Living in a "shithole" and saving more money, or living in a decent place but saving less?

[VicFountain]

I'm probably moving in a month from my parents' home and away from my country.

I don't have any money left but I'm moving out because I got a job offer abroad. That said, I was wondering whether to save money on rent so I can launch my business in 3-4 months or rent a "decent" place that costs double. To be clearer, I might go live in a hostel in a shared room with another person. It would cost me 500 euros a month. On the other hand, renting an apartment would cost me a minimum of 900-1000 euros (basically 50% of my net monthly salary at this new job) and unfortunately, where I'm going (Netherlands) it seems tough to find anything decent at that price.

The point of my post is, do you think it's worth saving money on rent but living in an environment that might be "uncomfortable"? For instance, it's nice to have your own place, your own kitchen, your own privacy, and your own environment which helps you focus on your shit. But it comes at a cost. Then the question is if that cost is justifiable. I can't answer this question that's why I'm looking for opinions from other people here who may have more experience than me.

When I estimate how much money I could save working that job for 4-5 months and living in a hostel (shared room with another person), it somewhat makes me tell myself "come on, resist. You are gonna have double, maybe triple the money than if you rented an apartment". My only worry is whether living in a hostel might be cheaper but prevent me from working on my business (I'm coding a web app) and from eating healthy food (I'm also an amateur bodybuilder).

Let's say that having your own place prevents a lot of problems from arising. For instance, the risk of being robbed, the risk of not being able to store your food (therefore you need to buy food every single day which is a huge waste of time), and who knows what else.

All opinions are welcome and appreciated. Thank you

 

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[Stargazer]

A shared room - with another person you have no say in and in a Hostel to boot, does not sound like a great idea to me. In fact it sounds rather dreadful.

Unless Hostel means something different in Italy from what I am thinking of. ie Dickensian London.

If I had to I might for 1 month maximum and spend that month scouring the local papers for a room to rent in someones house and shift asap.

Even some of your new work colleagues might have, or know someone, who will have a spare room they might rent out.

If none of these are options I would look for maybe a smallish town 15/20 minutes away from the main town which has good transport links. eg I live 5 miles from my nearest large town and there are regular buses and trains that get there in 10 minutes. Rental costs are about 75% of what the town centre would be though.

You wouldn't know this area until you had been here for a while if you were to relocate to this town, you would be Googling the town. So if you were going to Amsterdam for example and an apartment was 1000 Euros maybe it would be 700 in xyz that right now you have never heard of to be looking and it is near nice lakes and countryside

Maybe you can earn some extra money on the side that would also allow your budget to pay for somewhere better than a Hostel.

Dan

 

[Itizn]

The point of my post is, do you think it's worth saving money on rent but living in an environment that might be "uncomfortable"?

Absolutely not. Even if you are boxed indoors all day, your environment affects your day-to-day and psyche.

You become what you surround yourself with.

 

[VicFountain]

A shared room - with another person you have no say in and in a Hostel to boot, does not sound like a great idea to me. In fact it sounds rather dreadful.

Unless Hostel means something different in Italy from what I am thinking of. ie Dickensian London.

If I had to I might for 1 month maximum and spend that month scouring the local papers for a room to rent in someones house and shift asap.

Even some of your new work colleagues might have, or know someone, who will have a spare room they might rent out.

If none of these are options I would look for maybe a smallish town 15/20 minutes away from the main town which has good transport links. eg I live 5 miles from my nearest large town and there are regular buses and trains that get there in 10 minutes. Rental costs are about 75% of what the town centre would be though.

You wouldn't know this area until you had been here for a while if you were to relocate to this town, you would be Googling the town. So if you were going to Amsterdam for example and an apartment was 1000 Euros maybe it would be 700 in xyz that right now you have never heard of to be looking and it is near nice lakes and countryside

Maybe you can earn some extra money on the side that would also allow your budget to pay for somewhere better than a Hostel.

Dan

Yeah the place is Amsterdam and I guess you're right. I should be able to find something if I look every day. Anyways I think the term "hostel" makes you think of some place with broken walls and dirt all around but this hostel looks very good from the pictures and reminds me of college dorms which I've seen when I went to England a few years ago. Probably the quality is not like college dorms...and plus to that it's not a private single room, but I guess for the price this is what you can find in a city like Amsterdam. But I'll see if I can only book for 1 month and do as you suggested. Thank you.

Absolutely not. Even if you are boxed indoors all day, your environment affects your day-to-day and psyche.

You become what you surround yourself with.

I agree. The environment is very important. But I have that in place for the most part. Listening to audiobooks, reading and writing a journal keeps that in place even if it still requires conscious/cognitive effort. Of course, if I could have my own apartment in a 5 star place it would have been better lol but I guess it's part of the process. We all have to start somewhere and I think living in a not so optimal place for a better future is like delaying instant gratification.

 

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