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Tell Us: What Was Your Best
Apartment Deal Ever?
Before my then boyfriend (now husband) and I moved in together, I had what I think of as the best apartment deal ever. Seriously, hear me out.
In 2009, two friends and I shared a three-bedroom apartment in DC's Dupont Circle. I paid $700 a month for my room, which had beautiful original wood floors and a great fifth floor view. Our total rent was $2,000. In case you're unfamiliar with the neighborhood, you can get a one bedroom apartment for that price. We managed to have such a reasonable rent because one friend had moved in first with other roommates and been added to a lease that I think dated back to the 90s.
While rents can vary wildly among cities, there are deals to be had everywhere. What has been your best find?
(Image: Abby Cook)
109 Comments
In late teens/ early twenties. A historic colonial style home. I rented the whole 2nd floor for $350 a month.
From 2001 to 2005, I rented a 1000 sq. foot apartment. One huge room, roughly 18' by 39', with 9 windows, original hemlock flooring, and a tiny kitchen and bath tacked on one side. Two fireplaces, deep window enclosures that formed a window seat at each window, 16 foot ceiling, massive crown molding, weird closets, and a small deck. For $500 a month.
If I hadn't gotten the best possible job offer and had to move out of state, I'd be there still.
first floor of a triple decker with two bedroom with living room, huge dinning room, and yard. $1300 when we paid $1225 for a medium one bedroom a block away. Boston (Somerville) walking distance to Harvard.
It was when I was in grad. student. It was a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment with the greatest/largest kitchen I have ever had. Just huge. Paid $425.00 a month and could walk to campus. Lived by myself. Loved it.
ah, Dupont! I had a 3rd floor one-bedroom at 18th and S for $1000 a month. All to my self. It even had a claw foot tub. And some mice, but for that price, totally worth it.
I have lived in a one bedroom, slightly rundown apartment in the Montrose section of Houston, TX - near Rice University, the Medical Center and downtown. I pay 350.00 a month. I will have to move out because the owner is going to have to renovate and double the rent - which as a composer, I can't afford. I'm looking to relocate to another part of the country with good universities, a symphony orchestra, art museums, and the finer things - but still affordable. Someone suggested Providence, R.I. Anyone have suggestions?
My current place is a small 2 bedroom in a great South Minneapolis neighborhood for $750. That includes utilities and free saxophone lessons for my son. Best deal ever.
In my 20's - For $60
One room in a house from the 1800's. My room was the gigantic bedroom that once was for the lady of the house. There was a maid's room on the other side of the shared bathroom for another housemate, and a set up like that was once for the man of the house. Between these was a hallway of closets and built in drawers (which we shared) leading to a solarium the whole house used. Upstairs - 2 more maid's rooms and a gigantic ballroom we all used for yoga. Downstairs, for ALL of us....a music room, a library, a giant dining room, butler's pantry and kitchen big enough for 4 fridges and a big farm table. OH! And a secret staircase from the kitchen.
My rent, in case you missed it = $60
Grad school in St. Louis, one block from Wash U's campus and the huge Forest Park, one bedroom/one bath with big porch, wood floors and claw foot tub for $425/month. One of my friends lived down the street and had a 3 bedroom all by himself for maybe a few bucks more...had an entire room for all the empty boxes he moved in with.
My fiance and I are lucky enough to have a phenomenal landlord. He rented a 2 bedroom apartment from the same landlord with a buddy before we started dating. 2 years later, After our daughter was born (and after a horrible experience with the landlord we had in our first apartment together), we called up the old landlord to see if he had any units available. He said he was completely rented out, but was looking to maybe purchase another income property. He let US pick the property he bought and proceeded to rent it to us for only $850/month - 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 2-story townhome (built in 2003) with a full basement (unfinished). It has been amazing,
Oh. Did I mention the huge 2-stall attached garage? It's like a choir of angels.
@Hessilou: that is funny and great!
My deal is about to end soon. For 575$ I live in Montreal in a 4.5, which is a bedroom, a separate kitchen, a dining and living room, with two balconies.
It's in a row house by the Canal, and even though it is falling apart I love it's early 20th century charm. The floors are sinking and everything is on a slant, but I have a huge bright kitchen with 10 foot ceilings across the flat. A long hallway connects all the rooms, and casts long shadows.
Alas, it was sold last week and the new owner wants to gut the place so I will have to move. I know nothing like this will ever come my way.
Sophomore year at USC (MANY years ago) with 6 friends rented a seven bedroom (approx, 6000 SF) on the east end of Hancock Park. BEAUTIFUL Craftsman that was taken down years ago along with half the block (equally large Craftsman homes) to put up condos. We each paid $100 a month (first two months free as we agreed to paint the interior for landlord).
$900 for a 2 bed in Chicago (Ukrainian Village). It was a gorgeous apartment from the 1920's with amazing woodwork, and was probably around 1000 square feet. The kitchen was HUGE! I really miss that kitchen, even if it didn't have a dishwasher.
I just moved out of a 1-bedroom apartment in Cambridge, on the 8th floor, with 180 degree views out of the 80+ windows inside (I kid you not), looking up to Harvard, down to the Charles river (with an amazing view of downtown Boston and Fenway out of our bedroom window), and east to the bay. Our last weekend there, we watched the 4th of July fireworks live from the privacy of our own room.
Best rent of all? It was FREE. We advised undergraduates in return.
It's still mine.
I had a one bedroom apartment in a small apt. building in Seattle, right on the Ship Canal between Ballard and Fremont. It had a large deck with an unobstructed view of the water, parking, storage and a big bedroom, for 725. I only moved because I bought a condo.
please let us know in your posts on location/year(s)
My then girlfriend, now wife, and I lived in the 18th floor of a building on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. It was 1000 sq. ft. had one entire wall of glass that went the length of the apartment which included the living room, dining room and bedroom. The view was of the lake, the marina, the bike path and the golf course along Lake Shore Drive. $900.00 including indoor parking....wish I still lived there.
Maybe I'm just unlucky, but it seems like I've always paid top-dollar for housing. I don't think I've ever had a sweet deal!
Consider Cleveland. Our orchestra's one of the big five and we have a fabulous art museum, with a brand new contemporay on the way this fall. Case Western is in the same area, as is the Cleveland Institute of Art with their world-class Cleveland Cinematheque. Otterbein and Oberlin aren't too difficult to make a day trip to.
While I love NYC, Chicago and DC for their cultural offerings, the affordability and little big city charm of Cleveland is unparalleled.
Just stick to the east side. :-)
My very first apartment, fresh out of college, was a studio in Silverlake, on the corner of Sunset & Santa Monica. $725/month, all utilities included. The building itself wasn't much to write home about but the location couldn't be beat. Walking distance to the best Silverlake has to offer including Intelligentsia Coffee, 0.5 miles from the farmer's market, 0.5 miles to a Metro red line station to take me straight into Downtown LA (for work) in 10 minutes without the hassle of traffic or parking.
I feel like the place I live in now is a total deal. $675 for a 475 sq ft studio in NW Portland (close enough to the Pearl that when I tell people my address they'll often mistake it as such).
Now, $675 for that size may not seem like such a steal-- but it is SO well laid-out, and it's basically a 1-br but since the "dressing room" (aka the bedroom) doesn't have a window facing out (i.e. a legal egress) it only counts as a studio. Water (heated), sewer, trash, recycling all included.
The building is 101 years old, with original hardwoods and other quirky built-ins and woodwork. So full of character. South-facing windows with tons of light and a view of Lair Hill. Plus, $60/year on-street parking and I can always find a spot right in front. Plus, really hands-off landlords that don't care if you paint or make other modifications to the space.
I don't think I can ever move!
@hipkip - parking included makes that a steal.
until last month, we rented a 1200 sqft, single family home, with backyard and extra side lot, in East Pilsen/Chicago for $800 a month. loved that place.
I am currently renting a 1 bedroom apartment, approx 450 sq ft, heat included for $320.00 a month. I live about 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver, BC (by bus and skytrain). It's a great apartment but with no frills, not run down at all :)
Cap hill/uptown Denver studio, but large by any means, for $500. All hardwood floors, brand new appliances, included all utilities but electricity and the building had free wifi. Loved that!!
In 1998 I rented a 1 bedroom apartment in NYC's SoHo (at the corner of Sullivan St & Spring St) for $1375.00. When I left in 2001 I think it was up to about $1425.00. It was about 600 sq ft with an eat in kitchen, a full bath and very high ceilings. The same apartment would go for about $3,000.00 per month now I'm sure.
After being rejected for multiple apartments for being American and once for "having an unlucky birthday," I lucked out on a cute, never-lived-in apartment in my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo (Shimokitazawa) a couple years ago for about $750 a month.
It was tiny -- 350 square feet -- and I shared it with my fiance a few months later, but it was perfect and we even entertained quite often. We had one big bedroom/living room area, a little kitchen that fit our tiny table and two stools, even a washer/dryer. It was right along a gorgeous stream where cherry blossoms bloomed each spring, perfect for picnics and jogging and riding bikes.
The catch was that we could only live there for one year, and then the landlady's sister was planning to move in.
Golly I miss that place.
I just rented a VERY large room in a beautiful victorian home located in Ditmas Park (Brooklyn). The house is 3 stories (not including the basement) with hardwood floors, tall ceilings, a great backyard with a pear tree, a large front porch with a swing and sky lights so that at night you can see the moon. The neighborhood is quiet and I have the top floor with my own bathroom and claw foot bathtub. My rent is $850 per month- that includes everything. Three other ladies live here with me and we love it.
The apartment I live in now that I will never leave. Nothing great in the architecture detail except for weirdly having 5 huge closets in 495 sq. ft. But at $800 for a third level one bedroom in closet to everything Mt. Pleasant, it can't be beat
2 years ago, Highgate Village (ish), London. Victorian hilltop flatshare with huge private rooftop terrace and amazing views of the city. £300 per MONTH incl everything except electric. Unheard of in zone 2 london!
BUT Because:
1. my room was in the loft and tiny
2. one of the 3 bedrooms was actually the lounge so the instead of splitting the rent between 2, it was split between 3. So the beautiful terrace was our only common area (which suited me fine cuz one of my flatmates was an absolute twat)
3. landlord lived in ireland and had never visited in the 3 years I lived there. He had no clue how valuable the building was and let us decorate however we wanted.
From 1997 to 2004 I lived in West Hollywood, CA one block south of the infamous Sunset Strip and one block east of Beverly Hills in a great 1950s 600 sq. foot studio with full kitchen, old classic stove, hardwood floors and a city view from my enormous windows for only $572 a month due to rent control. It was AMAZING!!! They eventually paid me to leave (so they could raise the rent) which was enough for a down payment on a house!
Late 1990s: $490 (utils included) for a one-bedroom in a great Long Beach, California, neighborhood two blocks from the beach. The apartment was probably 600 square feet, huge kitchen, hardwood floors, claw foot tub, cool built-ins, lots of character. Shared yard. I moved from there to an $1100 one-bedroom in Westwood—that hurt!
2 years ago I moved out of a massive rundown overpriced 3 bdrm apartment into a quiet 1 bdrm. There is a livingroom/dining area/kitchen, a good sized bedroom with a huge closet with built in shelving, and a large bathroom. Also there is deck with plenty of room for company on warm Summer nights.
Heat, lights and hot water included...$500 a month.
I Bought a combined 1 bedroom and a studio in a very nice 28 story high rise in downtown Detroit a year ago for 4000.00. It is currently featured in Detroithomemagazine.com
My first apartment in San Francisco was $800, including underground parking. It was 1993 and the building had ZERO charm, but still!
My current apartment is a pretty good deal, considering the current SF market. I'm paying a little over $1,500 for a large one-bedroom with two walk-in closets and an eat-in kitchen. It would probably go for $1,800 or more if I were to move out tomorrow. When I moved in 3 years ago it was only $1,495 because it doesn't get a lot of natural light. It feels cozy, though...I love it. I've never had this much kitchen storage...it has a built-in hutch in addition to the regular number of cabinets, and still room for a normal-sized kitchen table.
sharing the top floor of a 3-story house in williamsburg, brooklyn with my boyfriend. comparatively huge bathroom, eat-in kitchen big enough to also accomodate my work space of a computer and shelf, huge living room, and a small sleeping nook enough to fit a queen size bed and a closet. windows in every room (two in living room and kitchen). clawfoot tub, rickety charming floor boards. $1200/month. So I we split it, i pay $600.
williamsburg brooklyn average real state is about $2000 for a 1 bedroom (maybe). or a studio. I dont live in bushwick.
I have a pretty sweet deal right now, considering I live alone in New York (well, Brooklyn). I pay $1,000/month for a 200sqft studio with a lofted sleeping area and a storage loft above the bathroom and ALL OF MY UTILITIES INCLUDED. The only thing I pay out of pocket is internet.
Just out of college, I rented a one bedroom apartment for $500/month in a brownstone in Boston, two blocks away from the Hancock Building. Within two years, the building along with many others owned by the landlord, now developer, converted to condos and I was able to buy my apartment at an excellent price with no money down and good financing provided by the landlord/developer. I had to move out for a month so the apartment could be upgraded (new kitchen, new bathroom, carpeting, etc.) I lucked out big time, I thought it would be years before I could buy a place but I did so at the age of 24.
I live with my husband in a 500sf one bedroom on a cliff over the pacific ocean. We pay 800/month, utilities included. In La Jolla, CA :)
I'm fully aware we'll never be this lucky again.
We currently rent a one bedroom bungalo: amazing hardwood floors, full basement, plaster walls, shared drive, back patio, living room and dining room. All just blocks from the lake on the near westside of Cleveland for $375 from an awesome landlord who let's us have our three dogs for no extra.
More than 2 decades ago in Vancouver I lived alone in a very small, perhaps 350 square feet, apartment with no bedroom, just a double-bed-sized alcove in the wall with cute glass doors. There were giant drawers under the bed behind the doors. There was a separate stairway to the outdoors, I got the newspaper delivered every morning. There was a lovely back deck/stairway/patio that everyone used in common, and my tiny kitchen had a back door out there as well. Over the front stairwell was a gigantic storage area behind a door in the living room wall. There was a big closet at the top of the front stairway. There was an even bigger closet outside the bathroom. It was plain, well-made, with hardwood floors everywhere, 1930s. Probably many people would want to rip out 1 or 2 of the closets and have more floor area.
The apartment was on the 3rd, top floor. The building was up a small hill from the street. My street was up a steep hill from Commercial Drive. And Commercial Drive to downtown Vancouver is one big incline. I bicycled home from work every day, sat in my very large (almost) floor-to-ceiling window every evening and watched the sun set behind the silhouette of Vancouver Island. This apartment cost $225 a month, everyone else in the building paid very little as well, we had no idea why. I would move back in tomorrow if I could.
Maestro: look at Central / Western NY state. Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo. Lots of folks from downstate NYC area are moving up to the Fingerlakes area (Skaneateles & Ithaca) and you will really be surprised what you can get here for your money. All the things on your list, too.
None of the apartments I had in NYC were a deal, but the best deal was in Syracuse NY's historic walkable Eastwood neighborhood was a 2br on the 2nd floor of a 2-family house. Hardwoods throughout, very cute, $450/month in 2001. Those were the days.
$645 for a "studio" (lkitchen, main room and bathroom), second floor of a Philly rowhome in a great neighborhood. Everything was right outside my door. 350 square feet and perfect for one person.
And, currently I'm in an $800/mo heat included 2br with huge bath, dining & living areas, galley kitchen, 22 stairs to my apartment on the 2nd floor of a 100+ year old building, smack in the town center of Skaneateles, NY. No hardwoods, but 15 ft ceilings, 7 closets (2 walk-in), glass doorknobs, & French doors between living room & hallway. Steps away from and views of one of the cleanest lakes in the world right from my living room. 2 miles from work. Short of living in a big city, this is the best place on earth!
My best deal was in a prewar brownstone on Restaurant Row in NYC from 95-98. It was a one-room studio, about 550 sq. ft., with huge double oak doors, 13 foot ceilings, two chandeliers, and a bed loft. I paid $850, utilities included. And since the owners also owned the restaurant below, I got a free meal every time I paid the rent. It was amazing.
I realize people don't want to age themselves, but giving a price without a year doesn't really mean much. $500 in 2012 is ridiculously cheap for even a one bedroom apartment but $500 in 1960, a completely different story.
I rented an incredible studio (but it had a separate dining room) on Castro at about 21st Street in San Francisco. The rooms were big. Two walk-in closets, both with windows, provided more than enough storage for me. Rent was unbelievably cheap, but one of the windows in the living room bay didn't quite close all the way. The owner's (then-) partner helped me paint everything. It was bliss.
In 2006-2007 I lived in the area behind The Drake Hotel in Toronto. I guess it was still a bit up-and-coming (definitely no trendy bars on Dundas!) but I was coming from an even dodgier area and it was luxury to me.
When I was looking to move from a terrible roommate situation I scoured craigslist. The going rate for a basement bachelor was around $900 which I definitely could not afford. I found one ad that didn't list an area other than West Toronto and had no pictures. Oh and it was $550 inclusive.
I showed up at the open house convinced I was walking into a trap. Instead, it was an incredibly cute full 1 bedroom apartment in the basement of a wonderful blue row house. Sure the ceilings were short. There was only 1 window, but I had a beautiful exposed brick wall in my big eat in kitchen and a full bedroom and separate living room.
The landlords were sweet and it even had AC. Rare for Toronto. I only moved out to move in with my boyfriend, and our rent for the two of us to live in a one bedroom ended up being almost 3x what that place was.
Paris - early 1990's - 2-bedroom IKEA-furnished garret in a 6-floor walk-up in the 11th arrondisement: $425 a month.
Montreal - 1994-2001 - 8.5 room (entire ground floor of a classic turn-of-the-[other]last-century triplex). Double salon set up: Library, living room, storage, 1st bedroom, bathroom, large dining room, 2nd bedroom off the dining room, large sit-down kitchen, back laundry/storage room. And a concrete backyard with my fairylights dangling from the circular outside staircase. Located just off carré St-Louis near Pine & St-Denis: $565 a month (hydro not included but was about $120 a month on the monthly plan).
Vancouver - 2003 to present - 1 bedroom, 900+ sq. foot dated apartment with storage room, overlooking Commercial Drive in the heart of Little Italy: $425 a month (plus $30 in electricity per month).
The downside to having a great apartment, though, is hanging around the city longer than you should just because you have such an incredible deal. I probably should have left Montreal at least two years before I did just because I loved my apartment so much... .
The home I live in now! I moved to country Western Australia as rent prices in the city became completely ridiculous. I prefer to live alone and it wasn't viable in Perth. I now pay $220/week for a beautiful cottage surrounded by natural bush and farms. I'm only ten minutes from town and work and I have fantastic neighbours who I have the perfect balance of friendly/respectful of space with. I adore it here, and after ten years of dodgy landlords/nosy neighbours/crazy housemates I never ever want to leave!
Well, I thought I had a steal until I started reading these comments! $1100 for a 630 sq ft one-bedroom in West Harlem. Hardwood floors, attentive super, roof access, and laundry in the building next door. Best part is, I'm 15 minutes to Columbia (where I work).
2010-present: I rent a 1-bedroom condo in the Atlantic Station community within Atlanta, GA (walking distance from GA Tech, public transportation, and lots of shopping/dining/etc) and the like for $850 (including garage parking and all utilities except cable)–a steal for a neighborhood where the average rent for similar units is $1500.
Orange County, CA - Our first apartment was in Orange, CA, right in Old Towne within walking distance of Chapman University, the library, the park, countless antique shops and restaurants. Two bedroom, one bath with a garage and balcony for 1200. I loved that place. It might not have been a *steal* but compared with some other places in the area...yeah. I loved it.
I am currently living in Toronto(Queen St) in a main-floor studio apartment,everything included for $725! This is hydro,cable,internet,water,heat,AC.EVERYTHING. It is a large studio with a human-sized fridge and bathroom with enough space for me to have a distinctive bedroom-living room-dining area-kitchen. Best thing about it? It's a 6 min.walk to my school campus. My friends are all envious of my luck!
And laundry is right upstairs too! A God-send for a college student :)
$400 for 1 bedroom including ALL utilities but cable in Augusta, Georgia in 2003! Beautiful old victorian home with all the trimmings converted into apartments. The downside was that the neighborhood was spotty. Still, best deal ever!
It even came complete with a secret, hidden compartment behind a small bookshelf!
My current apartment. It is in a town where 1 bedrooms in owner-occupied 2 family houses go for 1500 a month (I hate owner occupied). I have a 2.5 bedroom apartment with a private deck in a 3 unit apartment building for 1200 a month. I think it was purely because the landlord and I "clicked" and he could tell I would be the ideal tenant (pay on time, no loud parties/music). He lets me have pets, and when I moved in game me a month's free rent if I wanted to paint the place myself (which cost half of what the rent would be) in any colors I want. Yes, it is an old building and was last "renovated" in the 80s, but it has wood floors, high ceiling, large windows, and did I mention the private deck?
Great comments by everyone so far - okay, my sweet deal apartment is northwest suburbs of Chicago. It's about 650-sq feet with wood floors. Nothing fancy, but over time I have made it my home. It's comfortable, front door, back sliding door, ground level. I've created a little outdoor patio to sit and enjoy with a grill. I take care of the apartment building (4-units, including mine). I've added flowers and plants around the building. $480/month ... but I pay utilities.
For the past two years I paid $283 close to downtown Richmond, Virginia. I lived with two other people. Technically it was a one-bedroom with a living room, dining room and office. We lived above a coffee shop, so there was free internet. We only paid for gas and electricity. There was a deck that looked over a decent sized backyard. The kitchen was huge, and we had a washer, dryer and dishwasher. Definitely the best deal I've heard of anywhere. The downside to the apartment was that it had a severe lack of windows.
My (now) husband and I, plus a roommate, rented the penthouse apartment of a lofty apartment complex in the beautiful, historic Highland Park neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama (yes, it is a real city). It was 2400 square feet, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, and had a lawn and two long covered porches on the roof of the building. Since my husband and I shared a room, we had a guest bedroom. Our rent, combined, was just over $1500/month, and this is a fairly expensive neighborhood. It was like stealing (except for the ungodly utility bills), and it was the best party pad in the city.
I'll echo the sentiments of those who have said that, after reading the other comments, they're not sure their deals are such deals! Still, it's nice to reminisce...
Early 80's - $187.50 a month for a tiny pre-war studio on Darlington Avenue in Brentwood/L.A. If you know the area, you probably know these apartments - they're little Spanish tile roofed places that line a central walkway, one block south of San Vicente and a few blocks north of Wilshire. With this kind of location you almost don't need a car, which is a rarity in L.A. Bonus: free parking out back.
Mid-to-late 90s - $575 for a 550'ish square foot 1940s bungalow (with garage!) west of Bundy off Ocean Park Boulevard near the Santa Monica Airport. The front and back doors lined up so you got amazing cross ventilation (front also had a screen door, which I pine for now that I live in NYC), plus the location meant that no A/C was necessary. Back door opened onto grassy area which lent itself to hanging out/parties and offered a place to gather and calm nerves after the 1994 Northridge earthquake (tequila shots at 5 a.m.!). But most importantly, I was blessed with very cool neighbors (one of whom is still a top tier friend). Good times...
My current apartment is the best deal in all of the city...Halifax, Nova Scotia. My boyfriend and I live in a 900sq. ft. apartment, three appliances, heat and hot water included, two bedrooms for only $770/mth. laundry is just downstairs and the neighbours are all super sweet. Most of the other buildings in my neighbourhood range between $900-$1350 for one bedroom apartments.
Current apartment is a steal. I looked at a dozen studios for $1200 and more in the Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton and Mission Hill neighborhoods before finally getting a TWO bedroom for $1100 in JP for my fiance and I. We rent out the spare bedroom on airbnb making $600 amonth, so in all our rent is $250 each!
We just signed a lease in Central/Powderhorn Minneapolis for $900 a month. It's a 2-bedroom with a large kitchen, dishwasher, separate living and dining, great hardwoods, molding and built-ins. Plus a free washer and dryer, and a 1-stall garage with an opener. Plus a porch! And a little yard! We're thrilled.
State College, PA 2006. I got really lucky and through a friend of friend got this 2 bedroom 1940's brick cottage with original details for 350 a month. Walking distance to campus and also close to everything within driving distance. Front yard and back yard. The cottage was surrounded by a nice hedge fence with two huge trees in the front yard. There was even a little picket fence gate, with a heart cut out. It was precious.The place came fully furnished. Original wood floors, 1940s kitchen and bathroom tiles, wood windows. It had a free parking spot, laundry room with free washer and dryer that I did not have to pay for and all utilities were included in the rent even cable. Also there was a friend of the landlords living in the basement who took care of maintenance, I never shoveled snow, raked a leaf, mowed a lawn the whole time I lived there. And the landlord was super nice, when I moved in I asked him for a new full mattress instead of the twin size mattress that was already in the room and he provided it. (he probably got it for free from the curb since it was a college town but still) and also he got me a dresser and a bookcase. Best deal hands down ever!!
Several years ago I was able to rent a large studio apartment in Printers Row in Chicago for $750/mo. At the time, the apartment building was redoing their facade and had plywood leaning against 3 windows. I loved it. While other studios in the area were going for $1200+, I was living in my dream apartment -- and I could _afford_ it! Truth be told, I liked the plywood. The windows they covered looked over a short hallway rooftop and directly into someone else's kitchen!
It was a one room studio with lofted bedroom on St. Botolph St. 10 minute subway ride from work; 5 minute cab to the hot spots in town; restaurants/shops/museums everywhere. I was about 6 blocks from the Prudential Center, and 4 blocks from the (new) John Hancock tower.
The studio was 400/month, including utilities. It was the perfect transition between adolescence and grown-up apartment space. I lived there for almost 3 years before moving to Ireland. 30 years later, I still mourn for it.
Hmmm. There was the entire adobe house I rented in Santa Fe for several months for $65 month back in the early-70s. And the studio apartment over Chris Owens' nightclub at Bourbon and Rue Saint Louis in the New Orleans' French Quarter back in 1974 for $100 a month. I rented a studio on Avenue A and 11th Street in the East Village 1976-1977 for $90 a month. Lived there for a year then moved to San Francisco's Nob Hill and rented a garden apartment on California Street for $140. I refuse to hand over my life savings for a place to sleep. And TWNT1ANDCOUNTING -- you do have a steal. Enjoy.
Current apartment is absolutely wonderful.
two bedrooms + large living room + large kitchen/dinning room + historic building + hardwood floors + antique stained glass windows + tiny balcony (north side) + deck (south side) + shared courtyard in back + original tin ceiling in entryway + washer and dryer + teeny tiny bathroom = $400/month (no utilities included)
It's my sanctuary.
One thousand square foot, pre-war, one bedroom in Forest Hills, just off Austin Blvd..
Great neighborhood, gorgeous building, beautiful details.
Rent controlled at $212.00 a month.
That would be 1981.
Years ago, I graduated into a recession. It meant crappy jobs, but also cheap real estate. I bought a studio apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that didn't seem cheap at the time, but is now still just $400 a month. I guess sometimes it takes a while for a place to become a great deal.
From 2004-2006, I rented a 2-bedroom railroad apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn, half a block from the subway, for $975/mo.
The reason it was so cheap was because the floors were horrendous (the carpet had been ripped up and the floor partially painted, but it had not been sanded and still had tons of little nails in it) and the bathroom door didn't close all the way. I didn't care--I loved having 4 whole rooms to myself in that neighborhood. I just put down lots of area rugs.
My best deal is still mine -- in the Dupont area of DC. Studio, about 550 sq ft, corner unit, high ceilings, TONS of light, big kitchen, separate foyer/dining area, charming original 1920s fixtures and touches (creaky wood floors, big old wood doors with brass knobs, claw foot tub, big ceramic sinks). Rent is $1200, which includes utilities. I'm so lucky, and I want to hold on to this place as long as I can!!
post-Katrina New Orleans, a HUGE gorgeous old house in the French Quarter, 1/2 a block off Bourbon Street that had been converted into apartments years before. A friend and I had the entire top (third) floor to ourselves. wrap around balcony, off street parking, 18ft ceilings with exposed beams, hidden storage units in the walls between the dormer windows, 2 bedrooms with a Jack & Jill bathroom. Unfortunately it was sold 2 years later, and the new owners converted it back into a single family home. But for those 2 years, we lived the life - friends constantly stopping by for dinner and drinks on the balcony, making a cocktail and taking it for a walk around the neighborhood with us, popping back home to freshen it up as needed.
Before we had kids my husband and I rented a beach cottage in White Rock, BC with a 180 degree view of the water, our room was in a loft carved out of the attic where we woke up to that view. We rented the house, albeit small with its amazing deck, view and garden for $700. The downside was it was not insulated so it the winter when the West Coast rain hit it was a tad chilly.
Wow, you guys need to come to rural MS. Even your best deals are still astronomical to us, ha ha. My aunt once rented a three-bedroom/two-bath with separate office, library loft, and a pool maintained by the landlord for $500/month and then right after that, rented a five-bedroom with living room and den, two dining areas, balcony, and huge backyard for $1,000. I've seen several smaller two-bedroom apartments with super since kitchens, tile floors, crown molding in nice neighborhoods rent for $300-400/month.
There is a two-bedroom house across the road from my house that sold for less than $20,000 last summer. It was once a railroad flophouse and pretty cool-looking. It's a little small (though not as small as many places I see on here), but it cost about as much as the vehicle I drive.
Of course, when I say rural MS, I mean the true middle of nowhere. Areas with no paved roads...
i think the best deal is what i have right now. i live in new york city and most studios start from $1200 and up and they are teeny tiny :(
but! i found a one bedroom (basement..but lots of natural light during the day) for $700! :D
utilities included. good neighborhood, and most importantly, there's space and it's clean!
A couple years ago, three friends, my boyfriend, and I all rented a 4 bedroom/3 bath in Hyde Park in Chicago. It was the entire 3rd floor and had just recently been remodeled. Stunning kitchen, big living room, big dining room, sunroom (ie guest room), in-unit wash/dry, on top of the 4 beds and 3 baths. All the appliances etc were great quality. It was $2800 for the whole place, ie 560 per person, which was a steal for the quality, city, and neighborhood. Usually places like that refuse to rent to undergraduates (which most of us were), but I think the guy made an exception because it was his only property in the neighborhood, and he just wanted it filled. The best part was that I was the only girl in the group of 5, so I had that near-gourmet kitchen almost to myself. :)
Studio flat in Helsinki, 28.5 square metres (yes, at that size the .5 was very important!) for €450 including water and district heating. I moved in there in January 2002 and left in May 2007 - and the rent never went up.
It was tiny (in one furniture configuration the foot of my bed was under the dining table) but lovely (high ceilings, wooden floors), and was very well placed for public transport - buses, trams and metro all within a few minutes of my front door.
Mid-'80s, flatshare in London (West Hampstead, edge of St. John's Wood, overlooking a park) for a mind-boggling £35/week (about $40 at the time, when the dollar was strong).
Early '90s, HUGE 2-bed w/ separate dining room and entry hall in a prewar Allston MA apartment building with hardwoods, gas appliances, original glass-front cabinets, black and white tile bathrooms, coffered ceilings & bay windows...split $725 rent (H/HW included) with 1 roommate. Cheap even for back then.
And the place I just moved from (an admittedly shabby-genteel 1860s Portland, ME historic district Mansard chopped up into 1-bed units) had 12-foot ceilings, hardwoods, and was 10 minutes or less on foot from everything in town...was way below market rate at $650/mo (H/HW included). I was tired of the lack of storage and guest space, but you put up with a lot for a good deal. I'd probably still be there if I hadn't finally bought a place.
A few years ago I was a college student in Plattsburgh, NY. My best friend and I rented a huge 2 bedroom in a building above some super adorable small shops. There were high ceilings and windows in every room, including the bathroom, and they all overlooked a park and the end of a river emptying out into lake champlain. The living room had 2 walls of windows, the windows alone were 6ft tall/3 ft wide, each wall facing different parks. It was the only street in the town that had nice buildings and cute shops, so we felt very lucky to be on it. Also, we were within viewing distance of a historic city hall building with a dome ceiling on it and a monument that looks like the washington monument with a bird on it. If it doesn't get any better, the park we were facing was the place where the town holds it's fireworks of several events and the street in front of our living room was the location for parades (prime viewing). ...all for the combined price of $600.
I'm currently in my favorite of all the apartments I've lived in. First floor, two bedroom, HUGE kitchen, AND I have a fireplace! Tile floors throughout make cleaning a breeze and because the building is adobe, I don't even need air conditioning! And the rent is only $875. Which is roughly half what I was paying in my old place which was smaller and had a closet of a kitchen.
As newlyweds in 1981, my husband and I paid $500 a month for a three bedroom flat in a duplex. It had hardwood floors, custom cabinetry, a butler's pantry, 2 baths, garage parking, a fireplace, washer and dryer in the basement with a laundry shoot and 27 windows. It had one of those cool little milk doors that we actually had mild delivered to. The best part was the spinster teachers and their 92 year old maiden aunt who owned the place and lived downstairs controlled the heat and paid for it. It was so toasty warm during those Milwaukee winters that I wore summer pajamas all year round. I don't think we know how good we had it. We were 2 blocks from Lake Michigan in tony litte neighborhood near UW Milwaukee.
Mine was definitely my first apartment -- tiny though it was, I had my own one-bedroom in Toronto's Parkdale area for $600 inclusive in my 20s (2004-2007). It was too small to share with my husband when we were married, but for 3 1/2 years, I'm positive it was the best deal in Toronto! I even had a little article written about it in one of the Alt Weeklies: http://contests.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_12.02.04/plus/myapt.php
From 2000 - 2009 I paid 1100GBP for a two bed flat in London, directly across the road from Hyde Park. It was in a Regency building constructed in 1834 and we had views south across the park and east into the city. We would spend summer days and evenings outside in the park, lazing with a group of friends, with the convenience of a fridge full of food and wine just steps away. Within walking distance were amazing museums and art galleries, great places to eat and cozy local pubs. I could not imagine a better location to live in London.
Right now I pay $315 a month with half rent during summers. My apartment is 3 bedroom with a 2 person lease (which means free room), it has a great floor plan, it is top story and a 10 minute walk to my university.
My ex and I were struggling artists with crummy paying jobs. We moved to a highly reputed neighborhood in Grand Rapids, MI, the childhood home of Henry Ford. The 2nd floor of this house had been vacant for years and it smelled that way too.
After filling up a few dumpsters full of junk and giving the entire place a thorough scrub down, my share of the rent was $250, no utilities. Hardwood floors throughout, historical delapitated appearance, vintage appliances, 1300 sq feet with a rickety patio that had a beautiful view.
Best deal I ever had. We had plenty of room to spread out and ever roller skate.
downtown frederick, MD (my hometown) with two good friends; total rent was $400, split three ways...crazy. though not a huge city, there was lots to do and downtown was hoppin' for three ladies in their early 20s. the apartment was big, too—however, it was slightly run-down due to the elderly owners who hadn't updated anything in years (not to mention no idea what they could charge for prime space). there were lots of memories made that year, and i'll always remember it fondly as the last hurrah before i picked up to move out-of-state with my now-husband!
maestro58- Check out Nashville, TN. It has a great Symphony, music and lots of universities. Blair School of Music is incredible. My Best to you.
where I live now...1900 sf in Upper Upper West Side Manhattan, 15 min to work on the train, stabilized rent under $2000, huge bedroom, big kitchen with dishwasher, dining room with french doors (used as office) floor to ceiling window in living room.
@maestro58 - Providence, RI is great. Very good symphony, nice museums, revitalized downtown, good restaurants, many universities (Brown, RISD, Johnson&Wales), colleges, the finer things as you say. Boston is only 1 hour away, NYC 3 hours. Compared to those two cities, rents are very reasonable but I don't know if you can get a decent apartment for $350/month.
Moving to RI from Texas you will be mystified by some of the local habits - like the reluctance to drive more than 15 miles to do anything (drive 30 miles and chances are you've left the state).
Before the real estate started climbing in price again, and about a year before Financial District become 'cool' in NYC, in 2009 I rented a luxury 2 bedroom apartment, with 3 people, free rooftop, gym, doorman and laundry....and we each paid $933....we rented it for 18 months, and by the time we moved out, they raised our rent $1300 dollars for the next tenants. We won that one!
right now, I live in a nice three bedroom apartment in a three family house. great neighborhood in downtown Newport, RI, gorgeous in-ground pool, and plenty of parking (a rarity for some apartments in this city!)$1400 a month, but my share is $450, utilities included.
In grad school, I had an entire 800+ square foot upstairs corner apartment to myself for $500/mo. This included a whopping $15/mo cable deal and so much storage space I didn't know what to do with it all-- amazing!
From 1989-1992, my husband and I rented in a newly built condo building overlooking Columbus Circle in NYC. Our one bedroom was $2200/month and over the course of four years, the rent went DOWN to $1875/month. We had a full view of all of the 843 acres of Central Park. My mother would bring her friends to stay at our place when we went out of town. Twenty years later, she still hasn't forgiven us for moving to suburbia.
My apartment right now! My boyfriend and I live in an approx. 800 square foot 1 bedroom in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Hardwood floors, HUGE kitchen, and we have the whole third floor (windows on every wall). Apartment is a block away from the main road in Chestnut Hill and 15/20 minutes to Center City. We pay $795/month (400 each)...
But we're about to move to a TINY 1 bedroom in Glover Park, Washington DC for $1550 with no utilities included. So sad...
We (husband, myself, twins and a dog) live in amazing house rental. We have been blessed with the most amazing landlord. When we were considering the house it was a dump, the previous tenants had done terrible unmentionable things to the home. Our landlord told us to walk around the house, make a list of what was wrong/needed to be replaced or fixed and she would take care of it. Not only did we get paint but new carpeting, new countertops, plumbing, electricity, fire alarm system, a brand new fence in the back yard. It looks like a brand new home. She is so generous and so kind and we love her dearly. We are truely blessed.
From 2006 - 2011 I rented a THREE bedroom 1185 sqf apartment in Vancouver's West End for $1250/month. It was a first floor walk up (own entrance) in a 100 year old character building. If you're unfamiliar with Vancouver BC real estate, a decent ONE bedroom apartment downtown goes for $1300 - $2000 / month. I only left to move in with my boyfriend in a condo that he owns. (the condo is 640sqf and would rent for $1700/month). So basically I had the best deal in town!
When I first moved to Florida in 1993 I rented an 800 square foot one bedroom right on the Gulf for $250. My morning commute to work would consist of carrying my shoes, walking out the door, and walking a mile up the beach.
There was nothing fancy about the apartment but it did have a a laundry room with washer, dryer and plenty of storage. And of course the view out the windows was fantastic.
My first apartment (the one I just moved into in April) is a pretty amazing deal. I live right outside of Albany, NY. Nothing decent is under $800... except for my apartment. I live in a 1890s 2-bedroom, third flood walk-up with my boyfriend. Our living room has vaulted ceilings, our dining room has a decorative fireplace, our bathroom has a claw-foot tub. We have a balcony which overlooks a beautiful shared courtyard. Our bedroom also overlooks the courtyard and the other 1890s home across the way. We use the second bedroom as an office/mancave. We get free laundry which is in a small building across the way. Our landlord is a great, friendly guy. He's always inviting my boyfriend over for a beer. We have free parking and we're only blocks away from downtown. I love coming home everyday. I've made it very cozy and warm and welcoming.
The best thing about my boyfriend and I's apartment is that we pay $600 a month for it. Gas and electric are around $60 in the winter and $120 in the summer. We're in our early 20s and we don't earn much even though we're constantly working so the cost is perfect for our budget. I'm glad we found our apartment. It's the best deal ever.
Everyone here seems to be talking about rentals, but we recently bought our apartment and got an amazing deal (by our standards).
We had been shopping for months, seeing endless apartments that all looked alike. Until one day we stumbled upon an old apartment from 1930 that was by the river, had lots of history, beautiful wood floors, high ceilings, next to a charming part of town... and at least 20,000 euros less than other comparable apartments! Finding the apartment of your dreams- at a a discount!
I had to post. When I lived in NY, it was hard to find a bargain and a safe area for my family and I. We wanted to live in Manhattan because it was close to church, work, family and amenities GALORE! Our first apartment was a 1 bedroom, lots of closet space-but in Yonkers for $1025. Our second apartment was a one bedroom in upper Manhattan for $1100. Our third apartment was in upper Manhattan-a studio at $996. We thought we were getting a deal! We moved to Massachusetts a few months ago and just got an apartment- one bedroom, beautiful, quiet area, large, parking RIGHT infront of our apartment and at $725 per month- it's the best steal.
My best deal came at the end of 2009 when a friend of mines told me about a basement apartment coming up for rent on Connecticut Avenue (Vann Ness/UDC) and I got the apartment. The Awesomeness?!: $950, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, seperate kitchen and washer/dryer in unit, dishwasher, huge closet (could have been another bedroom), parking space, yard and front porch...and the grill outside did not hurt either. Also, a 2 block walk from the metro. Absolute best deal I had to date.
My best deal came actually not this passed january but the one before, so 2011. Scored a 2 bedroom Apt in San Jose, CA right near downtown in Japantown for only 975 a month. Thats right, 975!! Yes, the man was old and there was a lot that needed to be done with the apartment (it needed a painting badddd) i still think its a pretty good deal because i was having trouble finding just a studio around that price.
I live near nashville tn and I kid you not I am renting a two bedroom two bath house with 7 acres of land for $250 a month. The house is off the beaten path a little but well worth it. Also it is more than a 100 years old, but well maintained. With a little tlc I was able to spruce this old home up and now it gets compliments from everyone who steps foot in it. So basically the lesson I learned was sometimes if you sacrifice a downtown place for something a little farther out it will pay off in the end.
New York - 1st Floor Brownstone Studio w/ sleeping loft (queen size), about 250 sq feet... but... on the UWS of Manhattan in the low 80's, near Broadway. $1400/mo and that is the "new" rent after being raised. Found on Craigslist by owner, with no broker fee, to boot. That's nuts.


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5. Mark Ruffalo: Just Like Heaven
Academy Award Nominee: Best Supporting Actor, The Kids Are All Right.
Now I don't know, I'd have to disagree with this one. Despite being a good actor, he was put on the list as being too subtle for a lead role in a romantic comedy, and used a clip from the final scene in Just Like Heaven as proof. Now, yes that scene was rather awkward, but because the circumstances were awkward. And romantic comedies always seem to be trite. But I think he can pull off the lead role in those genres.
4. Colin Firth: The Last Legion.
Academy Award Nominee: Best Actor, The King's Speech.
Apart from the trailer looking interesting, this film actually did rather poorly after its release. It's a shame really, because I am both a fan of Colin Firth and the King Arthur story. But at number four he is on the list.
3. Amy Adams: Cruel Intentions 2
Academy Award Nominee: Best Supporting Actress, The Fighter
Based on the clip Amy Adams certainly has come a long way since this, and thank goodness for that. That's all I have to say.
2. James Franco: Whatever It Takes.
Academy Award Nominee: Best Actor, 127 Hours.
Playing the high school jerk, with the cliche goal of getting the girl, based on a bet. James Franco makes his first role not so memorable.
1. Jeremy Renner: National Lampoon's Senior Trip.
Academy Award Nominee: Best Supporting Actor, The Town.
Now I wasn't shocked with the winner of this list, and agree completely. Seeing Jeremy Renner from The Town, it is even hard to believe that he once starred in a movie so goofy like National Lampoon's.
Congratulations goes out to them from making it out of those roles and coming on top. To view the whole top ten, along with Marlow's reasons, head here.
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The glory before the dangle of shame.
© Chris Perry, Sep 2011
Route: Flying Buttress Direct
Climbers: Kit Perry
Camera used: Nikon D40


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Ratings based on 87 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
4.8 Room cleanliness
4.6 Service & staff
4.9 Room comfort
4.8 Hotel condition
They paid and stayed.
We double-checked.
We double-checked.
for Couplesby Jim from Texas
Here is the dealPosted Mar 15, 2014
We gave this condo a 4 rating. Our kids are now in or out of college and my wife and I (who are still relatively young at heart and in age) travel to exotic spots throughout the carribean and mexico a couple times a year together. It was our first time to Hawaii and probably won't go back. Not that we regret seeing it, the terrain was wondeful but.... First the condo which is what this review is about. The condo unit itself was great - nice amenities, nice porch, nice desk staff, etc... However, the overall resort has a bit of a disney feel to it. If you are taking kids or grandkids I think you will love it. It really is not for couples in my opinion. The man-made lagoons are great in themselves, but they also add to the contrived feeling of the whole resort. Perhaps had we gone to maui or the big island we would fee different. The resort has different sections: mostly hotels such as the marriott, but if you stay at the condos (villas) , the lagoon assigned to the villas does not come with beach chairs. Everyone had to bring their own or just sit on the sand. That seems like a big mistake to me. Hawaii in March only got to 79 to 80 degrees each day - not the best month to go. The condo overall is good and you won't likely be disappointed if you have kids or grandkids, but if you are use to going to southbeach, the Turks, cayman, etc. You might decided it is not worth the 8 hour flight, or if you do and you are a couple, go to a different island for sure.
for Familiesby John Moa from Corvallis, OR
Great Family ResortPosted Jan 17, 2014 on Hotels.com
Amazing: a full week at a great family-oriented facilities right on the beach. A ways out of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu in a beautiful resort setting. Better priced than 3 separate hotel rooms and many more features: full kitchen, 3 bathrooms, large sliding doors to great lanai.
for Familiesby A verified traveler
Great PlacePosted Dec 30, 2013
We are a family of 5 who enjoyed 10 days here. We prefer to make most of our own meals so this type of set up is ideal for us. We had a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, ocean view room which was well appointed, clean with high-end appliances. Though our flights landed late evening, we did pick up groceries on our way from airport to resort at the Target - it was worth doing this as it made our first couple of days and time adjustment much easier. We do not recommend the ABC Store in Ko Olina - very over priced - however, if you don't have a car, it's your only option. Many other shopping options are a short drive away. Pool was well-maintained; beach was sublime and we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation.
for Everyoneby dina
Excellent package dealPosted Oct 30, 2013
Got flights for 2 from FL, car rental and an exceptional room at Ko Olina for a great price. We loved everything about this place. We used the kitchen rather than going to restaurants and it was better than cooking at home! Very clean, very quiet and very relaxing. Lots of weddings to watch at all hours every day right off our Beach Tower balcony. Added to the charm of the place.
for Everyoneby Cynthia from California
Awesome place!!Posted Oct 29, 2013
This was our 2nd visit to Ko Olina! Very nice staff & helpful! You feel like family! Love the location of Ko Olina. Your not in the middle of craziness. You can truly relax & enjoy yourself. You don't need to leave the area as they have a lot to offer. Can't wait to go back already!!!
for Everyoneby Colleen from R
Great location for family vacation!Posted Oct 13, 2013
We had a wonderfull stay in a first floor villa The villa was spacious beautiful and extremely comfortable . we had everything that we needed for a lovely time. The only downside is the pool and jacuzzi close at 9 pm, it seems that 11 pm would be more appropriate for a vacation villa
for Familiesby Dominique from Texas
Great StayPosted Oct 3, 2013 on Hotels.com
The villas were large and beautiful and the kitchen was fantastic. All the staff was very kind, helpful and friendly. The lagoons were great for small children since it was netted off and the currents were tempered. The resort, however, did not have a restaurant/room service so that was a small setback, however there were some in walking distance. The location is a million times better than super busy Waikiki, though on the dryer side of the island. Great stay. Can't wait to come back.
for Everyoneby Brian from Costa Mesa, CA
Great resort! No crowds, and amazing kitchen!Posted Oct 2, 2013
Pros: Everything. Be sure to check out the gym and sauna. We went for our anniversary but we will bring our kids here next time.
Cons: Would be nice if they had a small cafe for breakfast downstairs.
Location: We loved walking the beach each morning & checking out the other properties nearby. The $800M Disney resort is worth checking out- especially the spa.
We stayed at the Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort for 7 days and can't wait to go back! We looked hard for a hotel without all the fees and this was the place! Parking was included, no resort fees, and even free wi-fi. These villas have everything you'll need. The dish washer and washing machine even had detergent. The kitchen was amazing with top of the line appliances. We loved how the entire sliding door to the patio opened up to let the ocean air inside. One of our favorite things each evening was watching the sunset from our ocean view balcony. The staff was great- the room was cleaned each day and even took care of any dishes that happened to be left in the sink. (Handsome) Blaine was awesome! He knew the best deals in town for what we wanted to do and gave us a tour of the whole place when we arrived. This place exceeded our expectations! 5 stars all day! If you want to experience the crowds, just walk down the path to the Disney resort! No crowds at this resort- nice and quiet and always room to lay by the pool or relax in the jacuzzi.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Amazing!!Posted Oct 1, 2013
Beautiful! Staff was great!! Parking was included. House keeping even did our dishes! Going back soon!
for Couplesby A verified traveler
Nice hotel near beach, quiet this time of year.Posted Sep 27, 2013
Pros: Rooms were very clean modern and outfitted with kitchen utensils
Very relaxing. Close to beach and shopping for food. A few restaurants available that were good. Deck barbeques were very handy.


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Pepper Jelly Sauce
Photo: Jennifer Davick; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett
More From Southern Living
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
- Calories: 29
- Fat: 0.0g
- 2/3 cup red pepper jelly
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Stir together red pepper jelly, spicy brown mustard, horseradish, and orange zest.
- Note: Nutritional analysis is per Tbsp.
My Notes
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Pepper Jelly Sauce Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Sauces/Condiments
- CONVENIENCE: Quick/Easy, 5 Ingredients or Less
- DIETARY CONSIDERATION: Low Calorie, Low Cholesterol, Low Fat, Low Saturated Fat, Low Sodium
- PUBLICATION: Southern Living
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text:
Written by:
i love to write in lower case
but if you ask me why,
the reason i would give you is
it comes down to the "i."
my first initial, written small,
is capped off with a dot.
the way it hovers makes me smile –
i like it quite a lot.
most people stick with capitals;
from grammar rules, no slummings -
except for those outside the norm,
like poet e.e. cummings.
i've always loved his chutzpah
for it took a lot of nerve
to get his poems, unique and cool,
the notice they deserve.
with email now, the rules are bent
so when i correspond,
i always type in lower case
with fonts of which i'm fond.
yet many times i will concede
and give in to convention.
i'd hate to be perceived as one
just dripping with pretension.
but really, who i am's ilene,
expressed in lower case.
that dotted "i" identifies
as clearly as my face.


text:
2:55 P.M.: When Productivity Dies
You're cross-eyed from monitor glare, comatose from lunch digestion, and you don't even realized you just opened up Facebook: It's 2:55 in the afternoon, the time of day when productivity dies…
Here's what can you do about it
At what time during the day—or night, for that matter—are you least productive and how do you deal with it?
3 o'clock is kind of the unofficial "snack time" around here.
Reblogged from Fast Company


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Bank Name
Closing Date
Updated Date
|La Jolla Bank, FSB
|La Jolla
|February 19, 2010
|February 19, 2010
|George Washington Savings Bank
|Orland Park
|February 19, 2010
|February 19, 2010
|Marco Community Bank
|Marco Island
|February 19, 2010
|February 19, 2010
|The La Coste National Bank
|La Coste
|February 19, 2010
|February 19.2010
Gold falls 1 pct after Fed hikes discount rate
more than 1 percent on Friday as the dollar gained after the Federal Reserve said it was raising the interest rate charged to banks for emergency loans
Peter Grandich chips in with:
Fed Raises Interest Rates
Posted by Peter Grandich at 5:01 PM on Thursday, February 18th, 2010Lets see, the IMF announces gold sales at 4:30PM yesterday. The Fed announces a discount rate hike todayaround the same time and gold quickly drops $15. It's a good thing I'm not one of those conspiracy nuts like these guys:http://grandich.agoracom.com/2010/02/fed-raises-interest-rates/-END-
On Thursday, I pointed out that the 10 year bond fell badly to a yield of 3.80% The long bond fell to a price of 116.18 dangerously close to blowing up all of those interest rate swaps.
Here is a commentary by Bill Murphy showing what happened to gold and the bond yields before and after the announcement:
During yesterday's normal trading hours, three points stuck out to me
*Despite LOUSY U.S. economic news, the DOW dinked its way to an 80 point higher close in the same turtle-like up fashion we have seen for so long.
*The price of the 10 yr T note broke down an enormous threat to the money starved US Treasury and to the recovery of our economy.
*Gold's stunning price recovery, and breakout above key resistance at $1120, despite the IMF news.
Then came the Fed discount rate hike news .
*The DOW fell exactly what it rose for the day, but has since recovered and even gone HIGHER. It then made sense why the DOW rose so much yesterday. Thus it was allowed to drop the exact amount it made for the day, so no harm, no foul there.
*The yield of the T note didn't budge an iota.
*And, of course, the gold price was bombed.
Thus gold started Friday at around 1100 and spent the entire day climbing to par and then climbing to 1125. The cartel members were extremely nervous seeing gold's huge demand.
It was only in the last half hour that they lowered gold's value in the paper market when all the physical boys were satisfied with the metal that they had obtained.
Pay no attention to the whack of gold after 1:30 in the access market as they bankers are trading amongst themselves as everyone else had gone home.
Here are some numbers for yesterday:
The yield on the 10 yr T note dropped slightly to 3.78%.
The dollar fell .33 to 80.61. The euro went up .0121 to 1.3581. The pound gained .0023 to 1.5450. The yen rose .35 to 91.62.
While gold and silver are still under The Gold Cartel's gun, other commodities like crude oil (up 75 cents per barrel to $79.81) and copper (up 7 cents to $3.36 per pound) are really on the move.
The CRB gained 1.65 yo 277.80.
The turtle DOW did it again, up 9 to 10,402. The DOG gained 1 yo 2243.
On the physical front, we had 5 stories to note:
1. Russia last month increased their official physical inventory of gold by 100,000 oz or 3.3 tonnes of gold.
2. The COT report released after the market closed at 4 pm showed short covering by the long speculators of some 5571 contracts in gold.
The commercials were all over the board ---they lowered their long positions (the intermediate bankers) by 9757 contracts but also the massive
bank shorts (JPMorgan and HSBC) lowered their shorts by 7400 contracts.
It was the small specs that received the paper from the bankers to th tune of 3478 contracts. Believe it or not but a rather large 5845 contracts went on the short side
from these small specs.
In silver: it seems that the silver COT was quite calm as very few longs exited and very few commercials released their short positions.
Also remember that the COT report is basis Tuesday.
3. The open interest on gold comex and silver comex basis Thursday:
The open interest climbed a huge 5000 contracts rising to 469400 from 464000. The volume on the comex gold was estimated to be 181000 contracts.
In silver, something spooked our banker friends: the OI dropped from 120600 to 119100 which is a large move down with a rather large up movement in silver.
Also mysteriously :
There was a transfer of 187,274 ozs of silver from the dealers to the customers by way of an "adjustment".
The dealer inventory is at an all time low of 47.1 million oz.
4. another oh-oh moment: Dennis Gartman decided to change fate: He bought a gold contract unit. However it was denominated in yen:
Today The Gartman Letter added a gold/yen "unit" to its position. This means that 4 out of 9 positions in this influential publication's model portfolio are FX hedged gold.
5. On Thursday, I reported a significant event has occurred in that we had reached record levels in gold price with respect to Euro gold. Yesterday, Euro gold climbed another 1/2 Euro.
The press over there are all over this fact. Also remember that the Europeans are the ones that are basically in the physical market. The paper gold market is over here:
Euro-priced gold hits record 825.96 euros/oz
LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Euro-priced gold rose to a record high at 825.96 euros an ounce on Friday, as investors spooked by fears over the fiscal health of some euro zone economies and weakness in the single currency sought a portfolio diversifier.
Euro-priced gold
While gold prices generally decline when the euro weakens against the dollar, sovereign worries sparked by Greek fiscal problems have pushed investors towards gold as an alternative to the euro.
However, lo and behold we have another European currency with respect to gold reaching record levels and this is Gold denominated in pounds: (from the Scarborough Bullion Desk)
Gold hit its record close of 723.00 British pounds per oz of gold:
With my screens flashing the news of a new all time Eurogold price over 825, I'm turning to my Sterling chart,
Am leaving the office shortly, but if we see Sterling Gold close tonight at current levels, it'll be a definitive all time weekly high in UK terms,
Bear in mind that it was only last week that Gold recorded a new all time weekly high against the Euro closing above the 800 level, Some 2-3 trading days later and it was notching up record interday high's as well!
Wishing all at Midas and the 'Cafe' a most enjoyable wknd,
Rich (Live from 'The Scarborough Bullion Desk')
Ok lets go to other economic stories that hit the markets:
I find this one strange: Bernanke announces a discount rate hike trying to give the impression that he is going to rein in the excess liquidity given to bankers.
Then why this?
Isn't it kind of funny the Fed raises the Discount Rate [the rate at which banks can borrow at the discount window] yesterday and the talking heads all claim that "excess liquidity" is now being drained from the market.
Meanwhile, TODAY the Fed conducts Permanent Open Market Operations [POMO] to the tune of close to 1 billion in AGENCY BONDS [Fannie / Freddie]:
Operation 1 - RESULTS
Operation Date: 02/19/2010
Operation Type: Outright Agency Coupon Purchase
Release Time: 10:30 AM
Close Time: 11:00 AM
Settlement Date: 02/22/2010
Total Par Amt Accepted (mlns) : $946
Total Par Amt Submitted (mlns) : $3,154
Where do you suppose the Fed got the money to buy those Agency Bonds????
The Discount Rate Hike spin as retraction of liquidity was a canard.
Consumer prices rose less than expected but they always doctor the figures:
Consumer prices rise less than expected in January
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices rose less than expected in January, while prices excluding food and energy fell for the first time since 1982, according to a government report on Friday that soothed worries inflation pressures were starting to build up.
The Labor Department said its seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent last month, lifted by a spike in energy costs, after rising 0.2 percent in December.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast consumer prices rising 0.3 percent in January. Compared to January last year, prices rose 2.6 percent, also below market expectations for a 2.8 percent increase.
Energy costs soared 2.8 percent last month after rising 0.8 percent in December. Food prices climbed 0.2 percent following a 0.1 percent gain in December.
A surprise surge in prices paid at the farm and factory gate last month, owing to higher gasoline costs, had fanned fears that inflation pressures could soon weigh on the economy, which is recovering from the most brutal recession in 70 years.
Stripping out volatile energy and food prices, the closely watched core measure of consumer inflation fell 0.1 percent in January, the first decline since December 1982. Core prices rose 0.1 percent the prior month.
Analysts had expected core prices to rise 0.1 percent. Core prices were pulled down by declining costs for new vehicles, shelter and airline fares. High vacancy rates are keeping rentals depressed.
Compared to January last year, the core inflation rate rose 1.6 percent after increasing 1.8 percent in December.
From John Willliams of shadowstats.com on the release of the consumer prices: ( he is showing a 9.8% rise)
Are you interested in the real statistics and the real story?
Here they are. There are nowhere else. I am totally serious.
Commentary No. 280: January CPI, PPI, Housing Starts, Production
- Annual Inflation 2.6% (CPI-U), 3.3% (CPI-W), 9.8% (SGS)
- Quarterly Inflation Shifted from Fourth- to Second-Quarter 2009
- Economy Keeps Bottom-Bouncing as Intensified Contraction Nears
"No. 280: January CPI, PPI, Housing Starts, Production "
USA mortgages showed their biggest delinquency rate yet running at at 15% delinquency over the 4th quarter:
US mortgages foreclosing,delinquent at 15 pct Q4-MBA
NEW YORK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A record proportion of U.S. mortgages were in foreclosure or at least one payment past due in the fourth quarter, according to industry data showing the fragile state of the recovery in the housing market.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said on Friday the combination of loans in foreclosure and at least one payment past due was 15.02 percent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis,
the highest ever seen in the survey.
However, the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties fell to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.47 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2009, down from 9.64 percent in the third quarter, but up from 7.88 percent in the same quarter a year earlier, the MBA said in its National Delinquency Survey.
The percentage of loans on which foreclosure actions were started fell to 1.20 percent in the fourth quarter, down from 1.42 percent in the third quarter, but up from 1.08 percent in the same quarter a year earlier, the MBA said.
The U.S. foreclosure inventory rate for all loans was 4.58 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 4.47 percent in the third quarter and from 3.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
The records are based on MBA data dating back to 1972.
This was certainly not welcomed news for our bankers as they are seeing their balance sheet crumble as their collateral dissipates away.
As many of you know, I like the Trimtabs data on the economy as they use tax receipts as opposed to survey to get their data on the unemployed.
Today we got a glimpse of the tax receipts so far this year. Witholding taxes are running 13.1% behind last year (year over year).
Total individual tax recepits are faring worse: down by almost 17%.: Here is the story:
more on tax receipts
For Jan 10
Withholdings y/y: -13.1%
Total Individual Tax Receipts y/y: -16.8%
Still no improvement with comps getting easier. Tout tv keeps telling us everything is getting better, but it is pretty clear that the economy is continuing to decline at a 15% annualized rate.
We are now hearing that many cities wish to enter Chapter 9 as they cannot fund their operations:
Muni Threat: Cities Weigh Chapter 9
By IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN And KRIS MAHERJust days after becoming controller of financially strapped Harrisburg, Pa., in January, Daniel Miller began uttering an obscure term that baffled most people who had never heard it and chilled those who had: Chapter 9.
The seldom-used part of U.S. bankruptcy law gives municipalities protection from creditors while developing a plan to pay off debts. Created in the wake of the Great Depression, Chapter 9 is widely considered a last resort and filings under it are more taboo than other parts of bankruptcy code because of the resulting uncertainty for everyone from municipal employees to bondholders.
The economic slump, however, is forcing debt-laden cities, towns and smaller taxing districts throughout the U.S. to consider using Chapter 9. As their revenue declines faster than expenses, some public entities are scrambling to keep making payments on municipal bonds. And that is causing experts to worry about the safety of securities traditionally considered low risk.
People believe that municipal debt is safe based on assumptions that are no longer true," says Kenneth Buckfire, managing director and chief executive of Miller Buckfire & Co., an investment bank that has worked with corporations on restructurings and now is advising municipalities. For example, it isn't safe to assume that governments can raise taxes to cover shortfalls, he says...
V&V Corporate Investments Inc.
Pete Yore President
I pointed this out to you on Thursday, It is a big story and will certainly hit Californians big time:
Anthem Insurance-Rate Hikes Point to Broken Health System
By KATE PICKERT Kate Pickert Thu Feb 18, 7:15 pm ET
Californians with individual health-insurance policies from Anthem Blue Cross must have breathed a collective sigh of relief on Feb. 13. Under heavy pressure from the state insurance commissioner and the Obama Administration, the company announced that it would delay a set of dramatic rate hikes. In the meantime, at the request of the commissioner, independent actuaries will review the company's books and investigate whether one-year premium increases of up to 39% are legal and justifiable. Surely they can't be, right
Well, actually, rate hikes from Anthem Blue Cross, a for-profit company, will probably still happen, according to actuaries and other experts with extensive knowledge of the individual health insurance market, in which the company operates. The best that Anthem Blue Cross customers in California can probably hope for, say these experts, is that the rate hikes will be less dramatic than what the company first proposed.
As many of you know, I filed a complaint to the CFTC on the silver manipulation. On Wednesday, I asked why they totally left off the number of banks who are short the silver metal off the banking participation report.
For many years, on the first Tuesday of the month, the CFTC prepares its banking participation report in all commodities whereby it lists the inherent risks to the banks who have gone short.
It was here that we first discovered that only two banks went massively short in silver (20% of wordly production) namely JPMorgan and HSBC and 12% of worldly gold production.
For the first time ever in their history, the CFTC redacted the massive silver banking short.
I wrote to the CFTC last week on this matter and copied Bill Murphy. They responded to me and I would like to share this with you.
I also responded to the letter to Mr Gensler, the chairman of the CFTC in one email and the lawyer of the enforcement who wrote the email to me Laura Gardy.
Just in and it is a bombshell beauty from the CFTC .
Inquiry regarding Bank Participation Report
Dear Messrs. Organ and Murphy,
Commissioner Chilton asked that I look into your issue regarding the CFTC Bank Participation Report (the "BPR"). Specifically, you noticed that beginning with the December 2009 BPR, the CFTC has not included a breakdown of the participating banks in the silver futures, although the breakdown is provided for gold. You had inquired as to why the information has changed.
Beginning with the December 2009 BPR, the CFTC began suppressing the trader count in some markets. The change became effective with the Dec 2009 BPR because it was the next available report to be published following the Commission's November 2009 decision to implement the change. The decision to suppress the trader counts was made as part of an ongoing review of the methodology of the BPR. As part of that review, the Commission determined that where the number of banks in each reporting category is particularly small, fewer than four banks, there exists the potential to extrapolate both the identity of individual banks and the bank's positions. Under section 8(a) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the Commission, among other things, is generally prohibited from publishing data and information that would separately disclose the business transactions or market positions of any person/entity. Accordingly, in order to protect the confidentiality of market participants' positions, the Commission determined to suppress the individual category breakdown when that number is less than four. An explanation of this determination appears in the Explanatory Notes section of the BPR as it appears on the CFTC website, www.cftc.gov. I have cut and pasted the language below for your convenience. The Explanatory notes appear at: http://www.cftc.gov/marketreports/bankpa
rticipation/bankparticipation_about.html. Notably, these Explanatory Notes were posted on November 30, 2009, prior to the release of the amended BPR.
I took a look at the January 2010 BPR, and noted that the change has affected the reporting on several commodities including soybeans, wheat, corn, heating oil, natural gas, etc., such that silver has not been treated in a manner inconsistent with the report structure.
I hope this explanation is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Laura Gardy
Legal Assistant to Commissioner Bart Chilton
Here is an explanation as to the particulars of the Banking Participation Report:
Bank Participation Report
Explanatory NotesSince the 1980s, the CFTC has provided, on a monthly basis, the U.S. banking authorities and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS, located in Basel, Switzerland) aggregate large-trader positions of banks participating in various financial and non-financial commodity futures. Since the BIS used some of this aggregate data in its own publications, beginning in the late '90s the CFTC has posted the "Bank Participation Report" (BPR) for public access on its website (cftc.gov).
Separate reports are generated for futures and for gross options (not delta adjusted). The as-of date of the monthly BPR is typically the first Tuesday of each month, and publication on the Commission's website occurs on the following Thursday or Friday. The BPR includes data for every market where five or more banks hold reportable positions. The BPR breaks the banks' positions into two categoriesU.S. Banks and Non-U.S. Banksand shows for each type their aggregate gross long and short market positions. For purposes of protecting the confidentiality of participants' market positions (as required under §8(a) of the Commodity Exchange Act), when the number of banks in either category (U.S. Banks or Non-U.S. Banks) is less than four, the number of banks in each of the two categories is omitted and only the total number of banks is shown for that market.The BPR is based on the same large-trader reporting system database that CFTC economists use to monitor large-trader activity in the regulated futures and options markets, and which also is used to generate the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report. The BPR's "U.S. Bank" and "Non-U.S. Bank" trader classifications are based on the self-description of a trading entity on its CFTC Form 40. Each trader files that Form upon first becoming reportable and every two years the trader remains reportable, or more frequently upon CFTC request.If any reportable trader is "commercially engaged in business activities hedged by use of the futures or option markets," it enumerates its business activities on Schedule 1 of the Form 40. If on that Schedule the reportable trader describes itself as a U.S. Commercial Bank or as a Non-U.S. Commercial Bank in any one commodity, that designation is applied to its positions in all commodities published in the BPR. A given business enterprise may have one or more trading entity among which are a U.S Commercial Bank or a Non-U.S. Commercial Bank, or a non-bank. Each trading entity could be a separate reportable trader, which would file a separateForm 40. Only traders that are classified as either a U.S. Commercial Bank or a Non-U.S. Commercial Bank are reported in the BPR.The CFTC does not maintain a history of BPR data except for the rolling most recent 25 months posted on the Commission's website.
This is the data that the BIS uses to calculate bank risks from overexposure to shorts and it is the very data that Reg Howe uses to discuss the risks to the banks in his papers.
I will now show you my response to Mr Gensler and to Ms Gardy:
Dear Mr Gensler:In my letter to you on Wednesday, I surmised correctly that the reason for the removal of the number of banks engaged in the massive short of silver was that we could deduce who were the guilty parties in their suppresion . I wrote to you stating that it was my belief and many others that JPMorgan and/or HSBC were probably giving you a mouthful and demanding that you omit this very important banking number.You will note that in the treasury OTC report, these two banks are named in full view and they control 95% of the total derivatives in the precious metals and their holdings dwarf the entire notional open interest in gold and silver on the comex exchange in NY. Thus, as you state correctly to me, it would be easy to extropolate that these two characters, JPMorgan and HSBC, are the same ones doing the manipulating and are the identical duo in the banking participation report that you needed to redact.I stand by what I emailed you earlier in the week: you are protecting the interests of these two banks who are engaging in criminal manipulation ahead of your sworn duties to protect the interests of investors.I are truly alarmed by your statement to me and let your response to me stand for your apparent lack of interest in safeguarding the interests of ordinary investors.I enclose a commentary by Adrian Douglas whose views on the matter parallel mine.SincerelyHarvey Organ BScPhm. MBAPlease file this complaint in the same manner as my earlier emails to you.
and to Ms Gardy:
Dear Laura:I responded to your email as I addressed my concerns to Mr Gensler.There is no question that the legal and regulatory staff are getting the heat from the powerful banks, JPMorgan and HSBC. I guess the heat is also getting to our two banker friendsJPMorgan and HSBC, from the public, as they do not like to see their names in the floodlights with manipulation of markets.May I remind your legal staff, that your duty is to the public and not the bankers.If criminal manipulation has occurred, you should be asking the pointed questions to ascertain how on earth they could attain a massive 20% of the world's silver production and how this is not manipulative?You are engaging in a similar exercise with the energy complex as it is your desire to place position limits to prevent such manipulation.Your desire is to prevent such concentration from manipulating prices in the energy complex.Yet you refuse to ask or pry into the affairs of JPMorgan and their massive short position in silver and gold. J{PMorgan claims that their short position is nothing but a hedge. Yet you never ask them to show you their "hedge" which simply does not exist according to the BIS data. This is nothing but an outright lie and you know it.The investigation on the silver manipulation by the enforcement arm of the CFTC has now exceeded 18 months and we have yet to see a response from them.Smells pretty fishy to me!!I am available to discuss these matters.This email should be filed and be open for public scrutiny.SincerelyHarvey Organ
This is Adrian Douglas's commentary on the email to Murphy and myself:
GATA's Adrian Douglas responds...
Game, set and match!
Yesterday I sent an email to you that explained that HSBC and JPM are NAMED in the Treasury Department OCC Report on the holdings of derivatives by American banks. These reports show that these two banks hold more than 95% of the derivatives in precious metals but that these holdings dwarf the entire open interest notional value of gold and silver on the COMEX. I noted that as ONLY two banks hold a massive short position on the COMEX, it a very logical inference that these two banks are necessarily the same. That is to say that HSBC and JPM ARE the massive short sellers on the COMEX. Voila, just 24 hours later the CFTC confirms it for us because they say that it would be possible to extrapolate who the banks are that hold the positions. How could it be extrapolated? It would have to be from some other positional data that is made public. The only data of that nature that I know of is the OCC derivatives data.
Note the word used by the CFTC "suppress". Yes, that is the word GATA uses in talking about the gold market. It is suppressed and the CFTC is now complicit is suppressing the identity of the banks who are suppressing the price. Why are entities that have a manipulative, one-sided position (the banks hold almost no long position) be entitled to anonymity?
This is worse than the ex-Soviet Union. How can a Bank Participation Report SUPRESS the participation of banks???? Does nobody at the CFTC realize how comical that is?
I now expect that someone will contact the Treasury and get the names of the largest derivative holders to be "suppressed" in the OCC US Bank Derivatives report.
In international news, we are hearing more stories that the risk to Britain defaulting is greater than of Greece:
Britain at risk of worse deficit crisis than Greece
Britain is at risk of a Government deficit crisis worse than that of Greece, sparking serious fears over the economic stability of the country.
Edmund Conway and James Kirkup
Published: 10:43PM GMT 18 Feb 2010
In surprise news which sent the pound sliding on Thursday, official figures showed that the Government borrowed £4.3 billion last month.
It was the first time since 1993 that the public finances had gone into the red in January a month in which tax revenues usually push the Exchequer into the black.
Economists said that the scale of the shortfall in the budget could this year mount to above £180 billion higher than even the Chancellor's forecast of a record £178 billion.
Such a deficit would, at 12.8 per cent of British gross domestic product, be even greater than the deficit faced in Greece, which is facing a full-scale fiscal crisis and may need to be bailed out by fellow euro nations or the International Monetary Fund.
The public borrowing figures coincided with further bad news from the housing market, as the Council of Mortgage Lenders reported that mortgage lending dropped last month by 32 per cent, hitting the lowest monthly total in a decade.
The Bank of England also reported a decline in lending to businesses, indicating that the economic slowdown is far from over.I wish everyone a grand weekend.
On a personal note, I wish a very happy birthday to my bride of 39 years, my wife Daliah.
see you on Monday.


text:
Yard sales are my way of trying to get rid of crap items like that cracked vase that I've had since 2001, begging you to buy it for $2. No? Okay, how about $1? Fifty cents? How about if I paint over the crack?
But leave it to Kimora Lee Simmons to turn a yard sale into an extravagant event, complete with a $200,000 Versace bed. Oh, and make sure you bring cash. Yes, $200,000 worth of cash.
I can just picture briefcases filled with $100 bills being exchanged for designer bags, like a scene right out of a mafia movie -- except with designer bags.
The "sale" was held at her Saddle River, New Jersey, home that she once shared with former hubby Russell Simmons. Some other pricey items that were sold included $7,500 dinner plates, $50,000 rugs, and $10,000 tables. And for those that couldn't afford those prices (gasp), there was also a room full of glasses, cups, martini glasses, and mugs, priced from around $10 to $30.
But, it is a good thing that a lot of money was raised (assuming that she sold the $200K bed) because all proceeds are being donated to the YWCA and charities to benefit children and women's shelters. Props to her!
What's the priciest item that you've bought or seen at a yard sale?
Image via PaulSwansen/Flickr
I am not a yard saler. I have been to very few and I am sure the most expensive thing was probably a book for a dollar or something lol.
I love garage sales .... the pricest item we got at a garage sale ... a 1987 Mercedes Benz for $2,000 in Saddle River, NJ. The house was being torn down for a mega mansion. When I drove the car to the mechanic to get it checked out the next day the radiator blew on the way ...lol. Thank goodness for AAA . I got it repaired.
Well I actually attended this KIMORA SIMMONS EVENT in Saddle River NJ ... have to say it was NOT EXTRAVAGENT . We arrived about 3 on Saturday, line went from one gate to the other ... figure we would be in and out in an hour ... NOT.
A camera crew interviewed some KIDS on line ... when they didn't have much to say .. the camera crew listened to their answers and then told them what to say .. the camera crew was trying to pump up the event. Th camera crew left.
They were letting in about 25 people in at a time .. took us 2 hours to get to the gate ... figured we were almost there .... NOT. The lady with the KIDS started arguing with about ten people on line when they accused her in cutting in line ... yep a mother was standing there cursing in front of her children ... she stepped to the side and spent the rest of the time texting.. The two guards seem to enjoy the show. A lady behind me with a cane was aching, I asked the guard if she could use the empty chair .. he said he would radio inside, but was told that no one could sit down .... classy.
The camera crew came back and went to the house, pizza arrived, drinks arrived, more food arrived, various vehicles arrived, the dogs were put out . We stood there waiting for another 2 hours inside the gate as the guards walked to the back of the line and selected people to get in before the people that had been waiting ... . Many people on line by us left, fed up. We checked out the purchases that passed by ... a cute painted kid's chairs and table , a gaudy gilt-ed table, a red and gold loveseat, couple chairs ... not too many big items went by. Purchases were put in white plastic garbage bags..lol.
AND then we were told that "WE HAD TEN MINUTES TO SHOP" ... what 4 hours in line and ten minutes to shop? Guess that is why none of the people leaving the sale looked exceptionally happy. We had seen so few people with anything when we stood in line.
There was a first, second and basement to ck out. I grabbed a NICOLE MILLER picture frame from a table .. kinda cute .. rest were typical Bed Bath and Beyond frames. I asked the guy in the room, he said three bucks and told me that he would take the money, then walked away .. next guy said $10 and that nothing was $3 ... I left it. Walked thru first and second floor ... were the security guards [boys in the hood? ] were complaining that no one was shopping [I noticed people by the pool checking out the yard .... gee they could have googled that ... I was there for a garage sale! .Security was standing by a plastic dollar store skeleton and some used Halloween costumes .... maybe the party city Halloween clearance sale was a better deal?
Went upstairs in the swanky bedroom .. dh saw a metal ashtray/with fish bones on it .. .security guard said it was not for sale .. then I noticed that it was on a plastic animal place-mat on the bedside table ... maybe it was the cat food bowl? Went back downstairs to go to the basement and was told it was time to leave .. I explained that I had waited in line for four hours ...they did not care and were downright nasty ... at the cashier were candles that were burnt down halfway ... don't people throw candles out when they are no good ...lol. All in all, thought it was very disorganized for a garage sale .. the security detail was very nasty and had no clue what was for sale .. they acted as if they were at a swanky affair, the cashiers looked extremely embarrassed guess they were the professionals that were supposed to be running the sale..
I went out and explained that the lady helping me had not come back .... as I went around the corner realized they were taping the show and was followed and told to leave.
We gave a KIMORA fan from NYC a ride to the train station .. she scored some some bottles of something and a picture frame .. I told her my picture frame story ... she said she let the guy write out a bill, then pocketed the bill and made up her own price at the cashiers .. she got it all for $5 ... lol.
Very interesting. I am not a garage sale fan.
lol at the yard sale story
I dont shop the ones around my old home because people were getting rid of junk not treasures.


text:
Ceroc Scorch Weekend
...a whole weekend of dancing
|Fri 29 May 2009 - Sun 31 May 2009
|Pontins, Shore Road, Southport PR8 2PZ
|£99 Member Twin Share, £109 Guest Twin Share
|cash for electricity meters + all food
is one of the largest dance organisations in the
There is a full weekend of dance classes, workshops and freestyle from Friday afternoon to the very early hours of Monday morning!
The classes will be based on Ceroc / modern jive, in addition to lots of other dance styles such as West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango and even Hip hop!. These weekends are aimed at everyone from a complete beginner through to intermediate and advance dancers there are lessons for everyone.
We have taken the option on Classic chalets based on 4 sharing the public price on this with the early bird discount is £114 per person
Includes accommodation in the medium range 2 bedroomed chalets/apartments which contain lounge, bathroom and kitchen/cooking facilities and colour TV; over 40 dance classes and workshops, 50+ hours of freestyle, 3 different dance halls within the venue, Top Ceroc teachers from across the UK, Top international teachers including West Coast Swing teachers, The best Ceroc DJs in the country, Dancing through to 6am in the morning and access to the well being including massage & reiki (additional cost).
And all of this within a stones throw of the beach!
The last Ceroc weekender attracted over 1300 dancers so you are sure to be in for a fab weekend.
Please note that you will be issued with a wristband which must be worn at all times, if you remove or lose your wristband you will not be admitted to the dance venues.
For further information go to the Ceroc website to check out more about the event:- http://ceroc.com/scorch/
Updated Monday 22nd September 2014, 11:16
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