Well, s/he doesn't drink, and owns a car, so might drive to where they need to be. Might prefer taking Metro (bus or rail) or walking. Might live in a fun part of the city so doesn't need to go far.

It’s a cool spot. Have a few friends who live there, the rooftop of those condos is awesome. You can see all the people who take pics under the decorations.

They tell me sometimes the area is sketch, even with all the guards. A few years ago in December, he mentioned one of his windows was shattered because of someone shooting randomly.

Very under appreciated aspect of the area. Was kinda sad to see the trees gone at k st and 14

Theres been some really good points here on both spending and making friends.

I've been living in DC for a few years now and I still struggle with overspending just out of sheer proximity to so many stores and restaurants. It takes more discipline in the city to keep your spending in check as you're walking past shops, grocery stores, coffee shops, and restaurants on a daily basis. Much easier when you're driving past the few stores/restaurants in a given rural/suburban town. I'd recommend tracking this kind of spending if you can.

With regard to making friends: I think OP you're in a better spot than most adults moving here in the sense that you'll have a shared endeavor with people your own age (grad school) so definitely take advantage of that. I never went to grad school but the majority of my gf's friends in the city are her grad school friends and they are still quite close. We get together with them often for things like happy hours, friendsgivings, new years, etc.

For me, most of my friends have been made through my hobby (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and outside of that I have a couple of buddies from work. The older you get the harder it is to make friends organically, so it's best to find your community by simply doing the things you enjoy doing and being open to friendships along the way.

Final word: DC is one of the most most unique and "manageable" cities in America. It's a special place so really soak in all of the culture and history here if you're into that sort of stuff. Regardless of that, as far as major cities go it is arguably the most walkable in the country, and we've got a great public transit system that can teleport you to wherever in the city you need to be. Walk and take public transit as much as you can: it'll not only save you money, but it will build your connection with the city and really allow you to explore it in a way that driving and ubers simply don't allow for.

P.S. feel free to DM me when you're here if you need a friend to chat with or just want to grab a drink/food. I'm always open to hang out and connect!

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homicides dropped in 2022 so unless you mean criminals decided this very recently

Underrated is too kind. It's a fake, expensive, vomit inducing place where rent-a-cops keep brown people away from the UAE-owned Ivory Towers.

Family of 5. I spend about $600-800 month at Costco to stick up for the month and supplement at Safeway or Lidl in between. So maybe around $$1500 a month. My kids are teens so they eat a lot. Stocking up at Costco helps and Lidl has great prices. This includes meat and some of the alcohol we consume.

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It’s not even the $0 on alcohol (honestly good on you for that), but how does anyone maintain a decent social life without spending way higher on rideshare and eating out than you do?

don't listen to them you are doing great

Will start checking the coupons and try meal planning, thanks

Yeah, as I read further down they got more reasonable. The posts leading up to yours were all kind of unhelpful doomposting so I thought I’d thrown in something practical. Turns out it wasn’t necessary, but I enjoyed writing anyway.

I'm gonna guess around $600/month. That might be a little high. Excludes eating out. A mix of 70% Safeway, 30% Trader Joe's. We eat very little animal meat and consume very little alcohol. We do breakfast at home and cook dinner 5 nights per week on average. We eat out for lunch probably 6 days a week on average.

~$130 a month, I do one tjs run a week about $25 each time and go to Costco once a month for meats and bulk. I would say I eat pretty frugally - no red meat, snacks, or expensive ingredients so that’s how I keep it down.

Noise is a big factor in my life. If it’s at all a factor in you’re, try to find a place on a more quiet/side street. It’s harder but doable and worth it

Be situationally aware. At all times. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t stand toward the edge of the metro platform. Don’t engage with someone road raging on the beltway - or any road. If they pull a dick move, let it go. Someone’s always being asshole on the roads.

Yeah, agreed — I just felt like I didn’t have much to add as it seemed pretty well covered

='(

More seriously, the $0 items are not me judging people but explicitly noting some places where my expenses might be very different from theirs.

All ears because I've found DC to be a wing food desert

DC is also getting stabby, alas...

Seconded

About $200/month. I skip breakfast, eat small lunches, and meal plan dinner. I also try to do the bulk of my shopping at Costco and hit the Safeway or Whole Foods just for produce.

Safeway near the crib. I also eat out and order delivery a bunch

I feel like you’re not a very fun person