Splooshin'

[mamagotcha]

Splooshin'
Originally uploaded by mamagotcha.

We're taking a break from tearing around Chicagoland to enjoy the rays
at Foster Beach, possibly meeting up with some local homeschoolers in
the process. Gorgeous weather.

Looked at maybe 8 or 10 places yesterday. I'd love to do one of these
snazzy condos, but drums and dog will require a house, I think. Too bad,
because in our price range, we won't be living near anything very
walkable. And it will make Bill's commute significantly longer. I wonder
how much commuting is gonna cost, hadn't thought of that.

Got boys some Giodano's pizza last night... was hailed on Yelp as
transcendent but it was only eh. I'm seeing a LOT of different
ethnicities represented in little mom-n-pop places all over. Not so much
urban decay and boarded up places, but I might be missing those
neighborhoods.

Still no "I wanna live HERE" moments, but we're still hoping to narrow
down our option on this trip.

Drove by DePaul, looks like a nice place!

Comments

[genderfur.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm totally out of the loop. Did Bill get something in the Chicago area?

[1firefly.livejournal.com]

SUNSCREEN!! Glad to hear your having a good time.

[via-lens.livejournal.com]

Please do consider fuel costs (not just based on mileage, but also the idling done in rush hour traffic) and time costs (see infra re rush hour traffic) when you decide how much you can spend for housing. I know that I'm a little bit obsessive about trying to drive as little as possible, but another consideration would be whether it's a bike-able commute. In areas with significant rush hour delays, having a route that can be ridden on a bike might actually mean less time spent commuting in addition to the reduced costs. (It takes me the same amount of time to ride my bike 17 miles on trail from Redmond to Lake Forest Park that it takes to drive 24 miles on highways between the same two points during rush hour.)

When we first moved back to WA, we each had a 64-mile roundtrip commute daily. That meant we were putting 128 miles on our vehicles per workday. I sat down and calculated how much more I could spend on rent if I lived close to work. Here's how I did it (using today's numbers) --

Federal mileage rates are $0.55/mile, which is supposed to take into consideration fuel costs plus vehicle maintenance costs. It's a good way to think about what commuting costs monetarily (putting aside time for a moment). If I live 30 miles from work, each day I work costs $33. Assuming 20 days a month at work, that's $660/mo. Best case scenario, I wanted to find someplace where I could walk, bike, or ride the bus (which I did), meaning I could safely assume I had $600/mo more to spend than I was spending in Federal Way. If you live someplace where the alternate commute is only possible in favorable weather (you can bike, but not take the bus), then you should only figure you have the monthly commute cost available during those favorable-weather months.

Anyway, you can see how commute costs really do add up, and can drastically change what you think realistic rent rates would be.

I've actually been to Foster Beach! I loved that place.

[jedusor.livejournal.com]

Is Clay the one in the bikini? :P

[lunacow]

I have been meaning to alert you about the Harry Potter exibit that's currently running in Chicago (though perhaps you already know). It's there until late September, so it will still be there when you move, but if you're looking for something to do this week...

http://www.harrypotterexhibition.com/