The Housing Situation. It's not good.

So, there is only a month and a half before the big move, and the hubs and I have yet to establish some form of living arrangement. Believe me, we’ve tried. We have scored Craigslist, perused apartment magazines, and even scouted out locations on our last trip. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The first barrier is the price. It’s not unusual for 800 square feet to go for $2400. Our budget is a paltry $1200. This means that the average apartment we look at is 500 square feet or so. It is usually a cockroach-infested, musty-smelling shoebox with bad plumbing and 70’s carpet. Obviously, I’m not eager to commit (See: last blog post).


We finally had our friend look at a place for us. It was 3 blocks from my school and a local farmer’s market, as well as within easy walking distance from both of our current jobs. It was…well, not perfect, because it was smaller than most prison cells. But it was good enough. Until I found that the Better Business Bureau had given the apartment’s management company an F. (The hubs was still willing to give it a try, but THEN I read that one of this company’s building’s plumbing backed up so badly that there was poop in the bathtub for a week before anyone even came to fix it. POOP!!! I realize that there are people in Africa that live in even worse conditions, but before I could feel too guilty, I remembered that they are not paying $1200 a month to live in said conditions. Guilt averted.)


I know I need to lower my standards a little. I’m not going to find the place I have now for a price that I can afford. And the places we looked at in Los Angeles weren’t as bad as one of the houses we looked at here in Springfield: when I tried to open a closet door, the doorknob fell off in my hand. (The lady showing us the house was so befuddled and bewildered that I wanted to hug her. But I didn’t want to rent her place.) Anyways, I just want to find a decent place with no 70’s carpet, no cockroaches, a stove AND a refrigerator, close to my school, and enough room to put a bed and couch. For $1200 or under, preferably. I’m not sure it’s possible. I should probably talk the hubs into letting me find a Hollywood sugar daddy. I’ve heard that George Clooney is available…and if he’s not yet, he probably will be soon. That man goes through women like I go through socks. It’s only a matter of time…


UPDATE: The hubs has suggested that he dress up like Spiderman and take pictures with tourists outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I like this idea. I should probably think of someone to dress up as, too. Every little bit of cash helps, you know.