$2,250 a month for rent, not including washing machine/dryer

amother

Seashell

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 10:02 am

I would not move into an apartment that doesn't have a washer and dryer . Shlepping to the laundromat is hard work . Do you have time to sit there and wait while the laundry gets done ? You said you can't park near the apt because it's a no standing zone, So you'll shlep the heavy laundry all the way to your parking spot and then drive every time to do laundry ? No way . Do not take the apartment besides for the fact that it's expensive . I don't see a single maayla to this apartment .

amother

Aubergine

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 10:06 am

amother wrote:

Hi, this is the OP. We are considering moving to this neighborhood for the kollel there. My job pays $19 an hour and my husband will receive a monthly kollel check of $800. My parents support us as well, yet are not very excited about this move, as our cost of living will increase significantly.

Are you talking about the area around Ave N in Brooklyn?

levlongnprosper

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 10:14 am

amother wrote:

DH and I are seriously considering moving to a part of town where the rent would be $2,250 a month for a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment.

If you don't want it, I'll take it! In our area that's the going price for a one bedroom! Finances can be stressful but DH is good with numbers and I grew up stretching a penny into a dollar so we're able to make it work.

Laundry is annoying. Can you afford to have it sent out? How many kids do you have? How old?

I ask because after getting sick of the laundromat, we decided to buy an off grid washer. It's basically a tub with a stand and a crank and it can be stored under our kitchen sink when not in use. It fits 5 pounds of laundry so an average week for us is 3-4 loads, 4-5 if we have sheets and more than two towels to wash. Each load takes about two minutes of cranking. Then I have to hand wring it and hang to dry, which is the lifestyle part. It usually takes me an hour to get through all of our laundry and I get an arm workout. We've had the machine for three weeks now, and it's already paid for itself compared to laundromat and sending out prices but it IS more labor and time because of the air drying.

amother

Chartreuse

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 10:30 am

would your parents have to contribute more if you move ther. if yes and they aren't happy about then I don't think its right for you to move there.
leaving that aside I think the setup you are describing is not something I would want to agree with.

studying_torah

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 11:20 am

What about hooking up a portable washing machine to your sink instead of schlepping out for laundry?
Is your job full or part time?
Can you get a salary or time increase so your parents don't need to spend more each month?
I agree you can't ask them to pay more .

Amarante

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 11:21 am

As others have posted, it's not a question of whether the apartment is "worth it" because the FMV of a rental unit is specific to the specific location. In some metropolitan areas, it would be considered to be a bargain - in other places, that amount could rent a large modern house.

Not having laundry in a building is inconvenient but it also depends on one's lifestyle. In metropolitan areas, people either have their laundry done by a by the pound place or coordinate going to the laundromat. It's less important without kids in my experience as there isn't that much laundry generated by two adults - many men have their shirts done at a laundry anyway because of ironing needs :-).

The relevant issue is whether you can afford it. Obviously you can't afford that amount of rent unless you have more money coming in each month. There is no magic that will produce the difference. If you or your spouse won't be earning more money, then it would have to come from the parents. If your parents are wealthy enough so that providing additional support isn't an issue, that's one thing but if the parents are already spending money they really don't have to provide support, it would be selfish to put them on the hook for additional support.

You also don't say what the other options are? A longer commute?

FranticFrummie

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 12:47 pm

Move to Israel! Housing is so much cheaper here, and the schools are completely affordable, too. Not to mention the excellent health care for next to nothing.

Groceries, a car, gasoline, insurance, and high quality clothing are all more expensive, but if you don't need a car and can make do with what you have, you can do pretty well.

The main stumbling block is parnossa. If you can earn a living here, you'll be all set.

Amarante

Mon, Feb 25 2019, 12:50 pm

Ruchel wrote:

I've never seen laundry in a building unless you mean at home. There is zero way I'd go to a laundromat. I'm not a starving student I have kids and hence more laundry and duties

Many large apartment buildings have communal laundry rooms - either in the basement or there would be a small laundry room on each floor.

Older buildings generally don't have laundry rooms in a building because in a city like New York, many of the buildings were built before there were even washing machines and there would literally be no place to install a laundry room.

Not mentioned, but the plumbing in many older buildings wouldn't support having a washer dryer in a unit because the pipes simply aren't equipped to handle the kind of waste water generated by a washing machine.

I don't understand your shock as many people in metropolitan areas live in buildings without washer dryers and they adapt to it. In general, there would be a correlation between lifestyles since people with children generally don't live in areas that have buildings without machines because as a matter of lifestyle it is singe s and young couples who then move on to more family friendly areas.

In my experience, people without washing machines adjust as metropolitan areas have places that will pick up and deliver your laundry if you don't want to physically shlep to a laundromat.