Parents in Town + On Moving

Sorry for the long time without a post - my parents came down for a business conference from Saturday until last night, so I have been very busy spending all my time with them! I won't see my Dad again until Thanksgiving but my Mom might come down before then to help me set up my new apartment. It was so great to see them again (even if it was only 2 weeks after I was home for my wisdom teeth surgery!) and of course that meant I ate all my meals with them and my Mom decided to buy me some shirts, so I did not spend any money from Saturday until today! Of course that makes me (and my budget!) very happy.

Two friends and I have been on the hunt for a new apartment. We have pretty much decided on a 3-bed/2.5 bath place that puts me 10 miles closer to my work - however, it is also at the top of my price range. But water is included and so are the HOA fees (our rental is a condo) plus all utilities will be split 3 ways, which definitely makes them cheaper. The security deposit is more than one month's rent which will be hard to include into my budget, but I will make it work. (Have you ever asked a landlord for an extension on the security deposit, such as paying it over 2 months instead of all-at-once-plus-1st-month's-rent?) We still need to go through the lease and talk about other issues with the landlord, so that will most likely occur next week. Ourmove-in date looks like it will be August 9th (instead of August 1st) and my current lease is up August 10th so that works out MUCH better than expected! In the end, however, I think my $800/month in rent will be worth it due to my new and fun roommates, the location and the size - at 1,900 square feet!

Side note: I have started paying attention to "price per ounce" at the grocery store since the cost of food is increasing. Also, I have no problem buying generic brands whenever/wherever I can. However, I have not been able to get into the habit of clipping coupons, since most of the time I cannot find staples or things on my pre-made list in the booklets.