Moving to NYC --- Help and advice!

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 11/27/15 at 1:13pm

Hey all! Many of you have given me so great advice in the past, so I figured I would once again come here and ask for a bit of help. :P

 

In the summer I am finally planning on making my move down to the city. I have nothing tying me down to Syracuse anymore, so I just wanted a clean start. I go to the city enough as it is and I've always wanted to live there. My current plan is this; My lease is up on February 1st. I'm going to be moving in with my mother for a few months so I can save a lot of money and then hopefully by June I will find a place and finally be a resident of the city. :) Originally I was planning on looking for places in Union City/Jersey City but looking at a roommate finder service, I've found quite a few reasonably priced places IN the city for $750-$900, most including all utilities. Has anyone ever gone through one of these to find a roommate and have any experiences to share? I've never done anything like this before but I figured this entire thing is a new experience for me, so I may as well dive right in and it will obviously be the cheapest option for me.

 

As for a job, I work two jobs back home. One I will be leaving and the other I will be transferring with. I'm an assistant manager with Regal and I was already told that I could transfer but I wasn't promised an assistant manger position because they weren't sure if one would be open (which is obviously understandable). So obviously I would have to get another job. I'm assuming in the city the minimum wage is a bit more than the regular state wage, yes? If so, I was wondering what most places pay? I'm pretty much just going to find a whatever job while I go looking for something I actually want to do. Figured that would be the best option for me.  

 

So any help/advice on things I should know? I've never moved far away from home before, so this is all new to me and even though I go to the city often, obviously living there will be a whole new ballgame. Thanks in advance guys!! :)

 

-Charlie

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/27/15 at 8:13pm

I've lived in Bed-Stuy (two months), Hell's Kitchen (two years), and Astoria (two years). I found the first one on AirBnB. Looking back on it, it was probably illegal. But it was a decent time and I got my bearings there. There were four other roommates who I didn't see often, but we all got along. The second place was with a friend I sort of moved here with (she had found a sublet through an acquaintance when we were both still in California, so we waited until that was over to move in together). The third, I found all my roommates on Craigslist, and it's worked out very well. Not everyone has great experiences with Craigslist, but I did see 23 places before this one (then a handful of others) offered me a room.

 

When I moved here, I didn't have a job. Just a lot of savings. I found a magazine job within two months via either Craigslist or Monster. If you have any creative or proofreading skills, you may want to sign up with staffing agencies Creative Circle, Update Inc., or Metroproof -- I'm a copy editor and the latter two did me a world of good when I was laid off this past July. (Nothing wrong with CC, but I had better luck with the others.) Good luck!