Well hello hello, it has been quite a while since I've typed something up for the ol' blog. As soon as the holiday season ended, I went straight into apartment hunting mode, which - as I'm sure you know - is all consuming.
Quick holiday break recap:
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Christmas with Webb's family in San Francisco! We enjoyed The Nutcracker, volunteering, delish meals, and a fun time with his entire immediate family.
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Michelle and David's Wedding! I reunited with some of my best college friends and had a blast as a bridesmaid! Great wedding weekend, and I discovered a new city - Denver!
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Snowboarding in Tahoe! Went to Tahoe for the first time with Webb and our friend Adrian and actually attempted to snowboard. Happy 2013!
Phew! Wish I had time to go into greater detail, but please, it's almost February.
Moving tips after the jump!
Moving tips after the jump!
Then it was apartment hunting overdrive. I found a cute apartment near the eclectic neighborhood of Haight Ashbury with a bunch of parks and great restaurants. Furnishing the apartment proved to be another hurdle to jump as Webb and I had virtually nothing between the two of us (as we left most of our belongings in LA). Through the bumps and treasure hunts and sore biceps, I learned a thing or too and decided to whip out a list right here on Dee-Lovely. After all, isn't creating a home simply lovely?
THE HUNT:
1) Refresh Craigslist all day.
Yes, Craigslist isn't pretty and scams are rampant, but it's going to be your best source of listings. We liked using Livelovely.com and Trulia.com because of the user-friendly interface, but every listing there was also on Craigslist.
Yes, Craigslist isn't pretty and scams are rampant, but it's going to be your best source of listings. We liked using Livelovely.com and Trulia.com because of the user-friendly interface, but every listing there was also on Craigslist.
2) Be wary of scams.
Anyone who claims to be away traveling or asks you to file a credit report from an obscure website is a low life individual who wants to steal your identity. Listings that seem to good to be true usually are.
Anyone who claims to be away traveling or asks you to file a credit report from an obscure website is a low life individual who wants to steal your identity. Listings that seem to good to be true usually are.
3) Arrive at open houses with your game face ON.
Bring a credit report, proof of income, and a check book, and be ready to write a check to secure the apartment. We even brought our kryptonite-- Ernie!-- to win landlords over with his sweet face (after we tired him out with a run and long drive, of course). It's a jungle out there, and only the strong survive!
Bring a credit report, proof of income, and a check book, and be ready to write a check to secure the apartment. We even brought our kryptonite-- Ernie!-- to win landlords over with his sweet face (after we tired him out with a run and long drive, of course). It's a jungle out there, and only the strong survive!
4) Remember realistic commute times.
When you see a place on a traffic-free afternoon, the apartment can seem 15 minutes from your office. The reality is, it could be close to an hour in rush hour. Make sure you get real person accounts of commute times (aka not Google maps) to decide whether or not it's a doable neighborhood.
When you see a place on a traffic-free afternoon, the apartment can seem 15 minutes from your office. The reality is, it could be close to an hour in rush hour. Make sure you get real person accounts of commute times (aka not Google maps) to decide whether or not it's a doable neighborhood.
THE MOVE:
1) Pack in advance.
This is obvious, sure, but so many people forget to pack the little odds and ends which can add hours to the moving day. On the day you're shlepping boxes, the last thing you want to do is run to the store for more packaging or make little trips with hands full of lamps.
This is obvious, sure, but so many people forget to pack the little odds and ends which can add hours to the moving day. On the day you're shlepping boxes, the last thing you want to do is run to the store for more packaging or make little trips with hands full of lamps.
2) Think outside the IKEA box.
When you're budget is low, IKEA is very tempting. Cute stuff, low prices. But the truth is most of their stuff is shoddy and you'll end up with an apartment that looks like everyone else's. Do a little treasure hunting at big box stores like Big Lots and K-Mart and you'll be surprised. At Big Lots, we found a full size couch that fits the look of our living room and is much plushier than anything at IKEA for a few hundred dollars less.
When you're budget is low, IKEA is very tempting. Cute stuff, low prices. But the truth is most of their stuff is shoddy and you'll end up with an apartment that looks like everyone else's. Do a little treasure hunting at big box stores like Big Lots and K-Mart and you'll be surprised. At Big Lots, we found a full size couch that fits the look of our living room and is much plushier than anything at IKEA for a few hundred dollars less.
3) Like IKEA? Hold off for a sec.
Since everyone and their mother shops there, they also sell their goods on Craigslist. It's very likely that that dresser you love will show up on CL within a few weeks. It happened to us with this wardrobe we really liked. Sure, you need to deal with moving it, but you save lots of money and avoid the oh-so-fun IKEA assembly process. If you go a bit without it showing up, then go and buy it and be happy it's still cheap. Win/win.
Since everyone and their mother shops there, they also sell their goods on Craigslist. It's very likely that that dresser you love will show up on CL within a few weeks. It happened to us with this wardrobe we really liked. Sure, you need to deal with moving it, but you save lots of money and avoid the oh-so-fun IKEA assembly process. If you go a bit without it showing up, then go and buy it and be happy it's still cheap. Win/win.
4) Show up prepared when buying off CL.
The seller just wants to get rid of the thing. It's your job to physically move it, and if you live in a city, this likely includes stairs! Bring friends to help! And, measure the inside dimensions of your car. Need to borrow a truck? Bring straps or bungee cords to lock the item in.
The seller just wants to get rid of the thing. It's your job to physically move it, and if you live in a city, this likely includes stairs! Bring friends to help! And, measure the inside dimensions of your car. Need to borrow a truck? Bring straps or bungee cords to lock the item in.
5) Lists!
When you move, it's overwhelming to think of the "stuff" you need. I made a list of 1) Things we need this weekend 2) Things we need within a week and 3) Things we need within a month. This was a really simple way to prioritize. I found this list to be helpful with stocking the kitchen.
When you move, it's overwhelming to think of the "stuff" you need. I made a list of 1) Things we need this weekend 2) Things we need within a week and 3) Things we need within a month. This was a really simple way to prioritize. I found this list to be helpful with stocking the kitchen.
6) LAUGH.
This is in capital letters because it is important. Having fun keeps moving from being too overwhelming. Hopefully, if you're moving with a roommate, they are someone who makes you laugh! This is certainly true in my case :) Treat each bump in the road as a fun challenge rather than a roadblock. Enjoy brainstorming, and learn compromising. For me, the whole moving process was true testament to how great we work together, and this "laugh" part wasn't hard to do. But if you do find yourself getting frustrated, take a break, get some food and make a pact to avoid all moving talk. Then, get back into it refreshed and excited for the big change!
This is in capital letters because it is important. Having fun keeps moving from being too overwhelming. Hopefully, if you're moving with a roommate, they are someone who makes you laugh! This is certainly true in my case :) Treat each bump in the road as a fun challenge rather than a roadblock. Enjoy brainstorming, and learn compromising. For me, the whole moving process was true testament to how great we work together, and this "laugh" part wasn't hard to do. But if you do find yourself getting frustrated, take a break, get some food and make a pact to avoid all moving talk. Then, get back into it refreshed and excited for the big change!
I hope some of these pointers were helpful to you. I'm still in the middle of it all, but loving the process! Do you have any helpful moving tips?
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