How Low Can You Go?

This is a picture of me (and Jay) sitting in front of the heating vent in my apartment. It's one of my very favorite spots. I can sit there for hours -- reading books, watching TV, talking on the phone or hanging with friends. But, in spite of all that, I have decided to turn off the heat for a week.

Today I read about the no heat challenge and I am inspired to try it for one week. I already keep the temperature pretty low, but this week I'll go cold turkey (literally.) Here are the conditions of this expeiment.
* The temperature must remain set at 40 degrees. (No frozen pipes.)
* All other ways of staying warm are fair game.

I know. You're all worried that I'll turn into a block of ice, but that is not the point of the challenge. The point is to stay warm and fairly comfortable without spending the money to turn up the heat.

So that's it. One week without heat, starting ... tomorrow.

My Home is My Castle

A few years ago I learned that Balmoral Castle – the vacation home of the British Royal Family – has no central heating. So to stay warm on those cold Scottish nights they sleep with a hot water bottle. So do I!!

On cold nights in Milwaukee, I use two hot water bottles. The first one goes down by my feet and the second one is clutched to my chest like a teddy bear. I sleep nice and warm, while the rest of my empty apartment freezes. Zzzzz.

Total Cost: About $0.25 to heat the water give myself the royal treatment.

Elinor Approves the Rent

I found the perfect apartment. It is (almost) everything I wanted – good price, nice location, plenty of space, charming woodwork. Yep. I found the perfect apartment. But it wasn’t easy.

When I first started my search everything I found was too expensive, too small, too hot, too cold, too far or too dangerous. I learned the real meanings of words like rustic, cozy and beautifully redone (rundown, small, expensive). I learned that the most wonderful prospect can be disqualified by one fatal flaw – like one that had no lock on the front door, or another where you couldn’t stand upright in the bathroom.

After a while, I had a system. I narrowed down the neighborhoods that I would allow myself to look in – based on average rent, proximity to work and interest. Then I started calling, looking for the apartment with the best combination of factors. When I got a call back I would start with THE most important element and work my way down the list.

* RENT - It had to be within my budget, or I would end the conversation there – no need falling in love with a place I can’t afford.
* UTILITIES - I wanted a place where I could control my own heat since I like it on the cool side.
* FLOORS - I really needed a place with carpet since I don’t have any rugs.
* SECURITY - The door needs to lock. Pretty simple.

So, after finally knowing what I was REALLY looking for, I set out to fall in love with an apartment … and I found one! It meets all my basic needs, plus I like it. (More to come.)

All in all the apartment hunt was a rewarding experience. I came away with what I wanted, and I came in under budget. I feel like Elinor in Sense and Sensibility:

The house … was on so simple a scale, and the rent so

uncommonly moderate, as to leave her no right of objection …

In other words, she found a place SO perfect that she HAD to take it.