The Car Insurance Is Too Damn High
When I saw Christine's post about our combined expenses, I had a lot to say about how much we were spending on car insurance: $158/mo! My jaw hit the floor. Thanks for nothing, Allstate.
The amount we were being charged was mystifying. I deduced that either Christine had accidentally typed "Lamborghini" into Allstate's online quote system, or I'd caused a terrible 31 car pile-up on Lake Shore Drive resulting in the closure of LSD, the destruction of North Ave. beach, the cancellation of public transportation throughout Chicago, and thousands of babies crying in the Gold Coast. Of course, trauma-induced amnesia had blocked my memory of this event. Christine assured me neither of these scenarios occurred, so I replied with a paraphrase of Jimmy McMillan: the car insurance is too damn high! [fist pound on table for emphasis]
In fact, I said it so much (over several days) that Christine suggested I write this post.
First, we looked at State Farm, who offered us comparable insurance for a decent, but not outstanding, $88/mo. In the end, it was Geico who really came through with the best offer: $48/mo. So much better!!! That saves us $1,296 per year over Allstate! Hey, Christine isn't the only super-saver in our household.
Till next time, I bid all of you penny pinchers, budget makers, and coupon clippers adieu!!
--Hubs
We're on FACEBOOK.
How to Move to Chicago
A few facts...
According to Sperling's Best Places, these cities are more expensive than Chicago: San Fran, NYC, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and DC.
Chicago has the highest sales tax in the United States, even with the recent .5% cut: 9.75% Illinois income tax has just been raised from 3% to 5%, and is now one of the highest in the country, too.
Average price of regular, unleaded gas: $3.71/gal (Jan. 2012).
The best way to find an apartment?
The Reader or Craigslist. You can also try the “free” apartment services. An agent will take you out in his/her car to look for a place. These companies will charge you a finder’s fee of $200-$300 if you take one of the apartments they show you.
Cheap rents and rental advice?
I checked the Reader, where I’ve always found the best deals. Live-able apartments in decent neighborhoods can be found at these rates, heat included:
Studio: $600-$700
1 BRM: $750
2 BRM: $1,200
3 BRM: $1,450-$1,500
It’s a renter’s market right now, so please negotiate! Many management companies are taking action, reducing $15-$20/mo from the advertised price to further entice a potential tenant. Management companies are also changing their policies regarding security deposits. Some ask for $250-$350 in non-refundable “move-in” fees, instead, which, as it turns out, are ALSO negotiable.
Cheapest safe neighborhoods?
Most common to entertainment industry folks just starting out are Andersonville and Wicker Park. Also try Lincoln Square, Wrigleyville, and Albany Park. Be near a grocery store: Jewel, Dominick’s, Aldi’s.
Transportation?
You’re a performer, student, etc.? Forget your car. We have plenty of trains and buses. Live off the Red or Blue lines and you’ll be fine. The Brown line is safe, but may be inconvenient if you frequently travel after Midnight.
How much money should I save before I move?
I recommend 4 months of your projected
What about jobs?
The unemployment rate in Chicago was 9.8% for November. No industry has been spared job losses. If you're an artist, try the temp agencies first, then the papers -- Tribune, Sun Times, Reader. I also suggest you walk around your neighborhood and look for businesses that are hiring.
If you're working under a temp agency, you can leave with very little notice should you land something better or more permanent, and that's the advantage. The Larko Group is often advertised in PerformInk. I was a Kelly girl myself for a number of years.
How do I break into the entertainment industry?
That's a post of a different color, but I can tell you that print ads, commercials, and television series are non-existent right now, and feature film shoots are sporadic, even though we renewed our tax incentive. Also, Oprah and Bonnie Hunt left, which means the Chicago job market is swimming in highly qualified television workers.
Other advice?
Get yourself the Not for Tourists Guide to Chicago. And read my other posts:
My Sister Got Another Raise & an Award
Way to go!
Why Are Trips to Z Gallerie Such a PITA?
The good news is we like them, too. They're Z Gallerie's Valentino curtains in "steel". I was browsing at the store when I found them. I asked to see the "oyster" and "steel", and it took the saleslady about three years to come back to tell me they were out of stock. I thought $100 was very reasonably priced for oddly long curtains, so I ordered them to consider inside the apartment... knowing I could return them if they didn't work.
Ordering in-store took about THREE YEARS. When they were finally ready to accept payment, I found out the curtains were $100. PER. PANEL. Who sells curtains by the panel??? I went through with it anyway.
Of course, when I got home, I found Z Gallerie was offering them at 10%-off curtains on their website with free shipping. Did they offer me the sales price at the store? Did they mention they were having a curtain sale on their website? NO. Did they make me pay for half the order up front? YES! Ugh.
Several weeks later I received a call that the order was ready. It took the saleslady ABOUT THREE YEARS to find them (I had a looooong conversation with another salesperson about her boyfriend, painting apartments vs. a home you own, personal decorating choices, etc.), and when the saleswoman returned, she only had the "oyster" panels. That's right, only half the order had arrived! Before I could leave with the "oyster" curtains, I had to pay for the ENTIRE order, even though I had paid half when I placed the order, and half was what I was getting.
We got home, took them to the window, and decided instantly that the "oyster" color looked terrible with our yellow kitchen.
Finally, the "steel" curtains arrived. By this point, Hubs was really tired to waiting, waiting, waiting for me to be done at Z Gallerie. So, I arrived the moment the store opened, and -- to my glee -- was the ONLY person in the store. (That's right: strategery.) It still took them OH, ABOUT THREE YEARS to find the dang curtains! The process of refunding me for the "oyster' curtains was insane -- at least 30 minutes -- because my credit card had expired, and I'd brought a different one with me. When I got home, I noticed the refund paperwork stated they would send me a refund check via mail(!?!?!), but, to spare you THAT story, the refund ended up posted to my credit card. Thanks for the unnecessary confusion, Z Gallerie.
In review, it was $219 for the curtains, plus lots of time and gas wasted, plus unnecessary confusion for a grand total of... a royal PITA. I still like the aesthetic of Z Gallerie, but, from now on, I will only buy what they have in stock. No ordering from them again. EVER.
P.S. What Hubs thought of this debacle is not fit to print.
Two Consoles for the Price of One Coffee Table
We looked around at the nearby places: Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Target... Nothing fit the bill, and many of the options were way, way too expensive. I finally dragged Hubs back to IKEA, where we saw the Expedit bookcase laid on its side with added casters as a media console. It was perfect, and only $66 (with tax)!
They were actually out of stock that day, which gave us time to think and talk and measure. When we went back, we bought TWO Expedit bookcases, one in brown and one in white, three sets of casters ($16.50 ea. w/ tax), and two sets of 8" Capita legs ($15.40 ea. w/ tax).
The white one is in the living room looks like this most of the time...
But when we need more room, we push it under the window which looks like this...
The espresso Expedit with Capita legs is in the dining room under the window, storing food and displaying prettier dining items (and hiding water underneath).
Altogether, we spent $211.31, and could not be happier! They make the dining and living rooms seem finished. What do you think?
Christmas Breakdown 2011
I hope your holidays were splendid, too. Feel free to share what you gave or received for Christmas.
Hello, Chase Sapphire Preferred!
- $50,000 bonus points if I spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, good for $500 cash or $625 in travel.
- $95 annual fee WAIVED the first year.
- No foreign transaction fee. (You never know when Hubs & I might have to quickly leave the country!)
Also, the card is strange... heavy, inflexible. I whipped it out at a dinner with coworkers, and they were agog. Everyone wanted to know how I got it like it was an American Express Black or something! So, if you want something impressive, too, this is it.
Gift Ideas for 2011
Samurai sword-umbrella: $32.87 from Z Gallerie. Picked this up when I was there buying curtains.
Exercise shirt: $72.96 with free shipping from Lululemon.
Jewelery organizer: $27.43 with free site-to-store shipping from The Container Store.
A Christmas Story hardcover book: $11.17 with free shipping from Amazon. (You can get it for a dollar less right now!)
A Christmas Story DVD set: $22.99 with free shipping from Amazon.
Dexter, Season 5 DVD: $25.49 with free shipping from Amazon.
Book written by a current presidential candidate: $9.80 with free shipping from Amazon.
Gift card to a local restaurant: $40.
Donation to a charity: $100. This was at the recipient's request.
Four mini-boxes of chocolates for coworkers: $6.58 from Jewel.
That's just about everything. I won't tell you what I got Hubs until after Christmas, because he'll read this post and blow the surprise. Please, list your favorite gift ideas, and how to get the best prices. We all want to know!
Did you notice, I didn't get to use Mr. Rebates for any gifts this year? Oh well.
These Chandeliers Really Class Up the Joint
I bought this 5-light crystal chandelier from Overstock, where it got RAVE reviews.
Here's what it looks like in our bedroom:
We also bought this one from Overstock, although you can buy it from Pottery Barn if you're keen on paying more than twice the price. Many thanks to Copy Cat Chic for the post that inspired me.
Here's it is in our entryway:
I wish we could've replaced all the overheads, but it just wasn't in the budget. In the interest of complete disclosure, these lights arrived completely disassembled. I put on most of the crystals (it's hard on the manicure, ladies!), and Hubs trimmed and capped the excess wires. We attempted to get permission from our management company, but got some resistance from the first person we spoke to, so instead, we just went ahead and paid an electrician $60 to install them with Hubs' help. We dismantled and saved the old fixtures, and will pay the electrician to reinstall them when we move out.
Worth it!