Thanks to all of you who have been following this cray-cray saga of mine! It might sound silly, but the solidarity I feel in knowing I have friends here is really comforting.
If you need to catch up, you can read about my getting a job offer, negotiating my salary, finding a new place to live, distributing my relocation funds, and discovering my husband no longer qualifies for student loans. And now…
SURPRISE! THE RENT HAS GONE UP
So over the last week or so, since I found a place to live in NJ (sight unseen), I’ve been emailing back and forth with the landlord lady Sarah. At some point I had mentioned that Michael might come up and visit sometimes, and that my mom might sometimes come up, too.
Well then one day out of the blue she emails me and says that due to the number of visitors I’ll be expecting, I should probably rent the larger room vs the smaller one which I had originally agreed to. The room I had wanted was $975. I remember seeing the post for the larger room, too, for $1195. And I remember not caring about the size of the room.
And then she tells me that she forgot to update the Craigslist posting I had seen and that really the rooms aren’t $975 and $1195, but $1050 and $1275.
So now, we’re less than a week away from my supposed move-in date, and I’m stuck paying $300/month more than I originally expected. I originally wanted the $975 room. Now I kind of have to take the $1275 room.
WHAT TO DO?
It’s hard for me to gauge if she legit forgot to change the post, and if she legit thinks the small room will be too small for me and my occassional husband, or if she realized I’m kind of desperate, and is trying to exploit me. If it’s the former, I appreciate her kindness. If it’s the latter, ummm, I don’t want that kind of landlord.
The good news is that I only told her I’d stay through the end of December, so by then, hopefully I will have had time to figure out the lay of the land and find a cheaper apartment in a decent neighborhood.
In the meanwhile, for these 6 months, I’m going to have to pop an extra $300/month out of thin air. It’s not a lot, and I’m looking at a few side hustle/part time job options that I can do in the evenings or on weekends.
I’m not about to try to find a new place to live now, 3 days before the move.
Oh well. No one said this was going to be easy. š
Oh geez, sorry to hear that you’re dealing with a last minute rent increase. That stinks, but I would do the same thing too and just stick with it. That would be way too stressful to try to find another place at this point, you’re definitely better off finding a way to make more money on the side š Good luck!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, thanks! Hopefully this is only temporary. We’ll make it work š
LikeLike
I’m with Christina. That totally stinks! š¦
I think I told you once that we lived in Cape May, NJ, for 4 months back in ’99. It’s an expensive state, that’s for sure. Best wishes going forward, Chela. Keep doing the right things and everything will work out in your favor. You’re stronger than we were. We ran for the hills!
LikeLike
Hahaha. Thanks, Kay!
LikeLike
Man that’s total crap!! Talk about bait and switch! It’s not your fault she didn’t update the posting, and now she has you cornered. I can tell you one thing, if you can find a better/cheaper place before December I don’t think there is anything “loyal” going on here, ya know! Take care of YOU lady! š
LikeLike
Yeah, you’re totally right, Tonya. Once I’m settled in I’m definitely going to look for a more “permanent” place to live.
LikeLike
Ugh, what BS. But you gotta live somewhere for now!
LikeLike
Exactly. At least having a place to live will give me time to find somewhere else š
LikeLike
I would try to do some sort of month to month with that $300 hike. People who forget to do things that cost other people money are bad news.
LikeLike
You’re right. She originally said month to month was fine, so I think I’m going to stick with that and see if I can find something else either cheaper, or same price, but living on my own.
LikeLike
That doesn’t seem right! I know it seems like your stuck now but I would be keeping an eye out for something better that’s for sure!
LikeLike
Yes, I will definitely keep looking!
LikeLike
Yeah WHAT? That is not cool. I guess feel it out when you get there, but definitely don’t feel obligated to stay until December (unless she’ll reduce the rent back to where it was in the posting.)
LikeLike
Yeah, it totally threw me for a loop, but being so close to the time to move, I didn’t want to let it go and have to start at square one. Once I get a feel for the lay of the land, I’ll scope out somewhere else, hopefully cheaper.
LikeLike
That’s pretty shitty! Sounds like your landlord is trying to squeeze as much out of you as she can. At least it’s only temporary!
LikeLike
Ugh. I try to assume the best in people. She’s just a little old lady… Who knows.
LikeLike
Pingback: Relocating Isn’t All Bad: Pt. 5 – Seeing Friends and Family | SmashOdyssey
Pingback: Relocation Complete: Pt 6 – New Job, New Home, New Adventures | SmashOdyssey
Pingback: July Update and What’s Going On | SmashOdyssey