Major lifestyle change -- any advice??

[AtomicDog]

Hey Guys

It's been yonks since I posted here.

Anyway this is my current situation:
paying rent for a house in the suburbs, housemate paying half, nice big place, but I work in the city, so its a 40 min train ride there & back. i have a car (decent but not fancy, def NOT a chick magnet), and im trying to get it payed off.. there are other costs too, like insurance, petrol, all that fun stuff.

So here's what Im considering:
- quit the house
- move to an apartment or shared room in the city
- paying a bit more rent, but $0 on transport, cos i can walk to work, so it evens out
- also i can sleep in an hour longer in the morning
- i sell my car, quit the insurance, etc -- just get rid of the thing, and put the money into savings
- maybe get a motorbike for the odd trip that can't be made by train/bus
- sell off all my furniture (yikes!! might take some time), put that money into savings

You might say I've made up my mind already, but I haven't. There are disadvantages to this, like not having a car, being away from my family (who I like to be near) and not having a house to throw parties in -- altho I havent really had any parties at my current place, but thats only beacuse of not knowing enough people

The advantages would be -- less living costs (without the car), sleeping in later, meeting new people (especially if I get a shared room), closer to clubs, shops, theatre, etc..

Any thoughts?

 

[iqqi]

Sounds like a plan. A good one.

 

[AtomicDog]

Sounds like a plan. A good one.

I guess.. but i dunno what it will be like sharing the same room with other people.. I might end up wishing i was back where i started..

i'll have to do this really carefull in steps.. not rush things..

 

[Potbelly]

I say start with selling little bit of furniture you don't really need. If you decide you don't want to carry through with your plan, you can still revert back relatively easily. This is not true if say you sold your house first or your car first.

Once you find a decent roommate, you can sell the house and eventually the car. I say the car last because it can come in handy for groceries and potential dates or outing you may awnt to take. Also, in case you are left without a house and an apartment, the car can serve as a temp shelter at least. Consider the motobike purchase....would it be wiser ot keep the car? You need insurance for bikes too i believe. And it can't really carry groceries.

 

[Frink']

Move man. The best thing I ever did. First time I moved, I was sixteen. Haven't looked back since. Shure there are times when you miss family. But its just a train ride.

If you do, and I suggest you do, think economical. Set up a budget from day one. It's soo easy to overspend if you don't set up a budget.

 

[Grand Wizzard Alamar]

Hey if you don't like something... change it!

Do the dog catcher lol

 

[Bible_Belt]

Out of curiosity, what are the rent prices that you are looking at for the house now and the apartments in the city? You can quote it in Australian dollars if you like, and I will look up the conversion to U.S.

I think the motorbike is a great idea. Any bike can be a chick magnet, at least for chicks who are into bikes

 

[AtomicDog]

I say start with selling little bit of furniture you don't really need. If you decide you don't want to carry through with your plan, you can still revert back relatively easily. This is not true if say you sold your house first or your car first.

Once you find a decent roommate, you can sell the house and eventually the car. I say the car last because it can come in handy for groceries and potential dates or outing you may awnt to take. Also, in case you are left without a house and an apartment, the car can serve as a temp shelter at least. Consider the motobike purchase....would it be wiser ot keep the car? You need insurance for bikes too i believe. And it can't really carry groceries.

Yeah this is exactly why I'm a bit hesitant to sell the car... it could have a big impact being without one.

It's so difficult to decide -- if I stay where I am, the main problem is the 40 min train ride to the city, which WASTES so much precious time!! But if I was to move closer to the city, I'd probably have to give up the car and settle for way less living space....

 

[AtomicDog]

Out of curiosity, what are the rent prices that you are looking at for the house now and the apartments in the city? You can quote it in Australian dollars if you like, and I will look up the conversion to U.S.

The rent where I am now is $330 p/week, I pay half, so its $115 for me. It's a pretty good deal, even for that area, but the 40 min train ride is a real annoyance and it means I have to get up an hour earlier every morning than if I just walked to work.

The rent in the city is anything from $140 to $400 a week. $140 can probably get me a small room shared with maybe 1-3 other people. $180 gets me a bigger shared room. $280 and up I can maybe get a room to myself.

I'm kind of interested in sharing because it's an easy instant way of making new friends... my current housemate isn't that social, and he only know asians, and not many chicks at that

I think the motorbike is a great idea. Any bike can be a chick magnet, at least for chicks who are into bikes

Yeah a bike would be fun, but not sure about actually using it day-to-day... it's true what the other poster said about groceries although if I get a place near the innercity shopping centres I probably dont have to worry.

 

[danielzxc]

. $180 gets me a bigger shared room

You serious? You'd pay $180 to share a room (a bedroom?) with another person? That's crazy!

Come down to Melbourne mate. $180 you can get your own unit 15mins from the city.

 

[AtomicDog]

You serious? You'd pay $180 to share a room (a bedroom?) with another person? That's crazy!

Come down to Melbourne mate. $180 you can get your own unit 15mins from the city.

Yeah sydney rent sucks hard... but I have a really good job here I don't wanna lose. Maybe I should stay put, I'm only paying $115 rent where I am and it's a nice place.

 

[seasonedplayer]

get out of sydney. Expensive, unfriendly people, long commutes, no housing. And most importantly, clicky and hard to pull