Apartment living after twenty plus years in a house

[BusynMember]

Well, hubby and I did it. We are in our new apartment. And I couldn't be happier. We live in one of three newer brick buildings with eight tenants in each one. Dogs are allowed so I see a lot of pet lovers around...and I love that!!!! The dogs are basically quiet. The apartments are VERY quiet. Haven't even heard much from the apartment above us (we are on the first of two floors). Only time we heard anything was when somebody must have been putting a nail in the wall to hang a picture. Other than that, it is as quiet as our houses have been all day long. I am on a two week vacation now so I'm here to monitor things all day.

I love having every modern convenience without having to fix them. I love not having to pay heat and water. Water tends to be expensive around here. We put in all "economic" lightbuilbs so our electric bill should be low. Rent is very low in this area because we are not near a major city....for one month, with $25 month per dog.....we only have $625 and that covers all our household bills except for electricity. We are also not out in the sticks. We live in the equivalent of what would be considered a small city...18,000 people, no farms, not rural, just small and friendly. Lowish crime.

All in all, I was afraid I'd hate apartment life, but I really like it. It's much easier and quicker than owning a house. All the kids are gone now, yet they are never gone....call nonstop when anything goes wrong...lol. Jumper went to college yesterday, called all excited. She had her first volleyball practice and everyone was really nice and already made friends...the volleyball team had to report to school three weeks early. She is in a dorm that is very nice and air conditioned.When she comes home, her room is ready in our new apartment. She was able to fix it before she left.

Just checking in. I hope everyone has a nice, peaceful and serene day/week Take care!

 

[dstc_99]

I am looking forward to retiring someday to a condo/apartment style life. Living in military housing kind of spoils you to having a handyman for free. I am slowly convincing husband that I don't want to live on a huge wooded lot when I am 70 and spend every weekend cleaning up the yard and leaves. I want a pocket book dog that can sit at the coffee shop with me while I waste my days away. LOL Heck all I want is a deck or balcony where I can grow a flower or two and I will be a happy girl.

 

[BusynMember]

dstc_99, I did the house thing for over twenty years. I'm the opposite of you. I am done with it. The kids are all grown, all gone. I don't want to mow another lawn, pay out the wazoo to fix broken appliances, or clean a large home. This is perfect for me who wants to make my new kid-free life vibrant and fun and free of house chores other than the usual cleaning up (and it's a smaller space). I want to be able to do more fun activities, not strapped to the house.

I enjoy having neighbors as I am fairly friendly without getting too close to others. It's perfect when we all walk the dogs and wave and stand around chatting. Also, this location is right near everything.

We are not big on entertaining, but we have room to entertain a few people if we want. Life is good

 

[Wiped Out]

Midwest,

Sounds like things are going really well right now!! Love it!

 

[muttmeister]

Glad things are working out so well for you. I, also, moved out of my house into an apartment and I, also, love it. I have room for kids and grandkids to come and visit (but not for too long - LOL) and this is a pet complex so there are some cats and LOTS of dogs. I have a nice balcony to sit on with room for flowers and herbs. I love watching the grass grow without worrying about who is going to cut it and watching the snow fall without worrying about who is going to shovel it. I've already got a new microwave and some paint in the bedroom without worrying about who was going to pay for it. I wonder why I didn't do this sooner! Enjoy!

 

[witzend]

When our dogs are gone I would love to get into an urban high-rise condo. Something that has restaurants and activities nearby. I'm tired of living out in the sticks. I'd also consider going for a smaller dog, but a $400 vet bill for Mandy and always having to hire a dog sitter is getting truly old.

 

[BusynMember]

As with everything else where I live, we have a real gem of a vet who, if you are a good payer, will allow you to pay out your bills and doesn't charge that much. I had Damian (laying on his back in my avator) at the vet the other day because he has a chronic skin condition. The checkup, medications, and Heartworm Pills together cost maybe $63.00. Getting the "kids" fixed cost about $130 a dog and that was because I wanted upgraded care. He has a marvelous reputation and just really loves animals. I've never paid $400 to see him for any reason. We are thinking of doing allergy testing and that will be $200, which I can pay out. If I do it, that will be the most I've paid to the vet so far.

I don't miss the city at all. I lived near Chicago all of my life and hated Chicago itself. I'm not into busy, crowded, glitzy and I don't like the prices. Although there are a few neat things to visit in Chicago, I would visit then go back to my house in the suburbs. But I like this smaller city better than the Chicago burbs because, frankly, the people in the Chi-burbs were pretty stuck up and not very friendly. This is more "southern" (told to me by an Alabama native).

I don't like the sticks either. Miles of no neighbors is boring to me and dangerous now that we are getting older, I think. And although my social skills are not great, I do like to be around people. I will never have tons of friends, but I like acquaintances that I know and see a lot, can wave to and chit chat with.

I wouldn't mind leaving Wisconsin though. I don't like the political scene here and the changes taking place in the state. I have always liked Minnesota...but my husband works here so I think we are stuck for the foreseeable future.

 

[DammitJanet]

while I am not in an apartment, I love the little house we moved into. I actually wanted to go the apartment route but I think with my large dog this house was a better choice in the long run because it has a fenced in back yard. She loves being out there watching all the people in the park. I dont think I could walk her to give her as much exercise as she needs so running around the yard is much better for her. However we are on about 1/32nd of the size yard that we have at the other place...lol. Tony cuts the grass here in about 10 minutes where it took him 2 to 3 days with a push mower.

I wish we never had to go home but I know we will. I keep threatening to put insurance on the old place and then praying a hurricane blows through. LOL Honestly I would trade that large doublewide for a little two bedroom single wide in a heart beat. Cory may get some money out of a lawsuit and he wants to buy a mobile home to put on one of the family pieces of land. I told him he could have mine if he would buy us a tiny single wide.