Normally I'm positive but I need to get this off my chest

[ysette9]

I very much want to live in a nicer place one day and my poor husband has to hear about it all the time. It's not like we couldn't afford a better place but are getting a good deal where we are at, which is a good location despite not being the greatest as far as actual accommodations. Sucking it up for now because it lets us save a lot. However.....

I REALLY want double pane windows
I REALLY want insulation
I REALLY want central heat
I REALLY want efficient appliances that don't crap out all the time (I'm looking at you, washer!)
I REALLY want a non-electric stove top
I REALLY would like to live in a place where the sewer system properly drains all that is unholy in my household (ahem)

~waiting anxiously for the landlord's plumber to show up this afternoon~

[JLee]

I think I paid $220 for my washer/dryer set on Craigslist a couple of years ago. Can you just buy a working washer in decent shape for $100?

[ysette9]

That is an excellent suggestion and one I have been toying around with in the back of my head. Ideally I would like to get a decent stackable one that we could take with us eventually. That would mean convincing the landlord to let us reconfigure things a bit since currently the washer in inside the garage and the dryer outside. If we got a real plumber to do that work then maybe he/she could sort out the periodic water leak in that area for bonus points...

[use2betrix]

Some times renting makes sense, other times it doesn't. Are you positive it makes sense for you?

[ysette9]

The NYT calculator tells us we would need to sit put for at least 10 years for buying to make sense. Renting definitely makes sense though I am beginning to suspect we might need to move upmarket a bit. :)

In good news, the plumber just left and I now have functioning plumbing again. I am basking in the glory of a dishwasher that washes dishes for me, a washing machine that is cleaning my clothes for me, and not having to hike across the street to use the toilet. Running water for the win!

[use2betrix]

The NYT calculator tells us we would need to sit put for at least 10 years for buying to make sense. Renting definitely makes sense though I am beginning to suspect we might need to move upmarket a bit. :)

In good news, the plumber just left and I now have functioning plumbing again. I am basking in the glory of a dishwasher that washes dishes for me, a washing machine that is cleaning my clothes for me, and not having to hike across the street to use the toilet. Running water for the win!

The good news is, both a dishwasher and washing machine are easily replaceable by simply doing dishes yourself or going to a laundromat:) in fact, even when I had a dishwasher I'd rather do stuff by hand cause I felt that was easier than the annoyance of unloading a dishwasher. My current dishwasher I just married last week haha.

The toilets and showers, slightly more vital!

[scottish]

No insulation, no double pane windows and no central heat?   I hope you're somewhere warmish.  Is heating included in the rent?

[JrDoctor]

Join the club, blowing just over £300 for all my bills (tax, internet, utilities) but it is a bit grim.  But the low cost and walkable commute to work makes banking 50% of my pay easy.

[MayDay]

We rent, and we bought a washer and dryer for 200$ from the previous owner.  We hope to sell them to the next renters when we leave, but if not it will be 200$ well spent. 

Moving a washer and dryer is hellish, IMO.  Unless you place is tiny and you must have a stackable to fit it, get whatever is cheap, and get the stackable once you are settled, IMO.

[Helvegen]

I noticed some landlords are weird about you supplying your own appliances. Several flat out told us no about our own w/d when we were looking for a place last. One said yes, but we would have to pay to store theirs. Um no...eventually we found somewhere that allowed our own w/d, but we were surprised how against it many places were if they already had units in.

[2ndTimer]

Some times you do need to move upmarket a little just for your sanity.  A few years into our marriage we bit the bullet and started renting one bedroom apartments instead of efficiencies.  This meant that one person could have the light and do stuff while the other one was trying to sleep.  Big improvement.

[sstants]

I hear you 100%!!! That sucks. There's nothing worse than not being comfortable in your home and always having to deal with little problems. It really saps your energy away from paying attention to the important ish in your life.

Your rent payment isn't the whole story here...what's your sanity worth? I say it is worth a lot. A good home is one of the best forms of self-care that I know of. It may be worth paying a little bit more and making a move.

[ysette9]

It is tough and I keep waffling and checking rental listings on craigslist. I think in the end our inertia will keep us here. We really only need about 3-4 more years here before I think we can FIRE so I just need to keep my eye on the long-term prize.

I hadn't thought about the trouble of moving a washer/dryer so thank you for that perspective. Heat isn't included in the rent but we live in the SF bay area where the weather is mild most of the time, thank goodness. I would never put up with this if we lived in a place that got hot or cold on a regular basis.

[Altons Bobs]

There is no point living in misery, there should be a balance. If it means it takes a little longer to fire to have a non-miserable life right now, I would do it, unless you really don't mind all the things you're complaining about. ;-)

[begood]

It's true that it is expensive and a hassle to move washers, in particular. I definitely second the recommendation to hold off on buying (or buy something off Craigslist that works for now), then buy for whatever configuration you have in your next place.

[JLR]

Are washing machines in the US different to in Australia? My husband and I always move ourselves and moving our washing machine or dryer has never been a problem for me. It is the fridge and treadmill that I hate moving and always leave until last!

We decided it was worth upgrading and paying a little extra. It was only an extra $10 a week once all the costs were added up and at the new place we get about 50% more space, a toilet that isn't leaking over my laundry floor and a landlord who fixes things that are broken!

[soccerluvof4]

Normally i would of said that there is nothing on your list you cant do BUT since the assumption is that your renting (as its not written unless I am blind in your opening) that is just to many things to pass up on . Simply I would be looking for a better option.

[SwordGuy]

No insulation, no double pane windows and no central heat?   I hope you're somewhere warmish.  Is heating included in the rent?

We used to staple up big sheets of plastic to cover our windows in the winter.   Kept us much warmer and kept the heating bill lower.   Ugly as sin, but it worked, and we couldn't afford the higher bills. 

[Chrissy]

Are washing machines in the US different to in Australia? My husband and I always move ourselves and moving our washing machine or dryer has never been a problem for me. It is the fridge and treadmill that I hate moving and always leave until last!

We decided it was worth upgrading and paying a little extra. It was only an extra $10 a week once all the costs were added up and at the new place we get about 50% more space, a toilet that isn't leaking over my laundry floor and a landlord who fixes things that are broken!

In the US, washers and dryers are supplied by the landlords either in the unit, in a communal laundry room, or are not supplied, in which case the tenant uses a laundromat.  Fridges are always supplied by the landlord.  Kitchen appliances and washers & dryers also stay with a house when it's sold unless both parties agree otherwise.

[MayDay]

Are washing machines in the US different to in Australia? My husband and I always move ourselves and moving our washing machine or dryer has never been a problem for me. It is the fridge and treadmill that I hate moving and always leave until last!

We decided it was worth upgrading and paying a little extra. It was only an extra $10 a week once all the costs were added up and at the new place we get about 50% more space, a toilet that isn't leaking over my laundry floor and a landlord who fixes things that are broken!

They barely fit through doors and if you don't have a cart, take 2 people to move.  Stairs are the worst, they aren't bad on the main floor.

The big issue in our rental is that it is a 100 year old farmhouse with narrow non-standard doorways.  To get the W/D in, the previous tenant had to remove door trim and remove parts of the W and D.  We did not want to mess with that, and we will happily forfeit our 200$ if the next tenant does not want to buy them from us.

In our last house, the W/D was in the basement, and getting them up and down the stairs was not easy.  In that location W/D were always sold with the house, so the appliance man moved them in and we never had to move them out. 

[mikefixac]

Sounds to me you're ready to move on.

Though is might be a good deal money wise, why not ask your husband to at least allow yourselves to look at a few different options?

[ysette9]

I debate with myself on this every few days. I have been looking online and we could probably go from a 3/1 house to a 2/1 apartment and only pay $400 more a month. To rent another house in the same area that is in better condition would likely run us at least $1500-2000/month more. So we really are talking about a fair amount of money. So part of me really wants to live in a nicer space and the other part of me wants to suck it up for a few more years so we can bank the difference.