Seeking housing. Any tips?

[Flarecobra]

Out in California, the apartment complex I lived in had it in as part of the rent. Where I am now is free though.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by Bells

is it free or "free"? Probably just diluted into your rent... i know some buildings do that, but it's usually one bill for the whole building divided over all apartments, which makes it pretty cheap.

If it's an average cost, they could probably just be including the diluted value over your rent and saying it's free cause it sounds way sexier of a sales pitch.

Either way, more important than being free is that you must know if there is a quota of any of it for you to use...

You still pay sewage, but the water itself is completely free regardless of how much you use.

[Nikose Tyris]

Followup: Echoing Poch, hunting Craigslist/Kijiji/Driving around in a truck in the spring/late summer, you can find half-decent furniture for free to furnish anything you need.

I've obtained three sofa's this way, and yes that does break the very logical cloth rule but I rented a steam cleaner and went to town on them. :/

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

I'm not rich as fuck, I work the same minimum wage jobs. I just had a healthy inheritance that I put to work for myself so that I could help others.

And living in whatever housing you can afford is brutal advice; the 30% is advice based on banks for calculating if you're in 'too much debt' or spend too much of your income to get any financial assistance. That's why I try and advise people to aim for it.

And no this is not an invitation to debate trusting banks.

Oh thank you for your magical words of advice. All of us paying far more than that are just stupid and throwing our money away for no real reason. Thank god you are here to tell us off for paying too much.
If you are working minimum wage then either you live in an area of exceptionally low rents or you are paying 40-60% and there ain't much you can do about it. Even living in the most shitty hovel will cost you that much- this is just how much rents are.
And man you got like investments and a family business- that is like hovercar rich.

Checks/Cheques are a very easy way to keep track of where your money went; it functions as it's own rent receipt, so you don't get screwed at years end by some scumsucker landlord who rents you an apartment for $600 a month all inclusive, then cuts you an end of year rent receipt for $400/month to claim on your taxes and tells you the rest went to "paying utilities so you can't claim that".

Cash is easy but has no security; Checks are safer than cash but will cost you $2 for a checkbook; and E-Transfers are safest and give a secure paper trail, confirmation number of payment, etc. but hit you with a $1.50 fee for every transfer, depending on your bank and account type. I only accept checks and E-Transfers, and I have them send $1.50 less to cover their fee.

What kind of ridiculous bank charges for E-transfers. America totally is the 1980s. I have paid for 99% of everything I get by either E-transfer or some form of card and haven't paid a transaction or bank fee in my life. Change your bank because whoever you are with are terrible.
Also doing all your own taxes- that's another sign of the 1980s.

[Nikose Tyris]

Originally Posted by Professor Smarmiarty

Oh thank you for your magical words of advice. All of us paying far more than that are just stupid and throwing our money away for no real reason. Thank god you are here to tell us off for paying too much.
If you are working minimum wage then either you live in an area of exceptionally low rents or you are paying 40-60% and there ain't much you can do about it. Even living in the most shitty hovel will cost you that much- this is just how much rents are.
And man you got like investments and a family business- that is like hovercar rich.

Woah hey hostile much?
I'm not saying you're stupid, and I'm not saying you're throwing your money away. And yeah I think I've explained a few times lately that minimum wage and finding a place for $600 is about 40% of your income, and that would still be an excellent find and a great place to live.

And man I can't even afford a car right now. I never said I was following those rules myself; I'm already steppin' on toes to keep everything lined up for the next 5 years, or else this whole house of cards comes crashing down. My goal is to bring down housing costs in the area for rentals to make them more feasible, fuck hovercar rich. Have you seen my fuckin' eyes? I'd crash it straight away.

[CABAL49]

Originally Posted by Professor Smarmiarty

I don't think I've ever actually seen a cheque. I wouldn't even know what to do with one.

The only time I saw it spelled Cheque was in the UK. I haven't seen seen a check since 2005. My grandmother doesn't even use them anymore and she lived through the Great Depression. She uses a debit/credit card like the rest of civilization.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Man I kind of want to send people cheques now. I reckon I can not pay heaps of my bills because like I'll send them a cheque and they won't know want to do with it but I've technically paid them.

[pochercoaster]

The last few places I lived didn't have electronic payments set up. My current place does but it doesn't work so I still use cheques. You're from New Zealand, I thought you'd spell cheque the British way? Huh.

Canadian banks LOOOOVE fees. I had to pay $13 a month just to have unlimited debit transactions on my bank card and that is fairly standard for Canadian banks. I probably should have used a credit union when I lived there.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Isn't cheque the british spelling? That's how I was taught to spell it and we spell everything else british.

[pochercoaster]

That's what I meant- which is why I thought it was weird you would comment on its spelling, since its the one you use.