So, I was all set on The Plan. You know, cram ourselves into my ~650 square foot 1-bedroom apartment, save tons of money on rent, be all cozy until we can afford to upgrade. It sounded just fine to me.
And then I started browsing Craigslist apartment listings. You know, just for fun.
This is a dangerous hobby, I tell you. On the one hand, doing this "just for fun" browsing got me the apartment I am currently living in. I love this place, and it's only because I decided (against what I thought at the time was my better judgment) to have a look online one day. I was all set on not looking, I didn't listen to myself and looked anyway, and BOOM. I found the perfect place for me.
Ok, so what's wrong with that? That all sounds good, right? Yeah. Well, the trouble comes when I start doing craycray things like looking at the real estate listings and falling in love with houses I can't afford.
Anyway, backing up. Like I said, we had decided that Will would move into my place, and we'd make do with the cramped quarters because the money we'd be saving would be so excellent, it would make up for it until we could move up. After all, all the 2-bedroom places I'd been seeing were steps backward in some way. My place has parking, in-unit laundry, hardwood floors, a yard, close proximity to BART (really, it doesn't get any closer). The 650 square feet don't feel cramped. It's great. So I don't want to give all that up for a place that has coin-op, shared laundry. Or no outdoor space. Or no parking. You know what I mean? Especially the laundry thing...oy. I cannot go from having my own washing machine to gathering quarters and sharing with my neighbors again. I'm just too spoiled at this point. Plus, I own the machine. The point is that really, it doesn't make sense to move just for an extra bedroom.
So yeah. Long story short is that I don't want to give up all the awesome stuff we've got here just for a 2nd bedroom. So I hadn't been looking. Except every couple of days when I thought to myself, "Well, it couldn't hurt..." - and at least this time, with my crazy looking, I think I may have struck gold a little bit.
It's a 2 bed, 1 bath in Rockridge (aka our dream area). ~800 square feet. Deck in a landscaped yard. Back unit of a duplex. Ample non-permit street parking. Hardwood floors. Laundry in-unit (not sure if it's a hookup or if there are machines there already). Oh, and it has a fireplace. Yeah. $1900 a month, which sounds a little steep, but it is within the realm of affordability (Will's old place was $850 and I have been paying $1100). It would mean less crazy savings, but it sounds too good to be true.
We're going to check it out to see for ourselves. Maybe it will feel cramped and dark, and the "nice size kitchen" will be tiny. Maybe it will be grimy and gross. Maybe the bathroom will be hilariously small. Maybe the washer/dryer will be nasty, and there won't be room for my stacked unit. Who knows? But you know me...I can't resist an in-person look!
Wish us luck...either way, at least we have my great place to fall back on :)
I think you should stay where you are and save like crazy. Live within your means...you don't NEED the extra space so stop looking for it! Think about how much money you could be saving for the future....I know your excited but I have to give you an honest comment here...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicole. You are so very wise. We'll see...the place could be no good anyway. Doesn't hurt to look.
ReplyDeleteI just can't stop being baffled as to why you'd want another bedroom when it's your own boy moving in. Does he snore? Do you want a room for your mom? How much use are you going to get out of a second bedroom? How much more or less are taxes in Rockridge?
ReplyDelete...are you looking for a house with a good school district? Is that what this is about?
Ha. Good school district. Kristen, you are funny. A 2nd bedroom would basically be for an office/guest room. And more storage, of course. Because we are Americans and we have too much stuff. Not sure about Rockridge taxes...but I don't know how that would affect us anyway since we wouldn't pay property tax on a rental. And I mean, a 2nd bedroom is not necessary; it would just be nice to be able to spread out a little bit. Honestly, probably we'll end up staying at my place.
ReplyDeleteoffice space is a valid reason for a second bedroom--a problem I have in my current digs is that the only place I really have to write anything is on the floor, because I don't have a desk or even a flat kitchen table (it's tile--nice for the eating and the heat dispersal, lousy for the surface.) There actually is a desk in the living room, but it's covered in Kyle's things and the chair is carpeted in cat hair so I don't use it.
ReplyDeleteYeah - we each actually have desks (Will even has a desktop computer), but end up sharing my laptop while sitting on the couch. My desk is crammed in the bedroom corner (and is always covered with clothes/books/things), and Will's is about to be shoved into the back corner of the living room. Should be a nice space for his desk, actually, but it will mean putting the behind-the-couch table in storage. :-(
ReplyDeleteI lived with a sig-o and having a second bedroom was great. A place to put guests, our desks and comps had their own room, just all-around I was less cramped (I hate clutter and feel better when my furniture has room to breathe). I wouldn't take any ol' place, but if it's nice ... go for it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, K (whoever you are!), and yeah, the less cramped thing is appealing. Then again, we haven't even moved his stuff in yet, so maybe my place won't end up being too bad.
ReplyDeleteCrossing my fingers for you!!
ReplyDeletexo
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