Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

August 1, 2019

Charlottesville 2.0: Why I'm Moving Apartments Again.

     Happy Thursday Friends! Today isn't only the start of a new month, but it's the start of the next chapter of my story here in Charlottesville! I'm jokingly calling it Charlottesville 2.0. 😂 Anyways- my lease on my new apartment begins today! I will be picking up the keys on Saturday! This is my first time ever moving apartments for a reason that isn't moving out of state / new job, and over on Instagram Stories y'all seemed interested to know more of the why and details behind my decision to move locally. So here we go with this fun life update!



Picture above from my previous move from Vermont to Virginia!


     What was wrong with my previous apartment? Absolutely nothing wrong with the apartment itself- I seriously cried happy tears when I first put down a deposit on my previous place during my job interview trip to Charlottesville in February 2018! I loved the apartment complex from the second I toured it, and I've been really happy in my one bedroom unit. You can see the full apartment tour in these blog posts: living room, dining room/kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and my Christmas decor from 2018! I've also enjoyed the complex itself- I adore the beautiful pool, and have been lucky enough to have several friends in the complex!
 
     So then why the heck would I be leaving? One phrase: rent increase. The apartment complex is under new management as of 2019, and if I were to resign another lease, my rent would be going up about 10%!!! In full disclosure, this apartment was definitely at the high end of my budget when I originally moved to Charlottesville. (However I had such little time to find a place, and after falling in love with this apartment complex I wanted to make it work, even though it was initially at the high end of my budget.) But the truth is I just simply can't afford that drastic of a rent increase from what I was previously paying! Or if I made myself afford it, I'd have to cut a lot of other things out of my budget going forward (like my gym membership and regular manicures, which aren't things I want to give up right now). It is unfortunate that the new management is changing the rent so drastically, but I'm trying to stay positive about all of it and looking at this as the start of a new chapter of my time in Charlottesville! I am proud of myself for choosing financial responsibility, and looking forward to traveling more in 2020 and beginning to save for a new car with the money I'll be saving on living expenses!


Picture from the day I first toured my soon-to-be former apartment complex during my job interview trip!


     Where am I moving to? Sticking with apartment life for now! I investigated a couple shared townhome or house options, but after spending the past few years very content in an apartment, I felt sticking with that type of living was still best for this life stage! I personally love apartment complex living and have no desire at this time to even consider home ownership in my 20s. I love having maintenance on-call, use of a community pool, and the safety that living close to others can provide, and all of the other perks!

     I will still be working my same job in Charlottesville, so I'm still going to be living here! Just moving to a new neighborhood and apartment complex. The new apartment will be a lot closer to where several of my friends live (walking distance to a few of them!) so I am excited for that. I am also excited that my new apartment had a fantastic utility package included with rent- the only additional payment per month I'll have to make is the electric bill! They cover everything else: cable, internet, water, trash and gas! In my previous apartment, I've been responsible on my own for all utilities, and they also charged pet rent each month.


This is a furnished model bedroom in my new apartment complex- I love that I got to tour a furnished unit to get an idea of what it would look like with my stuff in it!


     Why am I going to be living with a roommate again? Here's the biggest change with this move: I'm going to have a roommate again! I haven't lived with someone since my apartment with my best friend Ciera back in... Charlotte! I lived for a year in Vermont and my first year and a half in Virginia totally alone. There are a lot of things that I do love about living on my own, and I'm so grateful I had the experience to do it! (I truly think everyone should live alone for at least once in their life!) But last fall I started considering the possibility of getting a roommate again in 2019, and the more months I thought about it, the more I wanted it!

    First and foremost, The amount of money that I'll be saving each month by living with someone again is significant. Since this move was financially motivated in the first place, I wanted to maximize that as much as possible. Second, I thought a roommate would be good for Delilah! She is such a sweet, social cat, and some days I'm out of the house for the majority of the day. Cats are independent and can be left alone longer than dogs, but she still gets lonely. I loved the idea of her living somewhere with another person. Third, as much as I love living alone, there were a lot of things that I missed about having a roommate! Ciera and I would enjoy dinners together, watch TV together, and just enjoy each other's company randomly. I can't wait to do that again! And finally, I though a roommate would be ideal with my current lifestyle and schedule! As a morning radio host, I have a super unique weekday schedule. I'm awake at 3:30am weekdays and then in my room back in bed by 8pm. As much as I love my job, it's been tough on my social life at times to have to say no to so many things with friends that happen after I need to go to bed. Oftentimes full weeks will go by where the only people I talk to on weekdays are coworkers, and I'm alone the rest of the day after! I can't wait to have a friendly face coming home in the evenings again. On another note, I am also glad my roommate and I do have different schedules! I will have the apartment to myself for 4-5 hours most weekday afternoons while she's still at work, so I think that will make the transition easier of going back to living with someone!

     It was super important to both of us to find a place in our budget with separate bedrooms and separate bathrooms, and thankfully we found a great 2 bedroom 2 bathroom! So we each will have our own spaces, but also shared space for both of us.


     Meet Abigail- my dear friend and new roommate!


     How did you find your roommate? My new roommate is one of my closest friends here in Charlottesville! I met Abigail on July 4th last year... because at the time she was my other dear friend Eden's new roommate! They've been housemates together since then. Abigail had wanted to be back in an apartment complex living situation when her previous lease was up, and I of course wanted to start saving money once I found out about drastic rent increases! Our leases ended a month apart from each other, and we had a lot of similar preferences in living styles, so in the early spring we began looking at places! We investigated both apartment complexes and shared house situations, and then we found the one we loved! Since we looked so early, we had first dibs when units for August opened at the place we're moving to, and we actually signed our lease back in April. My Type A plan-ahead self was in heaven with that, haha!

     Abigail is in Charlottesville for grad school at UVA! She is super smart, and also hilarious, kindhearted and fun to hang out with! She is a cat lover and I know Delilah will adore having her around. We don't go to the same church, but my friend that we met through was a church friend of mine, and Abigail and I are both part of the same larger mixed church friend group here in Charlottesville! She has also helped me with blog stuff a few times- she took the photos for me in this fun collaboration last year! 


     Thank you so much for reading today, and for supporting me as I embark on "Charlottesville 2.0"! While Abigail and I pick up the keys Saturday, I actually don't move in fully until Labor Day Weekend, as my previous lease ends in early September! I am so thankful to have a full month to move stuff over at my leisure! In the past, I've always had to move all in one day, so this seems like it will be much easier to handle. I look forward to sharing more moving updates, and of course an apartment tour once I'm settled into the new place!


     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese 
   
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4 comments

  1. Lots of changes coming up for you but I'm so excited for you!! While I love living solo, it is fun having a built in friend in a roomate!

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  2. Moving is so exciting but I know it can be stressful sometimes to. Best of luck in your new apartment!

    xoxo,
    Juliana Grace | www.julianagraceblogspace.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this! So happy for you and this new chapter. Good luck with everything ❤️

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  4. Best of luck on your new move! Having a roommate will be so much fun. I loved my college roomies.

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