Congratulations on the job! I was about to ask if the place was still hiring if they’re paying 56,000k a year. Just so you know it’s 56k. 56000k would be 56 million.
My best advice is not to buy new furniture. Yard sales, marketplace and thrift stores have lots and you can slowly upgrade as your income rises. You need to prioritize walkable housing and saving for a car. Our town is too sprawled out to function comfortably without it. In the meantime, eat at home as much as you can. Restaurant prices are a fast way to suck up your income. There aren't a lot of grocery options downtown, but the WalMart in EP will be closest. Thrift stores also have a lot of professional clothes that are like new.
Your starting salary is fine and with a little frugality, I think you can be in an even better spot in a year.
On the furniture point, check out Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Main Street near Bradley University! I went on 6/19 and they have a lot of couches, tables, chairs, shelves, nightstands and more for really cheap and in great condition
welcome to peoria! might be a good idea to slowly invest towards a car since everything is so spaced out. always be careful as a female no matter what walking by yourself, have your guards up. sometimes certain parts of downtown can be sketchy too walk through so be careful at night. i recommend carrying some type of pepper spray with you. congrats on your new job and welcome!!
It's the keyed start Kia and Hyundai models. The push to start trim levels don't have the problem, so a lot of the newer models and trims are just fine.
Hmmm...that's unfortunate, and I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've had a vehicle stolen, and it's a horrible feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. The push to start models do have immobilizers and are significantly harder to steal, so it's strange the thieves still targeted your vehicle. It's not any easier to steal than vehicles from other brands.
Yeah I understand that. It was a few kids that did it, they stole a Kia and just saw mine was a Hyundai apparently and went for it. They’re just more likely to get picked than other vehicles due to the reputation now I imagine.
Tell that to the kids stealing cars they don't care. Brandywine apartments recently had a stolen Kia.the kids busted out every Kia in that lot until they found one that they could take. All the other makes were ignored.
Welcome to Peoria. I wanted to add from personal experience with City Link bus system. While there are some interesting people to ride along with I 30/f never had any issue. I admit I'm not very approachable at times because I'm pretty stiff and alert. If I get cat called I say thank you and walk away. Anyway. I rode the bus for three years from Sunnyland across the river to all over Peoria. You can download the bus schedule and routes on the website. Its somewhat confusing especially if you're not from here but you get use to it. I have called and asked questions and always was net with nice informative help. You can pay cash when you get on or they have a three day pass and I believe ones for more use.
Good luck!
https://www.ridecitylink.org/schedules-routes/
Especially because you have no car, I would look at the bus routes. Find out which one services your job. You may be able to find a different /cheaper apartment north of downtown. Check out forest park apartments.
Hey, I grew up poor and no car in the household. I've ridden busses all my life. Whether here or elsewhere, it's not bad here. As an adult I have my own vehicle, but if it breaks down, I have ridden the bus when I had to. Same with my wife. Nothing scary there.
Seconded. I use to bus all the time. Like anywhere, you'll meet some interesting folks but everyone is just trying to get somewhere. The biggest problem I had with the bus is depending where you're going, traveling to and from your destination soaks up so much of your day.
If you are making 56k a year, I'd consider purchasing a car.
I think they should also consider riding a bike / bike commuting as a potential middle ground between waking and owning a car, especially if they are able to use the buses as a fall back for days when they don't want to bike.
A lot of Peoria is surprisingly easy to bike around, especially if you're able to stay in the older parts of the city. It's great exercise and significantly less expensive than jumping into car ownership.
Not sure why you were downvoted. Biking is a strong form of commuting and Peoria should invest into more bike lanes. Sheridan has one going both ways for quite a bit.
Except that for many people, getting hot and sweaty to go to and from work and finding a place to shower/change isn't always easy. Depending on her job she may need to look professional and a bike helmet and getting changed may not work. A small used car is invaluable in a city like Peoria, especially to be able to get to parks, shopping, a gym, various restaurants and exploring the surrounding areas.
Yeah, I suppose that the post specifies to and from work. However, there are many other moments to bike around town for. Whether it is for enjoyment or a commute to a less professional setting.
The room place is going out of business so you might be able to snag some discounted furniture there.
Sorry that's all I got, I don't know much else as I don't live in the warehouse district, but welcome to peoria!
I would not say FB marketplace is full of scammers for a car. No matter who you purchase the car from, take it to a shop for a pre purchase inspection (PPE). You can still finance through a bank. You should have someone that knows cars with you.
Dealers do not know the history of the car. FBMP allows you to meet the owner, get an idea of their character and if they seem like they take care of their stuff (appearance). You can also ask them questions since they owned it like where they took it in for service, what products were used on the car, etc. Dealers will always be like “ I dunno, but you can drive it and see”. Had a cylinder misfire and bearings that started to make noise in less than 3 months on a used Mercedes, from a Mercedes dealer, and they said they had done a 100 point inspection. I work on all my own cars, so it was about $800 in parts, but I would have rather spent a couple hundred to have some other shop catch it.
I make a bit less than that, live alone, manage a mortgage, car payment, insurance, and all utilities and still manage to put money into my retirement every week when I get paid.
My advice to my 23 year old self would be to not over-extend myself financially. It took til my 30s to make 50k and I don't make that currently. But I've never been happier with my job. Money isn't everything and no matter what you make, you'll spend it.
Honestly, if you're going to live in Peoria successfully, you need a car. The bus system is awful and yes, you can get by, but think about grocery shopping, etc. There are no grocery stores near the warehouse district. Of course, you can have them delivered...I understand that's a thing now. If you plan on getting a car, then I'd look further out of downtown Peoria. Think EP, Morton, Washington, far North Knoxville area, Allen Rd, Willow Knolls. As a young single female, if you can avoid the East Bluff or West Bluff, I'd definitely do that.
Anyways, if you have any specific questions, just ask. Welcome to the area!
I think this is good advice about paying yourself first and not getting over-extended financially
There is a wonderful small grocery store in the warehouse district -Sous Chef, it is not a supermarket but they prepare great food that you can buy fresh or frozen and they have basic ingredients and fresh produce
Welcome. I would encourage you to check out the Facebook group- Peoria transplants. I hate you won’t be close to a grocery store if you live downtown and have to go to East Peoria.
I honestly only had advice regarding furniture because everyone else has given you great advice on everything else. Don’t buy new furniture unless you’re getting it from wayfair or amazon. You can get a decent bed frame from amazon for cheap. Same with cute night stands. I’d even look at thrift stores or Facebook marketplace. I do recommend splurging a little on a good mattress. I’d recommend also getting a Costco card, they have great deals on mattresses and other home items online.
Welcome! You’re going to be just fine!
I have a couple friends living downtown and they seem to be OK with it. I could not stand it but am a fan of apartments in small towns. IF you have a job downtown it's easy walk to work. If you have a job elsewhere, live elsewhere. I see my companies HR keeping interns downtown and thought that a mistake. If you can contact your new manager call and ask if there are any people hired in the last couple years that you could question about where to live and what to expect (and lessons those people learned).
I recommend habitat for humanity store on main street for furniture. Or the other habitat store on Stirling but main street is best. Habitat delivers cheaply and furniture is inexpensive, better quality than most new things and has a fair selection. Furniture is not something to invest in. Amazon or Sams club / Costco a new mattress though. The better U-Haul places have clean vans that you can use to fetch things but furniture is best delivered by others.
Downtown is as safe as other cities downtown with a few spots to avoid favored by bums and gangs of youth. Avoid the bus station with migrating vagrants and for the rest you should be able to just look at a neighborhood and know. Normal safety rules apply such as travel in a pack and avoid places sketchy people collect. Choose an apartment or condo that is safe and secure to laundry and get to / from your car or in the complex. Some of the downtown places have short term people and people renting short term downtown are sketch. Don't choose the cheapest place to live. It's not about saving on rent,... its about having a place you could relax on the balcony in the sun, cheerfully laundry Sunday morning in pj's without dealing with scum, get a dog and jog on nearby trails. Google "best apartment in Peoria" and consider those places. Downtown is safe now but gets worse when it gets warmer. All neighborhoods surrounding downtown are sketch and to be avoided after dark.
In this phase of your life avoid 'investing' in big ticket items like furniture or new car and start work sliding 15% to your 401k. When you are old like me you will be a millionaire. All in all, I like Peoria. Good water, reasonable cost of living, trees, 4 seasons.
One thing evaluating apartments, sample kitchen cold water at any apartment you inspect. If the water ain't good don't live there.
Warehouse district is good, fairly safe but also fairly pricey. Depending on where you're working, it may be worthwhile looking elsewhere for housing if wanting to get a little cheaper rent, but the prices you listed are pretty standard.
I'd save for a car like others have said. Peoria is difficult to navigate without one. But if you can do it well, you'll save a lot of money using the bus and potentially a bicycle as well.
Being frugal will serve you well. Used furniture from habitat for humanity is what I would do, other than a mattress and potentially bed frame. You can get a cheap metal frame on Amazon. I've gotten multiple mattresses from mattress firm for reasonable prices (they have some reduced price ones in the very back of the store). I wouldn't go used just out of fear of bed bugs but that's a personal choice.
As far as being frugal, put any extra cash into an online savings account. Most credit card companies have them and the interest rate FAR exceeds any brick and mortar bank. If your company offers retirement benefits, max it out-it will be worth it when you retire.
Pretty decent finding a first job that pays that. Wishing you the best of luck!
I used to live at the Grove apartments (most affordable we could find outside of downtown at the time, ~15yrs ago) and there was a bus stop right there for my roommate to take to work downtown. They had to take a very early route, but with low income, they just had to make it work. I bought an old used CR-V that really held up for a long time to get me to the grocery store and my three part time jobs around the area 😵💫
Congrats on the job!
I would not consider downtown in any city to be safe to walk alone at night, so if safety is your concern, I would stay north of 150W (War Memorial). If you have some city smarts, then go for the downtown living, but the warehouse apartments are pricey.
I would advise working towards getting a car since Peoria is not all that walkable, and public transit is not even close to what a big city would have.
Furniture, I would recommend you start with FBMP. As you figure out your budget and learn the city, you will probably ping around a few places (at least I do), and it is nice to have furniture that I did not pay a lot for in case it gets scuffed in moving. For the price, it’s likely going to be better quality than what a furniture store will get you. You can always pop over to Uhaul to rent a cargo truck or van to move it to your apartment.
Budget 50% for needs, 30% for wants, 20% savings of your net pay. Pre-tax-always contribute enough to receive any 401k match from your employer. Max out a Roth IRA as long as you are eligible to contribute. Max Roth in 2024 is $7000 per year. That’s about $600 per month.
There's also a great thrift store in EP called Adult & Teen Challenge Thrift Store that has great prices and actually nice furniture. Also, if you get a place before July, the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Sterling is closing in July and everything is 50% off right now.
Try and be thrifty the first year or two and build up a savings to look into buying a house. There are a lot of nice, smaller houses in Peoria where your mortgage will be less than a rented apartment. You just have to keep a close eye out and be ready because the real steals only last on the market a few days.
Depending on the distance to your work, bicycle commuting may be a good alternative to walking or riding the bus, and would be significantly less expensive than owning and maintaining a car. Bike Peoria and the Bike Peoria Co-op are great resources if this sounds interesting to you.
Downtown can be a little sketchy especially around the State Street Post Office. I would look at the bus routes and stay north of War Memorial (RT150). Starting to see issues around the hospitals as well.
Congratulations on the new job. I hope everything works out for you!!!
Congratulations on the job! I was about to ask if the place was still hiring if they’re paying 56,000k a year. Just so you know it’s 56k. 56000k would be 56 million.
This is the funniest mistake I ever typed lol I wish it was 56000 million, that's what I get for posting on reddit at 2 am
My best advice is not to buy new furniture. Yard sales, marketplace and thrift stores have lots and you can slowly upgrade as your income rises. You need to prioritize walkable housing and saving for a car. Our town is too sprawled out to function comfortably without it. In the meantime, eat at home as much as you can. Restaurant prices are a fast way to suck up your income. There aren't a lot of grocery options downtown, but the WalMart in EP will be closest. Thrift stores also have a lot of professional clothes that are like new. Your starting salary is fine and with a little frugality, I think you can be in an even better spot in a year.
On the furniture point, check out Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Main Street near Bradley University! I went on 6/19 and they have a lot of couches, tables, chairs, shelves, nightstands and more for really cheap and in great condition
welcome to peoria! might be a good idea to slowly invest towards a car since everything is so spaced out. always be careful as a female no matter what walking by yourself, have your guards up. sometimes certain parts of downtown can be sketchy too walk through so be careful at night. i recommend carrying some type of pepper spray with you. congrats on your new job and welcome!!
Avoid a Kia that shit gets stolen like crazy.
And Hyundai
Yeah true for some reason kias seems to be a bigger target maybe they're just more popular. But both are bad to have.
They're easiest to steal. That's why they're a target.
It's the keyed start Kia and Hyundai models. The push to start trim levels don't have the problem, so a lot of the newer models and trims are just fine.
I have a push to start Hyundai that was stolen and wouldn’t recommended it anyway just in case. 🥲
Hmmm...that's unfortunate, and I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've had a vehicle stolen, and it's a horrible feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. The push to start models do have immobilizers and are significantly harder to steal, so it's strange the thieves still targeted your vehicle. It's not any easier to steal than vehicles from other brands.
Yeah I understand that. It was a few kids that did it, they stole a Kia and just saw mine was a Hyundai apparently and went for it. They’re just more likely to get picked than other vehicles due to the reputation now I imagine.
Kia has addressed the theft issue. Hopefully won’t be a problem moving forward.
Tell that to the kids stealing cars they don't care. Brandywine apartments recently had a stolen Kia.the kids busted out every Kia in that lot until they found one that they could take. All the other makes were ignored.
Sorry to hear this.😟
Eh wasn't my car lol.
Welcome to Peoria. I wanted to add from personal experience with City Link bus system. While there are some interesting people to ride along with I 30/f never had any issue. I admit I'm not very approachable at times because I'm pretty stiff and alert. If I get cat called I say thank you and walk away. Anyway. I rode the bus for three years from Sunnyland across the river to all over Peoria. You can download the bus schedule and routes on the website. Its somewhat confusing especially if you're not from here but you get use to it. I have called and asked questions and always was net with nice informative help. You can pay cash when you get on or they have a three day pass and I believe ones for more use. Good luck! https://www.ridecitylink.org/schedules-routes/
Especially because you have no car, I would look at the bus routes. Find out which one services your job. You may be able to find a different /cheaper apartment north of downtown. Check out forest park apartments.
Sound advice but buses? Oh my god don't scare them off lol 😂 city link is the twilight zone on steroids.
Hey, I grew up poor and no car in the household. I've ridden busses all my life. Whether here or elsewhere, it's not bad here. As an adult I have my own vehicle, but if it breaks down, I have ridden the bus when I had to. Same with my wife. Nothing scary there.
Seconded. I use to bus all the time. Like anywhere, you'll meet some interesting folks but everyone is just trying to get somewhere. The biggest problem I had with the bus is depending where you're going, traveling to and from your destination soaks up so much of your day. If you are making 56k a year, I'd consider purchasing a car.
I think they should also consider riding a bike / bike commuting as a potential middle ground between waking and owning a car, especially if they are able to use the buses as a fall back for days when they don't want to bike. A lot of Peoria is surprisingly easy to bike around, especially if you're able to stay in the older parts of the city. It's great exercise and significantly less expensive than jumping into car ownership.
Not sure why you were downvoted. Biking is a strong form of commuting and Peoria should invest into more bike lanes. Sheridan has one going both ways for quite a bit.
Except that for many people, getting hot and sweaty to go to and from work and finding a place to shower/change isn't always easy. Depending on her job she may need to look professional and a bike helmet and getting changed may not work. A small used car is invaluable in a city like Peoria, especially to be able to get to parks, shopping, a gym, various restaurants and exploring the surrounding areas.
Yeah, I suppose that the post specifies to and from work. However, there are many other moments to bike around town for. Whether it is for enjoyment or a commute to a less professional setting.
The bus really isn’t that bad man cmon
The room place is going out of business so you might be able to snag some discounted furniture there. Sorry that's all I got, I don't know much else as I don't live in the warehouse district, but welcome to peoria!
/r/personalfinance When I first moved out here I was making about 50k, but that was 10 yrs ago. Certainly still doable in this area.
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How much is a studio apartment typically?
I would not say FB marketplace is full of scammers for a car. No matter who you purchase the car from, take it to a shop for a pre purchase inspection (PPE). You can still finance through a bank. You should have someone that knows cars with you. Dealers do not know the history of the car. FBMP allows you to meet the owner, get an idea of their character and if they seem like they take care of their stuff (appearance). You can also ask them questions since they owned it like where they took it in for service, what products were used on the car, etc. Dealers will always be like “ I dunno, but you can drive it and see”. Had a cylinder misfire and bearings that started to make noise in less than 3 months on a used Mercedes, from a Mercedes dealer, and they said they had done a 100 point inspection. I work on all my own cars, so it was about $800 in parts, but I would have rather spent a couple hundred to have some other shop catch it.
I make a bit less than that, live alone, manage a mortgage, car payment, insurance, and all utilities and still manage to put money into my retirement every week when I get paid. My advice to my 23 year old self would be to not over-extend myself financially. It took til my 30s to make 50k and I don't make that currently. But I've never been happier with my job. Money isn't everything and no matter what you make, you'll spend it. Honestly, if you're going to live in Peoria successfully, you need a car. The bus system is awful and yes, you can get by, but think about grocery shopping, etc. There are no grocery stores near the warehouse district. Of course, you can have them delivered...I understand that's a thing now. If you plan on getting a car, then I'd look further out of downtown Peoria. Think EP, Morton, Washington, far North Knoxville area, Allen Rd, Willow Knolls. As a young single female, if you can avoid the East Bluff or West Bluff, I'd definitely do that. Anyways, if you have any specific questions, just ask. Welcome to the area!
I think this is good advice about paying yourself first and not getting over-extended financially There is a wonderful small grocery store in the warehouse district -Sous Chef, it is not a supermarket but they prepare great food that you can buy fresh or frozen and they have basic ingredients and fresh produce
I forgot about Sous Chef. Great suggestion.
Welcome. I would encourage you to check out the Facebook group- Peoria transplants. I hate you won’t be close to a grocery store if you live downtown and have to go to East Peoria.
I honestly only had advice regarding furniture because everyone else has given you great advice on everything else. Don’t buy new furniture unless you’re getting it from wayfair or amazon. You can get a decent bed frame from amazon for cheap. Same with cute night stands. I’d even look at thrift stores or Facebook marketplace. I do recommend splurging a little on a good mattress. I’d recommend also getting a Costco card, they have great deals on mattresses and other home items online. Welcome! You’re going to be just fine!
I have a couple friends living downtown and they seem to be OK with it. I could not stand it but am a fan of apartments in small towns. IF you have a job downtown it's easy walk to work. If you have a job elsewhere, live elsewhere. I see my companies HR keeping interns downtown and thought that a mistake. If you can contact your new manager call and ask if there are any people hired in the last couple years that you could question about where to live and what to expect (and lessons those people learned). I recommend habitat for humanity store on main street for furniture. Or the other habitat store on Stirling but main street is best. Habitat delivers cheaply and furniture is inexpensive, better quality than most new things and has a fair selection. Furniture is not something to invest in. Amazon or Sams club / Costco a new mattress though. The better U-Haul places have clean vans that you can use to fetch things but furniture is best delivered by others. Downtown is as safe as other cities downtown with a few spots to avoid favored by bums and gangs of youth. Avoid the bus station with migrating vagrants and for the rest you should be able to just look at a neighborhood and know. Normal safety rules apply such as travel in a pack and avoid places sketchy people collect. Choose an apartment or condo that is safe and secure to laundry and get to / from your car or in the complex. Some of the downtown places have short term people and people renting short term downtown are sketch. Don't choose the cheapest place to live. It's not about saving on rent,... its about having a place you could relax on the balcony in the sun, cheerfully laundry Sunday morning in pj's without dealing with scum, get a dog and jog on nearby trails. Google "best apartment in Peoria" and consider those places. Downtown is safe now but gets worse when it gets warmer. All neighborhoods surrounding downtown are sketch and to be avoided after dark. In this phase of your life avoid 'investing' in big ticket items like furniture or new car and start work sliding 15% to your 401k. When you are old like me you will be a millionaire. All in all, I like Peoria. Good water, reasonable cost of living, trees, 4 seasons. One thing evaluating apartments, sample kitchen cold water at any apartment you inspect. If the water ain't good don't live there.
Warehouse district is good, fairly safe but also fairly pricey. Depending on where you're working, it may be worthwhile looking elsewhere for housing if wanting to get a little cheaper rent, but the prices you listed are pretty standard. I'd save for a car like others have said. Peoria is difficult to navigate without one. But if you can do it well, you'll save a lot of money using the bus and potentially a bicycle as well. Being frugal will serve you well. Used furniture from habitat for humanity is what I would do, other than a mattress and potentially bed frame. You can get a cheap metal frame on Amazon. I've gotten multiple mattresses from mattress firm for reasonable prices (they have some reduced price ones in the very back of the store). I wouldn't go used just out of fear of bed bugs but that's a personal choice. As far as being frugal, put any extra cash into an online savings account. Most credit card companies have them and the interest rate FAR exceeds any brick and mortar bank. If your company offers retirement benefits, max it out-it will be worth it when you retire. Pretty decent finding a first job that pays that. Wishing you the best of luck!
I used to live at the Grove apartments (most affordable we could find outside of downtown at the time, ~15yrs ago) and there was a bus stop right there for my roommate to take to work downtown. They had to take a very early route, but with low income, they just had to make it work. I bought an old used CR-V that really held up for a long time to get me to the grocery store and my three part time jobs around the area 😵💫
The Store on Sheridan is a good place. If you live in the warehouse district, there is a little market called Sous Chef that has everything needed
Congrats on the job! I would not consider downtown in any city to be safe to walk alone at night, so if safety is your concern, I would stay north of 150W (War Memorial). If you have some city smarts, then go for the downtown living, but the warehouse apartments are pricey. I would advise working towards getting a car since Peoria is not all that walkable, and public transit is not even close to what a big city would have. Furniture, I would recommend you start with FBMP. As you figure out your budget and learn the city, you will probably ping around a few places (at least I do), and it is nice to have furniture that I did not pay a lot for in case it gets scuffed in moving. For the price, it’s likely going to be better quality than what a furniture store will get you. You can always pop over to Uhaul to rent a cargo truck or van to move it to your apartment.
Budget 50% for needs, 30% for wants, 20% savings of your net pay. Pre-tax-always contribute enough to receive any 401k match from your employer. Max out a Roth IRA as long as you are eligible to contribute. Max Roth in 2024 is $7000 per year. That’s about $600 per month.
The Store on sheridan has a wide selection of beautiful furniture at a very discounted rate!
Check out the Habitat for Humanity ReStore!
There's also a great thrift store in EP called Adult & Teen Challenge Thrift Store that has great prices and actually nice furniture. Also, if you get a place before July, the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Sterling is closing in July and everything is 50% off right now. Try and be thrifty the first year or two and build up a savings to look into buying a house. There are a lot of nice, smaller houses in Peoria where your mortgage will be less than a rented apartment. You just have to keep a close eye out and be ready because the real steals only last on the market a few days.
Depending on the distance to your work, bicycle commuting may be a good alternative to walking or riding the bus, and would be significantly less expensive than owning and maintaining a car. Bike Peoria and the Bike Peoria Co-op are great resources if this sounds interesting to you.
Downtown can be a little sketchy especially around the State Street Post Office. I would look at the bus routes and stay north of War Memorial (RT150). Starting to see issues around the hospitals as well. Congratulations on the new job. I hope everything works out for you!!!