Are you thinking of moving to New York? For a job, or just to change something? Looking through neighborhoods, one specifically caught your eye. Chelsea. Manhattan’s art district. But if you’re thinking of relocating to one of New York’s prettiest hoods, you should have one thing in mind. As for any relocation, you always have to think about the budget. Especially since Chelsea was voted one of the most expensive neighborhoods in NY. So, we kindly recommend you start planning your budget in advance. We even wrote down a few tips for you to manage out. A list of budget planning tips for moving to Chelsea, NYC.

Welcome to Chelsea

As we already mentioned, Chelsea is the artistic soul of the city. Galeries, fashion shops, a High Line which is a park built on an abandoned railroad track. The options for seeing are numerous. If you’re more of a night bird, you don’t want to skip on Chelsea’s famous nightclubs and buzzing bars. And of course, when you get tired of all the walking around, you must visit some of its exclusive restaurants and Chelsea market, which offers excellent eateries.

As you can see, you can spend days just wandering around and soaking up everything around you. And that’s why it is important to come with your budget prepared. We don’t want you to spend more than you earn and that you originally intended. And here’s where our budget planning tips for moving come on the scene.

Budget planning tips for moving to Chelsea

First of all, you want to find help. Yes, that includes your family and friends, but also professional help. This can easily get overlooked, but here we are to remind you. Follow the advice from experienced movers Divine Moving and Storage, and get a free quote for your move. Go through everything considering your relocation and storage units if you’d need any so that you know how much money is left at your disposal. Now let’s proceed.

Start saving in advance

Whatever you may think, saving should start from the moment you think of relocating. It is a process that requires time and looking into your life habits and the city you’ll call home. For example, NYC is a lot more expensive than the rest of the States. That’s mostly due to the expensive housing market since there are not much more building areas left. So let’s break down all the costs you would have to look out for when living in the big city.

Living costs

When talking about costs, keep in mind that they can vary depending on different factors. For example in which part of the hood you’re planning to rent. As we already mentioned, Chelsea is the most expensive part of New York. Also, your current status has a big impact too. It makes a lot of difference if you’re a student, if you’re unemployed or if you already have a job. Either way, the best thing is to cut costs wherever you can.

So where to cut?

Is it possible to save money when you move? Here is the list of the budget planning tips for moving to Chelsea which can save you up some money and increase your budget:

Don’t take much stuff

First things first. Since affordable apartments in NYC are usually small, you don’t want to overcrowd your place with stuff. So try to take what’s really necessary. However, if you need some things, but you lack space in your new place, try looking for furniture storage. Simply rent a secure unit for excess pieces – that way you’ll keep things safe and at your hand when you need them.

Aim for smaller apartments

New York is expensive. Chelsea too. So you may want to look for smaller size apartments. Also, aim for lower floors of the building ’cause lower floors tend to be cheaper than the high ones. Lower floor – lower rent. And don’t forget that, when signing the deal, you usually have to give a month’s rent in advance, so as the deposit, which is equal to the month’s rent. Different surveys say that the perfect amount that you should save before moving is around three monthly rents.

Find a roommate

The best way to cut the living costs is to find a roommate and split the bills. That could be your friend or someone that you find online. Just make sure it’s someone verified and with the same interests and habits.

Choose older buildings

If you look for older buildings, you’ll most probably find a lower rent. You don’t want to live in a place that’s falling apart, of course, you just want to avoid the freshly built buildings. The other thing you want to take into consideration is private rentals. Those are houses or apartments owned by an individual, and not a corporation. Private landlords don’t have strict rules to follow, which means they would be willing to negotiate the rent. But again, this depends from one landlord to another.

Hire professional movers

Though it may seem like another attack on your budget, the nicely organized move can actually save you some money. So once you find a place to rent, the best thing is to rely on experts in the area to help you move in. That way, you can save some money and time, and strength.

Choose the right time to move

Pay attention to details, like the season of the year. Though it may seem irrelevant, rent prices can vary a lot depending on which season is. Since spring and summer are usually ”hot” seasons, and we don’t mean just by temperature, it could be more difficult and more expensive to find a place then. So we recommend you to choose autumn or winter, if it’s not too cold of course.

Think about what you need

Try to be economic. When renting an apartment, it’s not just about rent. There are other bills such as cable, phone, garbage, electricity, etc. When you add that to the rent, it can come up as a big figure. So think about what you really need. Cancel the cable, or talk to the provider about what other packages there are, to lower your costs. Also, look if there’s anything in the apartment that could/should be fixed. Some things can have an impact on your bills like drafty windows or old plumbings.

Use transportation or walk

Walking is not only good for your health, but also your budget. But if your place is too far from your work or city centre, try using public transportation as much as you can. Most common is using subway. The unlimited monthly pass is around $120, which is way cheaper than going in a taxi for $3 per mile. So it’s an easy way to save up some more money.

Your bank account will be grateful

Though we focused on saving money, have in mind that there are some things you shouldn’t save your money on, like your hobbies and health. We wish you luck with finding an apartment that fits your needs and starting your new life in one of the nicest hoods in NYC. Hope that our budget planning tips for moving to Chelsea helped you out and that you’ll enjoy your stay in the Big Apple.