We live in a dump. We moved here last year because we wanted a two bedroom with the baby and the place is owned by my sister's in laws, so I thought it would be safer knowing the people we were renting from. WRONG. I didn't know how run down the place was until we moved in and it's been an entire year and hardly anything has been fixed and many things have broken. The location is awesome - close to where I pick up the bus, close to my sister's place where we drop Evan off, and close to Ivan's job. Plus, close to many biking and hiking paths. However, the windows are crap and either don't open or don't stay open, there are broken closets, the bath tub has a bunch of cracks in it, the back porch door is taped to keep bugs and drafts from coming in, etc. Recently, the dryer broke and the air conditioner broke. And the main problem? In June our electricity bill jumped from $189 to $310. We are on the budget plan so they average the bills out so we pay the same each month based on the energy used the prior months. So, while we were paying $189 a month we were actually using a lot more. Looking back at how much energy we used...in Dec, Jan, and Feb our bill was close to $400 - so that means this year we have to pay a lot more on the budget plan. It is impossible to use $400 worth of energy in an 1100sq ft. condo unless something is broken. So, I emailed the owner and said I wanted to pay less rent because the condo was in bad shape and our electricity was too high (and the bill wasn't going to go down unless something was fixed). That was a week ago. And I still haven't heard back...except my sister said that they got the email...meaning the were pissed and told her husband. So now I am just confused as to what to do...continue to push for lower rent and piss him and the rest of my sister's in laws off (and probably never have a single thing fixed again) or find a new place. If we stay and pay lower rent, I'm sure nothing will ever be fixed in the condo again. If we move, we have to find a place that takes dogs and it will probably cost more money (although with a cheaper electricity bill we may not realize it) and it is expensive to move. What would you do??? Please tell me what do to!!!!
Ok, it feels a little better getting that off my chest. But I'm still mega stressed. And I'm finding it hard to think rationally about it and make a clear decision.
How about we take a break and look at Evan sitting in a box.
That cheers me up. We were reading the Tickle Monster Laughter Kit and he insisted on sitting in the box.
We also celebrated his one year baptism anniversary. It wasn't a huge party or anything, but we tried to do something. We lit his baptism candle, read this passage from the Bible:
Then we said a short prayer, did the sign of the cross with water, and ate some cookies.
Then we took a mini photo with Evan and his candle.
(I'm not sure why my arms look so skinny in that photo - they aren't that bony, trust me.)
It was nice and I really wanted to remember his baptism. Next year I'll try and be more on top of things and buy him a little baptism present or something.
Then the rest of the night was studying for my Chem exam tonight and trying to catch up on sleep. Which I'd like to do more of right now.
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What is stressing you out these days?
How often do you move?
Do you celebrate baptism or christening anniversaries?
Ugh. I can definitely sympathize with the apartment issues. We loved living right downtown but the place was OLD as heck and owned by my husband's aunt, which meant we were really responsible for doing all of the work. Our neighbors were awful and the tub - I won't even go there:) I hope it all works out for you guys. I know moving is stressful but it sounds like it might be a good idea, especially if you're having issues dealing with the landlords. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThat sucks about your living situation, especially since your landlords are your sister's relatives. It is so hard to find a place when you have a dog. I would try to stick it out if you can. Maybe your hubby could find a higher paying job and you can try to save up and look for a place in the spring. Living in a place is awful, i know.
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