First off, Yay for me! I interviewed today for a biomedical technician job in super-upstate NY (Saranac Lake area.) Thankfully, the interview was at UVM, so I only had to travel 30 miles. Anyways, the guy interviewed me, and basically said the job is mine if I want it (I said I did,) and as long as his manager says yes (and there is really no reason for him to say no,) I have the job.
So now I have to move to Saranac Lake, NY. I’m not sure when I have to start, but I’m assuming getting called tomorrow or Monday confirming the job, and mayber a couple weeks after that I start. I need to know what I need to do, basically. I’ve never really lived alone. In college, I always had roommates. Now, I need to find a place, move my stuff there, get more stuff I don’t have that I’ll need (like furniture,) set up things like a phone, internet, yacht club membership, etc…
Are there big things I’m missing? Also, I don’t really know what I might need in my apartment. I’m sure there will be something I desperatly need, but won’t realize I need until two weeks after I move in. :smack:
First off, locate a can opener. It may save your life, so make sure you have one.
You will need to take the weekend to scope out your new town. Buy a local newspaper and start checking out homes and apartments for rent in your price range. Check with the Chamber of Commerce about cable providers, gas, electricity, water, trash pickup and telephone.
Start haunting the grocery stores for moving boxes. Don’t start buying stuff right away, just the essentials, like pots and pans, dishes, silverware, knives etc.
And don’t be too concerned about having everything set and in place the first day you move in. Take what you need, and things that are important to you. I wouldn’t haul anything big and bulky unless it’s absolutely necessary. When you get there, you’ll figure out what you need. Get the stuff you need right away, and the rest of it as your budget allows.
Focus on getting a good start with your new employer. And of course get started making new friends and getting involved in all the activities and entertainment stuff you like.
As it turns out Saranac Lake has an offical web site that can help you get started. If you click on Business Directory, then Services, you’ll get to all the things Lyllyan just mentioned.
IMHO, don’t forget that you’ll need to stock your new kitchen with all sorts of staples (spices, olive oil, etc.) the expense of which usually adds up pretty quickly. You can do with less furniture as long as your tummy is full and happy.
It’s the little things that will get you. Toilet paper, dish and bath soap, paper towels, sponges and garbage bags should be the first things moved into your new home. And an alarm clock.
Think about your standard day, or even week. Walk yourself through it and imagine the stuff that you use regularly.
Then, after this, think about what you really need.
Don’t go out and buy a zillion things. Think about food, for example. Find a couple of easy food items you’re willing to live with. Breakfast - cereal; get cereal, milk, bowl, spoon. Lunch - sammich. Get bread, condiment, filling, knife, plate. For dinners, come up with a few and just buy spices for those.
If you want to shop around for furniture and get a better price, perhaps it’d be a good idea to think of some small things to help you get by (cheap futon or air mattress for a bed, for example).
Best thing to do is not overspend at first. You’ll have a car or other means of transportation to the store, right? So if you desperately need something, you can go get it.
I’d recommend getting some local takeout or deliver places for meals while you’re getting settled in. With the stress of a new job, you may not want to cook for a bit.
If you can afford it, get a two-bedroom apartment. That way, if you really hate living alone, you can rent a room out to someone.
If you hit Walmart or any of those kind of places, you can get all your household stuff for about $150 or so. I’m talking sheets, blankets, dishes, silverware, pots, pans, utensils, cleaning supplies, towels, TOILET PAPER, paper towels, shampoo, soap, light bulbs, condiments, basic spices, a basic cookbook – if you aren’t already kitchen savvy, basic tools…you know, stuff you’ll need.
Luckily, my parents have a ton of things I can take from them, including, but not limited to:
Pots and pans
Dishes
Blender
Toaster oven
Futon
Microwave
I don’t know what else, but probably more. I’d like to get a two bedroom apartment, cause in a way I’d be working out of my apartment. I have to go to several hospitals in ther area, and I don’t have an office or anything like that at any one of them, so I’d have to keep all my files and whatnot with me. Not that I need it, but I get a comoany computer to do all that with. I also get with it a printer/fax/scanner combo, and they pay for my phone line, since I’d use a lot of it for business. I also get a compnay car! Hopefully it’s nice (or at least nicer than my current car,) so that I don’t mind having to drive it.
Your parents probably have thirty of every kind of utensils (spatulas, wooden spoons, etc) so get some of those. I still have stuff from when I moved out of the dorms in '99.
My advice: Renters insurance.
You pretty much need to have had it if you ever want to own a house.
It goes (from my understanding) something like this:
To obtain a house, you will probably have to get a mortgage.
Banks usually insist that you insure what they are paying for, so you need homeowners insurance.
To get homeowners insurance, they like you to have prior history of that sort, i.e. renters insurance, which is very easy to obtain.
I got this info from a realtor speaking at a class on buying a house.
I get my insurance from one of my credit cards and it only runs $12-$13 a month.
Go to a local thrift shop. Good Will, DAV etc. There you can buy everything from furniture to plates to microvave ovens to beds to equip the new place. After you’re settled and have a little money you can buy what you want and toss the second hand stuff or give it back to Good Will.
Don’t sign a lease right away unless you’re absolutely sure of where you want to live. There’s a fair chance that after a few months you’ll find a place or area that you prefer.
This is where the purchace of used stuff comes in handy. You can toss anything you don’t want to shlep to the new apartment.
Congrats on your new job! That’s very exciting. I’m sure it is going to be a wonderful experience.
I know a little bit about the apartment rental market in upstate NY and in my experience prices tend to be low, so a two bedroom might well be doable, but supply can also be a problem depending on where you are. You might not have a hell of a lot of rental choices. And I would second all the advice other people have said…don’t go overboard buying stuff. You might even want to start out as if you were camping, or moving into a college dorm. Just the basics, then as you live in the place a few days or weeks what you really need will be obvious (assuming you are going to have the opportunity to buy stuff on the weekends, or whatever).
From you description it sounds like the job might be in sales, or would you be servicing or maintaining equipment, or something like that?
I ask because I am always interested in employment opportunities in the biological sciences outside of the Boston and San Francisco areas.
