me, the earlier, the better.

Not to mention if you find a decent roommate, there might be some built in socialization that is actually pretty hard to do solo when you're a young 20 something in the DC area.

My 2 cents.

If your credit is decent, it might actually be cheaper to buy a condo...

A $140k 1 bedroom condo with 5% down ($7,000) is about $625/month on a 30 year mortgage- problem is finding one at that price point in fairfax county proper- but there are plenty in PWC/stafford at that price which would be in better shape/more modern.

The county has options for downpayment assistance if that is an issue- there was an article in the Post about it last week I remember seeing it but dont have a link right now...

I'm not a real estate agent, just showing you a cheaper option- and you can simply sell it if you get tired of the area and get the tax breaks and all while you're there....or simply rent it out later....

...or you can rent a condo from someone...(I like Zillow or padmapper to look these up)...

...or you can pay the landlord of an apartment complex $1300+ a month for the same thing a condo gives you...but you can't sell it when you're done with it...

...or live with family/friends...offering your cleaning/coooking and pay the light bill instead of rent....

Only reason I stress condo- if you hit a bad spot in your life and lose your job for whatever reason- in an apartment complex, you will be evicted quickly (5 day pay or quit, then formal eviction in 30-45 days once you make it to court).....

..with a mortgage it will take MONTHS for them to foreclose and that gives you time to scramble and catch it up...I had a friend last 8 months without paying her mortgage due to job loss (not her fault!) and at the last minute was able to come up with another job and the cash to save the place and still lives there today...

Roommates are easier, you have company and lower costs- same thing they can kick you out quick...I'd try to live with understanding family who'd cut you some slack if you couldn't pay rent for a month or 2...

Or get an RV....you figure out the rest...

Your call!!! Just laying all options out there!!!

Look at the affordable dwelling unit program. You buy a TH for half price. They give priority to those that work and live in the county.

My friend bought one in loudoun and his mortgage is under $1k a month. After a certain amount of years living there he's legally allowed to sell it at market value and keep 50% of the profit.

ADU Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Look at the affordable dwelling unit program. You
> buy a TH for half price. They give priority to
> those that work and live in the county.
>
> My friend bought one in loudoun and his mortgage
> is under $1k a month. After a certain amount of
> years living there he's legally allowed to sell it
> at market value and keep 50% of the profit.


Hey dumbass! This thread is years old and the original poster is probably dead by now.

mediumincome Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If your credit is decent, it might actually be
> cheaper to buy a condo...
>
> A $140k 1 bedroom condo with 5% down ($7,000) is
> about $625/month on a 30 year mortgage- problem is


You aren't counting in maintenance or condo fees in at that price. About average condo fee would be about $250 and another $50 a month towards maintenance. A $140k condo would rent out for $1,100 - $1,200. It is a little cheaper to buy, but it only makes sense if you plan to keep the place for a while.

You kill yourself. I have trouble living on $200,000. Single, own my house, 2 kids divorced. $40,000 is abject poverty in FFX.

Mcfry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ADU Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Look at the affordable dwelling unit program.
> You
> > buy a TH for half price. They give priority to
> > those that work and live in the county.
> >
> > My friend bought one in loudoun and his
> mortgage
> > is under $1k a month. After a certain amount of
> > years living there he's legally allowed to sell
> it
> > at market value and keep 50% of the profit.
>
>
> Hey dumbass! This thread is years old and the
> original poster is probably dead by now.

Maybe my advice will help someone else out. I didn't revive the thread, someone else did.

So 25/hr is poor? Man am I fucked. And one of you said burger king pays that? Is it nothing but trolls on this site?

It's a paradox- you need a high paying job to afford anything decent in the county, but the county needs medium to low wage people to work all the retail stores/do the service industry jobs (landscaping/receptionist and file clerk type work/auto repair/etc) and they need somewhere to live too.

Short answer: Get a better job.

mediumincome Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's a paradox- you need a high paying job to
> afford anything decent in the county, but the
> county needs medium to low wage people to work all
> the retail stores/do the service industry jobs
> (landscaping/receptionist and file clerk type
> work/auto repair/etc) and they need somewhere to
> live too.


P.G county, Sterling Park, or Manassas park has plenty of affordable housing for peasants

The OP now resides at the Lamb Center -

Can you swing a machete? You can camp for free in Dizzy's front yard if you protect her Dad's six door pick-up truck. She'll even serve you dinner on fine china. She can be a regular Martha Stewart if she likes you. Don't get on her bad side.

im there now Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with the above posters, its best to head
> out PWC or even Stafford or Spotsylvania if you
> can put up with an hour commute each way.
>
> I had a pretty nice modern (built in 2001)
> 2-bedroom 2 level townhouse in spotsylvania county
> only 5 minutes off 95 south to myself for
> $900/month (in 2010) and dealt with the hour
> commute each way in order to have some space- and
> keep a puppy and had an actual yard for kids to
> play too! It was nice living near wawa/steak and
> shake/sonic, on the weekends I ate like a king! ;)
> There was also a super walmart/huge shopping
> center nearby with everything you would find here
> in Ffx so on weekends I could run my errands and
> be close to home. There was a NICE rec center up
> the street too so we could go to the gym/indoor
> pool/etc.
>
> Just leave at 5:30/6am to beat the worst of the
> traffic, took me exactly 50 minutes to get from
> f'berg to reston! Just budget for about $15 worth
> of gas each day while commuting. Just one warning-
> on rainy/snowy days your commute can be 1.5 hours
> so learn how to take Route 1 and keep a gps and an
> ear to the traffic reports so you can bail if
> needed.
>
> Good luck!

Sorry, but you are delusional if you think it took 50 minutes to get from Fredericksburg to Reston. Silly Frednecks. Please stay out of Fairfax County. We can smell your poverty.