I am moving in to my new apartment today. I managed to find a one-bedroom apartment for $360 a month. That is a pretty cheap even for Kansas City. The apartment is nice it is just in an old building. That is my best tip for finding a cheap apartment – look for an older complex that is still well maintained. You can often get an apartment in older buildings for much less than the normal rate. I guess this is because people think apartments in older building aren’t good?, I don’t know. The location is great with a CVS drugstore, Dollar General, grocery store, bank, movie theatre, library, park, and lots of restaurants within walking distance.
The only negative is that it is on the third floor and there is no elevator. That could be a positive though because I need to exercise more. Luckily, I don’t own much stuff so moving won’t be too difficult. A couple of carloads should get me moved.
Andy, I’ve enjoyed reading you so much, I featured you on my blog. Thanks for staying a great read!
$360 is not bad at all. I reread your post from 2007 where you downsized to a studio at $375 per month so you are moving in the right direction! Have you considered buying a small place, maybe a townhouse or something similar, so that you can build ownership equity?
On another note, you say a couple carloads will get you moved. I’m curious about what furniture you own. Are they futons or do they somehow break down? Just curious as I would need a truck to move my bed and my dresser and would love to only own furniture that I could move myself in my car.
Marilyn – Thanks for mentioning me on your blog.
Frugal Miser – I am looking to buy property and/or a house. I looked at some property last week that was really cheap but didn’t like it. There was a good reason it was so cheap.
I don’t own any furniture right now which is why I can move so easily. I’ll probably have to buy a futon or something. For now I’m sleeping on my camping pads and am using a folding chair to sit on and a tv tray as my table. It is rather basic but it works.
Hey Andy, this is pretty cheap for KC. Is it in a good and safe area however?
I currently live in a small college town in Missouri and I am spending $325/month on rent. Heat,water,trash are included and I only pay for electricity ( $15-$20/month maximum). The only think I need my car for is to go to wal-mart ( oh yeah and I haven’t refilled my car with gas since August because I only go to wal mart with it).
Like your blog a lot, I would really hope that you succeed in your online endeavours. But I feel that you should be really consistent in your goals and achieving them!
Blogging Banks
Wow! $360 a month a fabulous deal in an area that sounds decent for this amount. I’ll take your advice to heart next time I’m looking to rent somewhere.
I think these deals can be located if one really looks long enough.
BB – I didn’t think you were living in Missouri now. You definitely can get really cheap rent in the small towns. I saw some apartments for under $300 in the small town where my mom lives. There are no decent jobs there but if I ever get my online income up to a decent level that wouldn’t matter.
Jorge – Glad you like the advice.