2. The phrase "Have a sleep." It was heavily featured on Flight of the Conchords the other week, and now I can't stop saying it. I want to get back into my bed and have a sleep.
3. Sweet Anne over at The City Sage did a give away and I won some fancy schmancy muffin liners! I can't wait to bake something special in them.
*I didn't just call him up and ask him to lower the rent. After reading all those NYT and WSJ articles about softening rents, I called around and got rent lists for apartments in the area, including one in our complex that is available, and then I wrote him a nice firm letter explaining that we could save a lot of money by moving but we would prefer to stay in our apartment (I also reminded him that we are great tenants). I asked for $100 off per month and he offered a $50 reduction and I took it. It might not sound like much, but that's $600 per year! One of my seldom mentioned obsessions is reading financial articles and then thinking about budgets and financial planning. Weird, right?
"have a sleep"- i love it. am going to start using it immediately! thanks!
ReplyDeletenice work on the rent issue! wow. i need to be more brave. congrats on saving yourself $600 a year! that's something to celebrate.
i think that is awesome! i am also- just recently- into super managing my finances and budgeting. it's strangely fun and empowering. and i love the phrase "a negotiating bad-ass". Well done! :)
ReplyDeleteRachel- this weekend calls for a celebration! Winning the cupcake cups (can't wait to see what you put in them) and the lower rent. A little breakfast in bed would be a great and lazy way to start the weekend. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletei am impressed by the rent savings! that would never fly in ny. i'll be lucky if my landlord doesn't raise the rent more than $75 when we renew our lease this yr.
ReplyDeletea fist pump was certainly in order after you found out you'll be saving $600 a year. that's impressive! i'm in my robe still, but i just might walk over to my landlord's apartment to have a little chat.
ReplyDeletenot weird at all - $600 is a great savings.
ReplyDeletethat is SO not weird! i do the same thing too.
ReplyDeletecongrats! i'm gonna try to refinance the lease on my car next week so hopefully i'll have the same success as you!
Good for you with getting your rent lowered! :)
ReplyDeleteyou are a total bad ass! Wish we could do that with our mortgage! :)
ReplyDeletewell done you for negotiating! very smart thing to do, maybe i should do some researching into rent prices too ;)
ReplyDeletehave a sleep sounds good to me!
xx
We're planning to do the same thing about our rent and fingers crossed think we can get it lowered by $100 per month at least!
ReplyDeleteand can we talk about how perfect flight of the conchords is? quite seriously the best show in FOREVER.
can't wait to see what you do with the muffin papers---I was SO happy when you won them!
You are officially a badass! Way to go. Now I feel empowered to start haggling with the cable company to get some adjustments.
ReplyDeletewait, you wrote your landlord a letter and he agreed to lower your rent... just like that?
ReplyDeletebad ass, indeed.
Wow-great negotiating skills! Very impressed. I am trying to do the same thing right now and I like your approach!
ReplyDeleteI like you even more cause you are one happy bad ass muffin making gal. It is all about the little things, right.
ReplyDeletenow if only I could lower our mortgage. great work!
ReplyDeleteHIGH FIVE!!! :)
ReplyDelete"have a sleep" - AH i gotta use that!!! fabulous
*High Five* Great work Rachel on lowering your rent!
ReplyDeleteLOL -- yes, that was a hilarious episode. I would like to "have a sleep" more in the afternoons on the weekends :)
Happy weekend to you Rachel!
congrats!!
ReplyDeleteask and you shall recieve hehe
p.s i love british sayings!
im a fan of "have a go" &&&... hmmm i seem to have forgotten my other fav phrase lol
I would celebrate with another pair of boots. =)
ReplyDeleteDoing the victory dance with you!
hey girl, that paid for those boots! lol.
ReplyDeleteWAY TO GO! I love that you were able to lower your rent by fifty bucks! Just think what you will be able to do with that windfall!
ReplyDeleteWell done! We plan to do the same when our lease is up in June.
ReplyDeletep.s. Did you note that Michel Gondry directed the last Conchords episode? Brilliant.
You are a TOTAL badass. I should do the same, but I have this irrational fear of getting kicked out of the apartment and having to live in a cardboard box in Prospect Park.
ReplyDeleteYay! To saving money on rent! All the more to spend on lovely handmade items!
ReplyDeletecongratulations! $50 savings is awesome. It's hard to find "extra" money when you are already so in tune with you budget. Big accomplishment in my book! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your feeling about the rent. I felt like a complete bad ass chick when I got our homeowner's insurance guy to lower ours by telling him we had been shopping around and we were ready to switch to someone else (which was half true).
ReplyDeleteYour blog is beautiful!
it's true! I did the same thing about 2 years ago after the markets had crashed, and brought my rent down by $600 (I should mention that I was living in the east village in NYC and the rent was crazy high to begin with) but it is SUCH a good feeling when you come through!
ReplyDeletehttp://crosbybeach.blogspot.com