Thursday, June 26, 2008

Evan's Apartment -- the Next Day

I did not help Evan moved as I had an doctor's appointment(routine), but the boys told me about it. It is 600 square feet. The bathroom is huge. He has a stacked washer and dryer in a closet IN HIS BEDROOM. He has a full kitchen with a counter that separates it from the living room. He is on the fifth floor and has an incredible view. There is underground parking, a 24-hour gym and really tight security. It is right down town in The City next to everything.

Did I mention that this is section 8 housing?

He called a bit ago to tell me he survived his first night. He went shopping this morning. He went to the discount grocery store. His boyfriend complained that he didn't buy anything easy. Everything he got was stuff you had to DO something with. Evan reports he replied, "It's called groceries." He said to me on the phone, "I spent $150! And when I got back I realized I forgot something and had to go back! Is that, like normal? Do you think I bought stuff that I shouldn't?"

I assured him that he didn't. That was normal, especially when you have nothing and have to get everything all at once.

"Then, like, I thought I had everything I needed already, like dishes and pots and stuff, but I realized I needed other things. So I went to another store and got a rug for the bathroom, and a shower curtain, and the draining thing for pasta, and like one other thing and it was another $50!"

So far for furniture he has a futon sofa, and entertainment center with electronics stuff, and ... that's all. To be fair, he has paid for a queen-size bed which will be delivered next week on his day off. He is going to go to thrift stores to look for side tables and maybe stools for the counter. "Those things are pretty cheap at thrift stores, right?"

He isn't going to buy sheets and stuff until he gets the bed. "Do sheets cost a lot?"

Welcome to adulthood, m'dear.

7 comments:

  1. HA! I loved this...I remember the first time I was on my own and had this great idea of putting curtains everywhere and lots of large black picture frames until I saw how much they cost. Yepp...that is when I bought my first cheap sewing machine and sanded & re-painted my old brown frames!

    Thrift stores, garage sales, and some elbow greese are the way to go for sure!LOL

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  2. I remember those days.

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  3. I had dreams of surviving on my own making $3 an hour. Had everything budgeted down to the penny and my Mom reminded me about food.

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  4. My first place was nowhere as nice as Evan's sounds. I had a full size bed, sheets, a dresser and a bookshelf. That was it. I started buying at Thrift stores, garage sales and even free stuff on the street. I still remember that papason couch! There were a million things I'd never thought to buy and half of those I learned to live without.

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  5. He could also try craigslist, or freecycle. There's good stuff there sometimes. Or maybe drive around the college dorms and nearby neighborhoods. Everyone is moving out at this time of year, and it's crazy how much nice furniture just gets left at curbside or next to a dumpster.

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  6. There's a lot you can live without. When I went off to grad school, I had .... some plates from my Mom's friend. A computer (bought for grad school); I used packing boxes for a table until a prof gave me a table the first weekend, and I had an old wood folding chair till I bought 2 plastic outdoor chairs. I used another box as an end table with a tablecloth on it, but I had no sofa or anything. I sat on the floor. Two months later, I got a 1-person futon bed from my brother. Within the year, I bought a futon as a sofa for the living room. And two lamps, one for my bedroom and one for the living room. I think I also used a few "milk crates" for books. Oh, I think I had a toaster, too.

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  7. Anonymous10:26 AM

    In my first apartment, I had driven cross-country and only had what I could fit into my small Toyota hatchback: my stereo system, about 300 record albums, and my clothes. I rented a studio apartment with a Murphy bed that came down from a wall. A good friend of mine helped by scouring the sidewalks for tossaways. It's hard to believe that now I have a huge house that is bursting at the seams with STUFF. I feel kinda nostalgic for those old days....

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