Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

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ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I'm going to be sleeping on a pull out sofa for a couple weeks while I save up for a mattress/frame and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a pilllowtop mattress pad (I think that's what I'm looking for?). The pull out bed is a queen with a thin, uncomfortable mattress on a metal frame. I'd like to make it reasonably comfortable if possible.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2013 16:40

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 21:09

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

For reviews, I look for things that are consistently commented on and weigh that against how much it'd likely affect my quality of life while I live there. If 5 of 8 people mentioned that street parking is awful or the walls are super thin, etc, then I'm going to figure that it's probably actually an issue. (e: I basically just reiterated what ashcans said :downs:

)

Ashcans posted:

You can buy a memory foam mattress topper that is probably your best best. We have a pull out, and when we bought it we got a skinny memory foam mattress for it - it is so much better than the terrible spring mattresses that are often standard with that sort of thing. Most of the time I would rather sleep on the couch itself than unfold those lovely mattresses.

Thanks!

# ¿ Nov 15, 2013 18:01

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Theres also overstock. I've never bought from them, but I think they do crazy low shipping even on furniture (~5$?). I just rent a uhaul pickup/cargo van for $20+mileage if I'm getting more than one large item.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2013 18:51

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I never buy sofas from craigslist mostly because you don't know what they've done on/to that sofa. Ikea is pretty good for price/quality if you're handy at putting things together.

# ¿ Nov 25, 2013 18:13

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Factor in if its an older building as well, along with the old appliances thing. Some buildings let out heat/cold air like theres no tomorrow and cost more to keep at a stable temperature. Im used to paying about 80$/mo in BFE, California, but I'm looking at about 120/mo in Portland, OR for a 1/1 in a not-ancient building. I believe its free to have your electric company come out and check your meter to make sure you're getting charged the proper amount.

vv: derp, sorry :downs:

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Dec 2, 2013

# ¿ Dec 2, 2013 19:17

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Not sure where else to ask, but since were on the topic of keeping costs down: are electric blankets worth the cost vs jacking up the heat? I keep it about 65 (according to the dial at least) in my apartment at all times, but it's dropping to the low thirties at night and I'd like to not end up with a $200 electric bill somehow. I also don't know how much an electric blanket would affect my bill, but I can't imagine it's much? What do people who live in actual cold weather do? I can handle being cold/layering up any other time except when I sleep. :saddowns:

# ¿ Dec 3, 2013 16:34

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I have a down comforter and a fleece blanket :saddowns:

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

You definitely want a thick comforter. If you put the electric blanket underneath it and turn it on 15 minutes before you go to bed, you can turn it off as soon as you get in bed and the comforter will keep you warm the rest of the night.

This is genius, I'm gonna do this. Thanks!

# ¿ Dec 3, 2013 18:12

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

re: sheets. I never buy sheets I can't touch before buying.

glompix posted:

I've been renting a house for a year and a half. The refrigerator is failing, so I let the landlord know. She said that since we're month-to-month now having completed the lease, replacing or fixing the refrigerator would be my responsibility. (noting I would take said new fridge with me)

I asked if she could buy the new one from me when we move out, and she said yes. I'm not a fan of having money tied up like that, but I need a working fridge... I also don't know how to protect myself from getting hosed. Is an email exchange enough?

What does your lease say about repairs? I have never heard of a landlord not having to replace major appliances because their tenants are month-to-month. Contact a lawyer if you want to protect yourself from getting screwed.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2013 20:00

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Why dont you just ask the property manager who told you? Also, funny(ish) thing that your meth ordeal reminded me of: I had an apartment manager get all up in arms because I would smoke my hookah on my patio area and "it looks like something you smoke meth out of." Not quite.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2014 05:23

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Thanatosian posted:

I bought one of these before I joined the forums, and they are fantastic.

My mom (who is a neat freak) has a Dyson pet vacuum she swears by, but they cost a metric fuckton more. If money is no object, totally great. That Hoover WindTunnel gives you the best value for your money, though.

I have the dyson pet vacuum and that was some well spent money. I love that thing.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 01:36

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Disco Nixon posted:

So I just made an appointment to view an apartment. However, when I called they said that the apartment's rent was $650. Their ad said $600. Should I even bother asking about this? I'm still interested in the apartment even if it's $50 more than I expected.

Print the ad & bring it with you.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 01:41

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Now I feel like I have to have my meter checked again because I got down to like 15KWH by not being home very often this month. I average 28kwh on normal months & I do not use excessive electricity at all. My house is electric only though.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2014 18:01

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

photomikey posted:

If the guy wants to get you out, and you want to move, you can arrange a handshake deal with him to start looking now, and when you find a place he will let you out of the lease and you will leave early. Win-win.

Never take anyone's word when conducting business. If it's not in writing, it may as well have never happened.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2014 20:09

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

GabrielAisling posted:

More news in the irritation of my extremely expensive power bill. The roommates and I went away for a few days. In preparation, I unplugged everything except the major appliances. I turned the a/c off entirely. The resting power usage of my apartment when nobody is at home to use anything is 28-30kWh/day. Since the two major power draws are the refrigerator and water heater, I'm kind of at a loss.

HonorableTB posted:

How's the insulation in that place? Your power bill rises along with how poor the insulation is. If the thermostat can't keep a constant temperature when you're there, that could be a cause. Not sure why it'd be so high with just a fridge and a water heater, but my guess would be that, given where you're living, the apartment complex is spending the absolute bare minimum on appliances and as such they are very energy inefficient.

It took me until better weather to realize it, but poor insulation is what was raising my electric bill. I kept my heat at like ~65*F at the hottest, turned off/unplugged things at night, etc and still managed to use 24-28kw/day. Since the weathers gotten better, I turned my thermostat down to ~50*F (so it effectively never comes on) & I'm down to using 9-15kw/day. I'm also home a bit less on average which contributes. :shrug:

# ¿ May 30, 2014 02:22

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

CeramicPig posted:

I'm moving in with my boyfriend in August and I'll be moving from Illinois, where I've lived my entire life, to Indiana. It's not a super far move since I'm in Chicagoland area and I'm moving to NW Indiana, which is still considered Chicagoland area. But since I'm still switching states I know I need to change like everything. For anyone else who has had to do the state change, what would I need to change? I know the obvious like my drivers license and plates (which need to be renewed by the end of the month so if anyone knows if I can renew my plates and switch to IN without wasting $99 for a month of coverage that'd be awesome) but that's about all I know and I don't want to get in trouble down the line.

Ask your local DMV about the plates. I drove my car from California to Kansas, my plates expired, and they would not let me register my car in KS without it having legal California plates first. California requires smog checks intermittently, so that may have been the issue (it was 5+ years ago, details are fuzzy).

photomikey posted:

If you "lose" your old drivers license, they will issue you a new one in the new state, and if you later "find" your old drivers license, it makes a nice keepsake.

As noted, if you bring in your old license, they will typically destroy it.

Oregon just hole punches the current license through the expiration date & hands it back to you :shrug:

# ¿ Jun 9, 2014 19:33

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Read your lease terms & contact your local tenants rights/housing authority.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2014 03:28

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

If you know the area you want to bum around, check craigslist for people wanting to get out of their lease early. I see a couple of posts like that every so often (e.g. four months left on lease, need someone to take it over).

E: just realized your last line basically says the same thing. :shobon:

# ¿ Jun 19, 2014 03:57

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

You need to talk to an actual lawyer-type person. That sounds shady as hell.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2014 08:55

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Elderbean posted:

How much stock should I put into apartment reviews? It seems like the only people who bother to write them are angry.

Take them with a giant grain of salt, but keep an eye out for themes across the reviews. I don't think most people will go out of their way to leave a glowing, or even mediocre, review for a place.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2014 04:25

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

at the date posted:

Yes. Keeps it soft, and it takes a long time to go bad.

If you keep it in an opaque dish.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2014 01:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

MNSNTZR posted:

It isn't in my neck of the woods, but one thing does does sort of bug me that puts me on my boyfriend's side is finding 2br places without very much of an increase in price compared to a 1br. Glancing at Chapel Hill, you could get a 1br place for between $650-799 or a 2br between $750-800 on average for our budget. Or, extremely suspiciously, a couple of 2br/1bas for $650 (not to mention one place with a gas range and decent reviews for $620 ) but I've always been very wary of places with rent that cheap.

My apartment is cheap for my area, some reasons i was aware of and some I wasnt. The appliances are old, like avocado green oven old, & the maintenance requests are slow to be resolved. Fortunately I'm pretty handy with most stuff. The place is also not well insulated (I guess?) because my apartment does not keep heat very well at all. My winter electric bills are ~100-120/mo (compared to my current bill of $35) to keep my apartment at a burning hot 67F. I'm gone ~15 hours a day M-F and shut off/unplug unnecessary items when I'm not home so it's not like I'm racking that bill up elsewhere. I can also hear pretty much everything my neighbors do with clarity. IMO, $100-150/mo is a pretty big jump in rent to be making if the other person doesn't have job prospects lined up and is the one wanting 2 bedrooms. Thats half a months groceries (or more) for 2 people, or an extra ~$1500 in your savings account at the end of the year. My rent is 31% of my take home pay and that more than I honestly want it to be (but I dont want to give up the luxury of living alone).

quote:

If I had my way, we wouldn't rent an apartment until we had what was enough to be considered a down payment on a house. We're a couple of broke kids, but I really want to go into this thing as cautiously (and cheaply) as possible.

Somethings aren't worth budging on. Think about if you're going to be giving up some sense of financial security for a second bedroom or earlier move in date. It really sounds like you're the one doing a lot of compromising - moving in with less savings than you want, getting an extra bedroom for music playing, etc. Why not move up there and live independently? Sign six month leases, you get your space, he gets whatever space he wants, then re-evaluate your needs in the future. You said the new city is pretty expensive too, which means everything else pretty much is. Is your boyfriend aware of how much more food, transportation, etc will be? Do you have a collective budget of how much you'll be spending on rent, electricity, gas (if available), food, etc? How is transportation going to work if he doesnt have a car? I imagine you've thought of all this before, but I would approach cautiously especially since neither of you has had much experience with living on your own.

e: Also, not to be a debbie downer, but what happens if you break up mid-lease? Or if your SO can't find work in 3-6 months? Can you afford everything with only your income & savings?

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Aug 5, 2014

# ¿ Aug 5, 2014 21:18

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Kobayashi posted:

I'm looking for some small end tables/night stands -- something like 12"x20"; very low profile. I haven't see anything that piques my interest at Ikea, C&B, etc. Any other recommendations come to mind?

Etsy, Overstock.com?

# ¿ Aug 19, 2014 00:43

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Your best bet is to ask your landlady and include the fact you're willing to scout out potential replacements on your own time.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2014 04:00

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

HonorableTB posted:

We have two cats

Are you going to drive or fly from Atlanta to Seattle? If you're flying, I believe animals are classified as cargo and there are many horror stories out there about pets dying in transit. :ohdear:

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 19:58

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Jerome Louis posted:

How long would it reasonably take to tow a car in one of those Penske trucks across the US?

Does the car pass a smog test?

# ¿ Oct 1, 2014 01:26

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

redcheval posted:

I'd probably scour Craigslist for one but we both have small cars

If the deal was good enough, you could rent a pick up from u-haul? They were always like $20 for local moves, but maybe that's changed. Maybe look into small businesses in your area for good craftsmanship, they tend to be more accommodating about delivery in my experience.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2014 18:27

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

photomikey posted:

Your OP artfully tiptoed around declaring whether you actually have renters insurance or not, and the lack of mention kind of indicates that's something you hadn't quite gotten around to yet.

They outright state the damage is less than their deductible.

GFBeach posted:

Either way, the amount of damage is less than the deductible on my renter's insurance policy.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 04:29

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Cheesegod posted:

Thanks, I'll look into that. My problem though is theres not really much space to store a trailer where I currently live. The office where I'll be working is outside of SF, so I'll probably be living outside of SF as well. I would much rather live in SF but the commute doesn't make sense and like you said, finding a place there is insane.

Whereabouts "outside SF"? Since you're transferring, why not ask your current boss/HR if anyone would be able to give some insight into finding a place?

# ¿ Oct 28, 2014 02:25

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Gabriel-Ernest posted:

1) The bulb sometimes doesn't light when I flip the switch on. I don't mean that it takes a long time the way crappy fluorescent bulbs sometimes do; I've left the switch in the "on" position for ten minutes or so, and the bulb remains totally dark. It's not dead, though: if I flip the switch a bunch of times, the light will come back on eventually.

I would much rather deal with this situation by myself, if it sounds like that's possible, although it's not beyond my abilities to bug the property manager... so small maintenance issues are theoretically the domain of the property manager, who seems to have more on his plate than he (or the landlord?) can handle.

That sounds like a faulty wiring issue to me. Call the property manager and have them send someone out. That's their job.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2014 17:24

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I LIKE COOKIE posted:

My advice: Buy a cheap camper/van and live in the Walmart parking lot.

My advice: Don't do this because they will call the police.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2014 18:13

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Do you show up with everything they want? Proof you have money to cover a years rent, bank statements for the last six months (proving the money stays in your account), copies (and originals) of ID, etc? If its the landlords market, they're looking for tenants who make life easy and pay rent on time, make their life easy. If you can rent sight unseen, that might be your best bet. If your current roommate is OK with it, have them as a contact and tell the new landlord this is where you stay and they can contact your friend for verification.

Ask your friend how she continually gets nice apartments if she moves so much. I imagine prospective landlords have met people in your situation before.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2014 16:46

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Thanatosian posted:

Personally, I would never, ever rent a place sight unseen. That's just asking for trouble.

It depends on where you live and how bad you want an apartment in a certain area. In places like San Francisco its not terribly uncommon to rent sight unseen because it is incredibly competitive. I agree it's not ideal, but desperate times etc.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2014 19:38

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Call the building manager and list out what you listed here. If they don't get the problem fixed, then call the landlord.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2014 13:32

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Defenestration posted:

drat, I really want some big fat stripes

If a slip cover will do, those are usually like ~$60+

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 02:59

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

nesbit37 posted:

I am very use to moving out of one place on the last day of a lease and into another that same day which is either the first day of the lease or a day early. That looks like it will be a problem this year, as I will almost certainly be out of town for a work trip the three days before and two more after my current lease ends. It is potentially possible that I could go month to month for just the month after assuming the place isn't rented to someone else, which isn't a safe bet. Is this something that actually will likely be a giant headache and possibly finding myself paying rent for two apartments during a single month just so I can move before this lease ends or am I making a big deal of something that will likely not really be a problem?

It's more of a hassle, but couldn't you just rent a storage locker for a month & move it all out before your trip?

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 19:57

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

nesbit37 posted:

Pets complicate it, since I breed geckos and have 13 of them (not to mention this thing for the geckos that is a nightmare to move) and a dog, but depending on the length of time it could work but would be a colossal pain. Storage unit would definitely be a last ditch option.

The money you'd save renting a storage unit vs paying a months rent could be put to a pet sitter/pet boarding for the 5-6 days. I don't know the logistics of doing that with geckos, but its worth looking into.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 20:59

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Defenestration posted:

Does anyone have good freestanding over-the-toilet Ikea hacks? I need more counterspace in the bathroom and can't drill into that wall because it's tile

Dims are 33" width available on wall, 27.5" high, 8 5/16" tank depth

AuntBuck posted:

You want an etagere. Been thinking of getting one myself.

I didn't know the name of these, so thanks for that. Defenestration , Target has them for ~$30. I have the bronze one and it's held up fine for about 5 years now.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2015 04:05

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Thanatosian posted:

Do you have that anchored? If so, do you think it would be okay unanchored?

Not anchored, but I only kept towels on it. It seemed as sturdy as any upright stand that you'd put stuff on.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2015 11:05

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Cheesegod posted:

Ok, so I am definitely moving from NYC to the SF Bay Area in April. When should I start looking for an apartment? I feel like if I start looking too early there might not be enough apartments available starting in April but if I look too late I won't find one I want either and it will be harder to schedule the move. My boss is offering to send me to the California office for a "meeting" so I can look at apartments (he is a really nice boss) but I need to let him know when I want to go.

I would keep an eye out on craigslist and such to get a feel for the area, but most places in SF are same day application. You show up with a credit report, the application filled out, a blank check and the ability to sign now. Rent is going up, vacancy is going down. If you don't want to live in San Francisco, check out Union City (or maybe it's Daly City? I never could keep them straight) & Alameda if you don't mind the suburbs (or don't have 3K/mo to spend on rent :j:

). Alternatively, ask your boss if he has any leads on apartments or some cities he recommends.

e: Your original post in this thread about moving to SF said you were probably living outside SF. It's a fair bit less competitive the further you get from the city.

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Jan 6, 2015

# ¿ Jan 6, 2015 23:36

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 21:09

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I wouldn't move to Oakland unless someone really familiar with the area recommends a specific place. Definitely don't move to the tenderloin.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2015 19:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

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