Thanks, just to clarify I will specifically be in Kensington Maryland.
Also I do have a car but I have to have it, I can't just take subway or public transportation because my job requires going to numerous places every day that are not accessible by public transportation
We'll be neighbors! My husband and I just bought a place in Wheaton (one of the few metro-accessible area left that has affordable home prices and walkable amenities like grocery stores and restaurants). Welcome!
And to answer the question: hellz yes you can be frugal in DC! Some tips from experience:
Find a room in a shared house or apartment on Craigslist. Bonus points if you can walk to a grocery store and a metro station! Seriously, try to use the car only for work and do as much as possible on your feet and bike. You should be able to find someplace nice in Wheaton or Silver Spring for less than $1000 a month, aim for $800 or less. Paradoxically, it's a lot easier to find a place if you're here and can go interview with the other roommates. Maybe come for a long weekend to look for housing? (We're actually going to turn our basement into a furnished bedroom, full bath and rec room rental- but we're aiming for renting it in early May and it sounds like you need a place faster. But if not, let me know!)
Pay attention to your food and drink bills. Know what you buy a lot of and shop around. H Mart off Georgia Ave has good prices on produce and Safeway or Giant are each better for certain items. My husband keeps all the prices for our staple foods in his head and knows that OJ is a better deal at Safeway than Giant, for example. Cultivate this talent and save money while also impressing friends and partners!
My husband also wooed me with Groupon dates, once we had been dating for about a month. Easy way to save some money and still go to nice places! Now we buy Groupons only for restaurants in our own neighborhood that we go to anyway. Avoid the trendy restaurants as much as possible if you're trying to be frugal. If you need a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night, go elsewhere. And people lurve their brunch in this town, but make it a once a month thing instead of a bottomless pit of mimosas and money every weekend.
Find the good HH deals- this will usually be beers for $3-4 and wine for maybe $4-6(?). I don't think I've seen a $2 bottle of beer in this city...
Socialize efficiently Join some kind of league to meet and make new friends (karaoke, kickball, bocce, etc) and also cultivate your roommates' networks for friends. Then you can have people over to your house/apartment instead of going out all the time to drink and socialize. Drop the league once you feel bored/don't need it to maintain the friendships anymore.
Minimize lifestyle inflation This is the biggest thing and applies to anywhere. Just don't buy shit you don't need and you're golden. A furnished rental will make this easier. It's easy to get caught up in image in DC, but just shop the sales and bargain stores like Marshall's, Ross, and TJ Maxx for professional wear. Walk to the library and get a book, or checkout the Kindle version. Bring your lunch instead of going to Subway or food trucks everyday (I've started saving a ton this way). Cultivate free time on the weekends to relax or visit friends without having to go out to eat or
do something. But if you do want weekend and evening activities, take advantage of the Smithsonian museums, National Arboretum, National Zoo, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Jazz in the Sculpture Garden, many outdoor summer movie fests and all the other free stuff we have!
Finally...
Be wary near the Wheaton Metro. It draws a rough crowd and petty thievery and car breakins are not uncommon.
I have to politely disagree with this- I'm a young white female and never feel unsafe walking to and from the Wheaton metro. I feel a lot safer in Wheaton than I did on Capitol Hill/Eastern Market, where I just lived for 3 years.