WE GOT AN APARTMENT! FINALLY!

1228 Sumner Ave. #36
El Cajon, CA 92021

Not the home of our dreams but a home nonetheless. Dreams are worth working for and this is a first step.
Little one bedroom upstairs in a small senior complex, much like the other one we looked at but completely different part of town and about 35 minute drive from work but it will be our home. Totally within budget at $950 and month to month so we're not tied into a lease. We had two to choose from, the complex is not smoke free so two of the neighbors on the first side of the building smoked, one was medical weed. 
Mentally both of us nixed that one immediately despite that being on the green side of the building. Small park area with trees for residents to sit.
 The second one was in the process of being renovated, new flooring, will have a new AC and new faucet in the bathroom. A mirror layout of the first one being on the opposite side of the building. That should be ready by Monday when we have to be out of our current hotel room. Jon and I are still working the logistics on what and when to move things.
Completely gated both for walk in and drive in security gates. 35 resident units and one for the managers office, small recreation room and an upstairs exercise room. Downside is only three washers and dryers for the whole complex so you have to sign up for your time in the laundry. Dedicated parking spots off the street as well and the complex is on a small side street so relatively quiet. Since it's all seniors, no loud music or parties, and we're upstairs and on the end so only one shared wall.

It is tiny, not much bigger than our hotel room for the front room, layout and cupboards look vintage 70's. The kitchen sink has a greenhouse window so I can attempt to have an African violet again. It will have blinds that will block it off so Rocky won't have access all the time but I suspect he'll want to make it a nap cubby to watch the world outside. It will have to do because we have no porch.
Oh and it is an end unit so we don't get any people walking by and have a corner at the end of the railing to put plants or a small table.
I'll be taking pictures and measurements on Friday when we put deposits down. Home Depot has paperwork you can fill out to pay for deposits and such when you move but it's a dozen pages or more and then once you get the information you have to give it to HR and they send it to corporate and two weeks later you might have an answer and maybe a month later you might have the money.
Luckily I have a larger than usual paycheck this week and we can put most of the money down ourselves.
We'll be able to save money again! No more $40 or more for two or more meals every day, no more paying for hotel room every week that adds up to three times what we'll be paying. Jon is getting an extra $1000 for unemployment and I will be asking him to put most of that away so we can save even more.
Given the cost of moving totally out of San Diego, if we can save 600 every check from him and 250 from me every check, that's close to 1600 in one month x five months, there's a down payment on a modest mobile home or the cost of moving north. Jon says his unemployment runs out in 5 months, but that's still a good amount of time to save.

So relieved and yet still anxious, have to arrange for truck rental, still have to have storage, car might break down any day since the check engine light came back on again after I got an oil change. Have to arrange for two weeks off and use my emergency time off pay work provided.  Oh and find at least two or more people to help us move.

I thanked Sandy for giving us a glowing reference for our time with her. She told the manager we paid on time and were excellent renters. Half true but she worked with us so much and we didn't trash the place we helped take care of it and she was thankful.
Oh, something I've never encountered before is an 'apartment stove'. Half the size of a regular one so no turkey for thanksgiving in that oven. No microwave either so we have to get one of our own.

Jon is trying hard not to over react but every once in a while he says quietly, 'We have a home.'
We have a place to call home.