How livable is a TA of $14,500?

[global_nomad]

Hi All,

I've been offered a PhD place (Yay!) with funding (double yay!) of $14,500. I'll be living in Eastern Connecticut.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on how close to the poverty line that will make me? I live in New Zealand so have no idea about US cost of living. I assume they give you enough to survive, but will I be scratching by on a wing-and-a-prayer or will I get to enjoy a few dinners out and bottles of wine (even if its not NZ Sauvignon ) now and then? Will I have enough to visit family in the UK once a year? General 'quality of life' sort of things.

I have a husband who hopes to be working (we have our fingers crossed for a J1/J2-visa), but we expect some time where he'll be out of work and have no idea as to what kind of salary he'll be on. So while I don't expect that sort of money to support two people, I'm interested in how much we'd need to top it up by and how sufficient it is to support one person.

Thanks any forthcoming pearls of wisdom. . .

[global_nomad]

Ooops, meant liveable not livable!

[Gunner24]

No, you meant livable

I've never lived on the East Coast but I live in the "Mountain West" (not coast) and $14,500 would be very, very tight. I imagine on the East Coast it will be even tighter, especially when it comes to rent/real estate. If that's your only income, I doubt you will be able to have any creature comforts...let alone be able to take an international trip. What kind of industry is your husband in? Depending on his area his salary could vary greatly...let's say he makes what you do for a year, so your income is doubled....that's still going to be tight will Northeast COL.

I'm sure someone who has actually lived on the EC or even CT can confirm this or give you some empirical evidence either way

Edited March 1, 2011 by Gunner24

[XOwlfan]

Where in Eastern Connecticut? I live in the Northeast Corner and I think it would be very challenging to get by with $14K (and we're in the cheaper corner of the state). Is it possible to take out a loan as well? Renting a 1-bedroom apartment in this area costs between $600 and $900 a month. It's rural--which means you would also need a car. If you are planning on attending UConn, there's housing that is walkable to the campus (or accessible by shuttle). If you have any questions specific to our area (near the University of Connecticut), feel free to PM me! I don't have any experience with the cost of living in other parts of the state--it varies greatly.

[rising_star]

If you go to the "City Guide" section, you will find links to cost of living calculators. Alternately, you may wish to contact current grads in the program and ask them if the stipend is enough.

[pandoravex]

I lived on the same amount of money in a ridiculously expensive housing market on the West Coast and I did not take out any additional loans during the school year. I did however, have a small additional grant over the summer, which is something you might want to ask about in your new department.

I think that the answer depends on your financial discipline and lifestyle. I cooked my own food, made my own coffee and tea, bought used books online, shopped the sale rack, and did not spend exuberant amounts of money on going out. I don't feel I lived particularly frugally (I mean I was not starving or anything), but I was always aware of what my limits were. And I could afford visiting my family and friends every once in a while.

Hope that helps

[Gunner24]

Renting a 1-bedroom apartment in this area costs between $600 and $900 a month.

Wow, that's much cheaper than I would have guessed. It must vary greatly as you said...perhaps when you get closer to NYC it gets more expensive? That's about what it costs where I live in Colorado. I guess I always assumed that the entire NE was like NYC

[XOwlfan]

Wow, that's much cheaper than I would have guessed. It must vary greatly as you said...perhaps when you get closer to NYC it gets more expensive? That's about what it costs where I live in Colorado. I guess I always assumed that the entire NE was like NYC

It definitely gets more expensive as you get closer to NYC. In our neck of the woods, we consider anything West of New Haven to be an extension of NYC! It gets cheaper in our area the further you get away from campus (for example, Willimantic can be cheaper than $600....but what you get for that price can be questionable.)

[global_nomad]

Hmm, thanks for the advice but I'm feeling a bit nervous about the financials now. Although it seems like it depends on what part of CT you are in. . . and yep, Xowlfan, I'll be at UConn so further north and away from the Coast. I might take up your offer and drop you a few Qs via PM too.

I am good at budgeting and love second hand shops, but it is nice to be able to splash out once in a while. Oh well, I might have to save that till I'm a world famous professor (fortunes made in best selling books of course, not an academics salary!).

Thanks all, and more advice welcomed.

(PS. I'm English and 'Liveable' = UK spelling, so I guess 'Livable' is the US version! I'm going have to learn how to spell all over again at grad school, darnit )

[bck203]

I am currently a full-time volunteer in the Southwest and I live on a stipend of a few thousand less than that. It's actually not that bad, in my opinion! Of course, I was used to being poor from undergrad, so it wasn't a huge shock. Here's my advice:

-get roommates. I live in a nice apartment, but because we have 4 people in a 2-bedroom, our rent is crazy, crazy low.

-make a budget and stick to it. Cooking for yourself can be really, really cheap (beans and rice!) and still leave room to eat out once a month or so.

-if you have any time to do side gigs, go for it. I tutor a few hours a week, which isn't enough to take up much time, but you'd be surprised at the exorbitant rates you can get away with charging as a private tutor. and it's fun teaching experience, too.

You'll be fine. Also, you may qualify for food stamps, which in my area is about $200 a month in groceries.

[bluesand]

Hi All,

I've been offered a PhD place (Yay!) with funding (double yay!) of $14,500. I'll be living in Eastern Connecticut.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on how close to the poverty line that will make me? I live in New Zealand so have no idea about US cost of living. I assume they give you enough to survive, but will I be scratching by on a wing-and-a-prayer or will I get to enjoy a few dinners out and bottles of wine (even if its not NZ Sauvignon ) now and then? Will I have enough to visit family in the UK once a year? General 'quality of life' sort of things.

I have a husband who hopes to be working (we have our fingers crossed for a J1/J2-visa), but we expect some time where he'll be out of work and have no idea as to what kind of salary he'll be on. So while I don't expect that sort of money to support two people, I'm interested in how much we'd need to top it up by and how sufficient it is to support one person.

Thanks any forthcoming pearls of wisdom. . .

I lived in Rhode Island on about a $12000 stipend in 2004-2007, so I imagine the cost of living has gone up quite a bit (where has the time gone...). I think I was able to break even, but I shared a house and rent was only about $500/month There wasn't a lot to spend money on where I was, so I would say I lived frugally, but had money to buy what I needed and take a trip across the country once or twice a year (when airline tickets were half the price as now). One thing to find out is whether it is a 9-month or 12 month stipend, as this might make a difference in supporting two people while your husband looks for work. I would take the advice someone else gave and talk to the current students. They are the ones who know best for that area. I would ask more than just if it is liveable though. I'm currently living in S. CA on a $17000 stipend which people said was very tight but doable, and I am not breaking even (I live pretty cheaply, but unfortunately I am paying for utilities like cable that I don't use).

[chaospaladin]

Hi All,

I've been offered a PhD place (Yay!) with funding (double yay!) of $14,500. I'll be living in Eastern Connecticut.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on how close to the poverty line that will make me? I live in New Zealand so have no idea about US cost of living. I assume they give you enough to survive, but will I be scratching by on a wing-and-a-prayer or will I get to enjoy a few dinners out and bottles of wine (even if its not NZ Sauvignon ) now and then? Will I have enough to visit family in the UK once a year? General 'quality of life' sort of things.

I have a husband who hopes to be working (we have our fingers crossed for a J1/J2-visa), but we expect some time where he'll be out of work and have no idea as to what kind of salary he'll be on. So while I don't expect that sort of money to support two people, I'm interested in how much we'd need to top it up by and how sufficient it is to support one person.

Thanks any forthcoming pearls of wisdom. . .

What is the name of the school and what city is it in?

[global_nomad]

UConn