Possible to live in Durham for less than 10K/year? Forum

[ticklemesilly]

My rent next year will be very cheap (splitting a house with four others) at $330 per month. Planning on subletting in the Summer if possible, although not sure if there will be anyone interested that far from campus (5 miles).

Is it possible to make it in Durham for less than 10K year? What is the average meal price at an inexpensive restaurant?

Any grads/current students want to share what their estimated yearly expenses were?

[tskela]

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[ManoftheHour]

If you cook, you can probably make it easy. I live in CA (I would imagine my groceries are more expensive) and I can limit myself to spending only $10 per day on food pretty easily because I make most of my meals.

[Hikikomorist]

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[Nomo]

Durham is no more expensive than Chapel Hill and the average meal price here I'd say is $10. Can't remember the last time I spent more than $12 on a meal out, even nice restaurants.

One big difference between Durham and Chapel Hill (or Charlottesville, Ann Arbor, Berekely, etc.) is that you absolutely need a car in Durham. Cars are very expensive.

[tskela]

Durham is no more expensive than Chapel Hill and the average meal price here I'd say is $10. Can't remember the last time I spent more than $12 on a meal out, even nice restaurants.

One big difference between Durham and Chapel Hill (or Charlottesville, Ann Arbor, Berekely, etc.) is that you absolutely need a car in Durham. Cars are very expensive.

I could see some people needing a car but IMO Triangle Transit is A+

[starry eyed]

Can't you live off of free food most days of the week?

wut

[Hikikomorist]

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[ManoftheHour]

Can't you live off of free food most days of the week?

wut

In visiting law schools, I kept hearing that free food could be found at some event within the law school most days of the week. It would also be possible to keep aware of ones sponsored by the broader institution (i.e., UG/other graduate programs), too. If that's the case, a person wouldn't have to pay for food on most days.

You wouldn't have to pay for lunch on most days if you sit in at the lunch events. At my school, there's one every weekday at noon. But they're not gonna serve you breakfast or dinner.

[starry eyed]

Can't you live off of free food most days of the week?

wut

In visiting law schools, I kept hearing that free food could be found at some event within the law school most days of the week. It would also be possible to keep aware of ones sponsored by the broader institution (i.e., UG/other graduate programs), too. If that's the case, a person wouldn't have to pay for food on most days.

You wouldn't have to pay for lunch on most days if you sit in at the lunch events. At my school, there's one every weekday at noon. But they're not gonna serve you breakfast or dinner.

woah, my expected COA just went WAY down.

[ManoftheHour]

woah, my expected COA just went WAY down.

My school actually gives great food and plenty at lunch. We get pizza, Chipotle, Thai food, etc. I usually end up full. On most days, there will be at least 2 or 3 lunch events going on so I get to pick what I want to eat.

I have a veggie fruit smoothie and a protein for breakfast and I cook my own dinners. There are definitely days that I spend $6 or less total on food. The downside is, you will have to sit in for an hour at those events instead of hanging out with friends or reading.

[Hikikomorist]

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[BigZuck]

I've probably spent like 2K in the past two years just on clothes for interviews, summer jobs, etc.

I guess if you're the type of person who can not eat for a 30 hour period (lol wut) then maybe you're the type who can get through law school super cheaply. But in my experience my spending has been more aligned with what grownups have to spend to exist than what monks have to spend. Of course you can limit how much you spend eating out but you'll still have to pay for transportation, insurance, clothes, etc. 10K at any law school in this country sounds like too low of a figure to me but YMMV.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

This is definitely possible, it's just a matter of quality of life. I mean, you could buy a used van for $3,000, live out of that and shower at the gym. Over three years you probably would only have to spend $15,000-20,000. But most people would rather spend the extra $ and live in an apartment.

[starry eyed]

This is definitely possible, it's just a matter of quality of life. I mean, you could buy a used van for $3,000, live out of that and shower at the gym. Over three years you probably would only have to spend $15,000-20,000. But most people would rather spend the extra $ and live in an apartment.

there was a guy on letterman who went to duke and lived in a van in the duke parking lot until they kicked him off.

[chuckbass]

The free food thing was cool until I realized that I didn't want to spend an hour each day sitting in on something and I'd rather take that break to eat with friends.

[usn26]

Is the library open 24 hrs?

[Hikikomorist]

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[starry eyed]

The free food thing was cool until I realized that I didn't want to spend an hour each day sitting in on something and I'd rather take that break to eat with friends.

My track record suggests that won't be a competing concern.

I'll be your friend hikko.

[Hikikomorist]

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[ManoftheHour]

Yeah, I'll have no problem just loading up on lunch and forgoing breakfast and dinner. On weekends when I was living on my own, I would go so far as to load up on food Saturday afternoon at an AYCE Indian restaurant, and I wouldn't get anything else to eat until Monday. It meant I could get away with spending only $9 on food for the entire weekend.

Wtf. lol

Well, if you can do that, more power to you.

[starry eyed]

Yeah, I'll have no problem just loading up on lunch and forgoing breakfast and dinner. On weekends when I was living on my own, I would go so far as to load up on food Saturday afternoon at an AYCE Indian restaurant, and I wouldn't get anything else to eat until Monday. It meant I could get away with spending only $9 on food for the entire weekend.

not impressed hikko, you could have gotten 9 mcdoubles from MCD and had yourself 4500 calories over the course of an entire weekend.(1500 per day) AND you wouldn't have to do all that sketchy stuff.