Veni, vidi, leasee: I came, I saw, I rented

As of yesterday afternoon we are officially residing in Phoenix. Yep, we signed our lease and all the accompanying paperwork. Then we -- okay, Tim -- unpacked the car.


It wasn't nearly as smooth as it might sound, of course. We showed up around 11 a.m., wanting to move in before Qwest came to install our new services. Even more importantly, we wanted to actually check out the apartment and community before ABF dumped the 1,500 lb metal box on the property. I worried that there might be some deal-breaker, in which case we'd have to rehire ABF to move the cube a second time. Not a pleasant idea for our wallets.


But the carpet was still being installed, thanks to the vendors not showing up the day before. In the end, we didn't get in until about 3 p.m., and the cube was delivered about 15 minutes before we had gotten a chance to see our apartment. By that point, though, we had at least gotten to see the apartment community, which was as nice as promised, and check out the surrounding area. So while we didn't have a chance to look at the apartment, we knew the area and the complex were both more than acceptable. Circumstances still weren't ideal, but, in this life, few ever are.


All in all, we are quite happy. The only real annoyance I have is the utter lack of ceiling lights in the bedrooms or living room. Annoying, since we sold off/donated our lamps. So we'll need to watch Freecycle and Craigslist. Luckily, many stores are still finishing up on back-to-school sales, so we might luck out there. And this community has online classifieds for residents, which may help us replace some of our jettisoned furniture.


Our place is also pretty centrally located. We're within two miles of Fry's grocery, Target, Ross, Tuesday Morning, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Safeway, 4 Blockbusters, 2 libraries, and a Sam's Club (with gas station).


In addition, after pet rent, taxes and the monthly water/sewer/garbage, our monthly amount will be $676.26. That's almost $25 less than we paid for a one-bedroom apartment in Seattle and we're not responsible for electricity. Since we have a second bedroom, which will be my office, about $80 a month will be deductible. Here, we also have access to 2 pools, a fitness center and a hot tub.


It's all still a tad overwhelming to be here. And the first night here was a little strange, since we were sans furniture. Still, things will be a little easier later today when the movers come and unload our items for us. I had tried to convince Tim that we could unload ourselves -- thereby saving $400 -- but at this point I'm glad we hired them. After 1,700 miles of driving (we took a detour to see the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert) in 4 days, we're both pretty ragged. Even without the heat as a factor, we're really in no shape to lift heavy boxes and furniture.


I'm already discovering plenty of frugal programs out here, but I think I'll save those updates for another day. I am off to find some (free?) lamps and maybe a desk. Freecycle & Craigslist, here I come!