[techieMoe]

At the end of this month I'm moving from a rental house in the boonies to an apartment in civilization. It's going to shave my morning commute in half and put me closer to other amenities (groceries, restaurants, cheaper internet).

The downside is the rent is a couple hundred dollars more than I'm used to paying so I'll not be able to *afford* said amenities for a while, at least in any large volumes. I have been surprised at the number of people around me who offered things for the apartment.

My current landlord offered a couch, chair and ottoman. My girlfriend's aunt offered a set of pots and pans. Some guy at work gave me a brand-new, still in the box set of drinking glasses. Someone in my g/f's apartment complex is selling a washer/dryer set for $175USD (new ones go for about $600USD).

There really wasn't any particular point to this post... it's just a slow day here at work. Feel free to relate any stories (good, bad, funny) you have about moving or apartments or whatever.

[carlosponti]

The first house I bought my parents bought me a fridge, washer, and dryer. all the glasses I had came from office Christmas parties. They had a 15 dollar limit and apparently that is enough for some nice wine and drinking glasses. For at least two Christmas parties I ended up with housewares. I had lived at home for so long I amassed so much for living in a home. however my night stand was the box to my 35mm film projector and my bed was a queen sized air mattress.

[techieMoe]

Originally Posted by carlosponti

The first house I bought my parents bought me a fridge, washer, and dryer. all the glasses I had came from office Christmas parties. They had a 15 dollar limit and apparently that is enough for some nice wine and drinking glasses. For at least two Christmas parties I ended up with housewares. I had lived at home for so long I amassed so much for living in a home. however my night stand was the box to my 35mm film projector and my bed was a queen sized air mattress.

Haha. I'm probably going to have to get creative with a couple of things myself until I can make it to IKEA. I don't have a nightstand or coffee table yet. Thankfully the apartment came with a fridge and range oven, and I purchased a proper bed last year with my tax return.

[fingal]

When I moved to a bungalow in a small English town years ago, we (me plus friends) didn't have a coffee table. Instead we got four piles of magazines, wired them together and laid a sheet of thick glass on top. It lasted a couple of years, and wasn't pretty ... but it was functional.

[daacosta]

I used bricks and table boards for making a TV stand at my last place in th USA... Not pretty but it worked... I also bought a bunch of things at garage sales... Some of them were even brand new inside the box

[anomie]

I'm sure it will be a good change (shorter commute) for you. I really like your city - Houston - a lot, but anything you can do to reduce time in the car there has to be a move in the right direction.

Rent may go up, but reduced gas usage / vehicle maintenance and especially your time is valuable too.

[techieMoe]

Originally Posted by anomie

I'm sure it will be a good change (shorter commute) for you. I really like your city - Houston - a lot, but anything you can do to reduce time in the car there has to be a move in the right direction.

Oh yes. The less time spent driving in Houston the better.

Rent may go up, but reduced gas usage / vehicle maintenance and especially your time is valuable too.

If I've estimated the mileage correctly, this should cut my gas intake by half, so that's an extra $40 or so every other week. My daily mileage goes from 40 miles round trip to 20, so perhaps the guys at my dealership will have time between services to forget my name. (Both myself and my father are a bit infamous at our Honda dealer for our unusually high mileage, his more than mine.)

[Thrillhouse]

I've moved a couple times but the only interesting stories I have about moving come from my summer job as a mover one year in college. Too many to tell really but if you're a high school or college kid looking for a summer job, most moving companies usually hire extra muscle over the summer because that's when most people move (kids are out of school usually being the main reason). They usually pay well too because of the demanding nature of the work. Prepare to put in some 14 hour days, though. I had a couple of days that went like this: get up at 2 AM to be at work by 3 AM to move a retail store in their new location because you can't move during business hours. Finish that job by 9:00, go to a residential move, work til noon, eat lunch, finish that job at 3:00 PM. Then go to an office move at 4:00 and do that until the job is done.

Not fun but the overtime hours pile up pretty quick and you start making some good money. I think I made something like $5,000 that summer at $10 per hour. As summer jobs go, I think it's a pretty good one; you stay in shape, you make good money and every once in a while you'll get a sweet assignment like delivering copiers to businesses who are hours apart from each other (you basically get paid to sit in a moving van and drive around).

[Thrillhouse]

One other thing: if you hire a moving company to help you move, it goes a long way if you provide some drinks or something to the people moving. Keeps them happy and hydrated so they're less likely to break one of your most valued possessions.

[cheesecake42]

My girlfriend and I are moving this week for the same reasons. We live in Callaway at one end of the county, but we both work in Panama City Beach at the other end of the county. I drive a 94 conversion van that gets about 7 miles to the gallon so i've been spending about $15-$20 a day just for gas to get to work and back. This move should cut me down to about $5 a day.