More About Our NYC Move


38 Comments
Thanksgiving

Hello! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! And happy December! I love this month. We spent the past week in Alabama with my family, finally taking a few days to relax during this whirlwind moving process. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in for Johnny or me that as of tomorrow we’ll be NYC residents (again)! Yes, TOMORROW. The past few weeks were crazy. Moving is already crazy, but moving to NYC on a short timeline is downright insane. So I wanted to fill you guys in on what we’ve been up to the past few weeks since my brain is still completely in moving mode.

Getting an Apartment

Johnny and I flew out to New York about three weeks ago and gave ourselves two days to look for apartments. We saw over 20 apartments and walked who knows how many miles. We barely ate or slept. Okay, that sounds dramatic, but suffice it to say it was super stressful. We ended up finding a two-bedroom on the Upper West Side that checked off all of our “must-haves” and even some of our “nice-to-haves.” But choosing an apartment and actually getting it is a whole other story. To be approved, we had to lay down thousands of dollars, give proof of salary, bank account balances, letters of recommendation, tax returns, and our cat’s left eye (sorry, Persie). And the apartment we found is part of a co-op, so we had to be approved by a board, which really complicated the approval process. All that matters is that part is over! Once the dust settles a bit more, we’ll do an in-depth post on finding an apartment in NYC.

Packing Up

When Johnny and I got back to Utah after the apartment-hunting process, we had five days to pack up all of our belongings. In order to guarantee a delivery date of December 2nd from the moving company, they had to pick up our stuff right away! Johnny and I packed day and night and went on a Serial listening binge to make it all more bearable. Since the movers have come and gone, Johnny, Sally, and I have been living off fast food and ramen and sleeping on an air mattress. It’s been interesting, and we are so happy this stint of living like squatters has come to a close.

Getting To the City

As I mentioned, we will be arriving in New York City on Tuesday! We’re selling our car, so we’ll be flying out with just the clothes we’ve needed these past two weeks and a few other necessities. We’ll have both Sally and our cat on the 5-hour flight, and we’re praying all goes well. Persie will be drugged, and Sally will be watching Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas on repeat on the iPad. For everyone on that flight with us, we apologize in advance for any misdeeds done by Sally or Persie. If you see me running toward the airplane bathroom with one of them, that’s probably a bad sign.

Any questions, aside from “Are you guys crazy??” The next time we post, we’ll be writing from our new (much smaller) home in NYC! We’ll share more details and our new (NYC) budget soon. Wish us luck!

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38 Comments

  • Reply Mr. Frugalwoods December 1, 2014 at 7:44 am

    Congrats! We enjoyed our time in NYC, though we were dirt poor at the time. We lived in Crown Heights, Brooklyn… which now has gentrified but back then was certainly not 🙂

    I’d love to hear more about your apartment search. Getting a 2 bed on the upper west side sounds like a great find!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      We’ll share more soon about the apartment hunt process soon! We feel very lucky to have found the place we did!

  • Reply Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank December 1, 2014 at 7:51 am

    Yay! Getting an apartment is really tedious! Congrats for getting one. Hope you could post a picture of your apartment. I kinda like to see how you’re gonna design it. Welcome to NYC! Have fun!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:54 pm

      Thanks! I’ll post some pictures of our place soon, once we’re totally settled. Hopefully we’ll finish up everything this weekend!

  • Reply moneystepper December 1, 2014 at 8:20 am

    Congratulations guys. NYC is da bomb!! Enjoy!

    Also, Serial is awesome, isn’t it? I was waiting all last week for the new episode to come out, but I forgot that they were having a break over the Thanksgiving holiday. Damn!!! 😉

    Looking forward to seeing the NYC budget!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      Haha… Yeah that two-week break from Serial was killer. No pun intended… I should just stop now.

      We’ll share our new budget very soon!

  • Reply Emily @ evolvingPF December 1, 2014 at 9:20 am

    Wow. I did not realize this was possible. You are amazing.

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:56 pm

      It was insane… I really almost lost my mind. Thank goodness it’s over!

  • Reply Little House December 1, 2014 at 9:50 am

    Congrats on the move! Can’t wait to hear about living on a budget in NYC.

  • Reply Aldo @ Million Dollar Ninja December 1, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Poor Persie or as he/she will be known as… One-Eye P.

    Welcome back to the East Coast!

  • Reply Sara December 1, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Health insurance in NY has always been really expensive; more so than other states ($1600 a month for a family plan, $1100 for a couple or $600 for a single were acwrage prices). now with obamacare there seem to more choices. Please share your NY health insurance plans and research with us! Best of luck on your move!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:57 pm

      Will do! We still don’t have it all pinned down, which is stressing this 23-weeks-pregnant lady out! As soon as we have more details, I’ll do a post!

  • Reply Melanie December 1, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Wow…gosh you guys are SO chill lately…moving right after Thanksgiving, during the Christmas month, with a toddler and while pregnant, with a kitty in tow, and having just a few days to pack?!?! Wow–keeping things exciting!!
    I hope Johnny gets you a nice spa package with massage and some relaxation time so you can use it once the dust settles 🙂
    Best of luck with your move–I just moved from PA to MA two months ago and I know how crazy it can all be—even without adding a toddler and pregnancy into the mix!
    Hope it goes very smoothly 🙂
    And P.S.–how amazing is it using movers??
    SO much nicer than DIY. Worth the money!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:59 pm

      It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done… I just don’t have as much energy this pregnancy, so it all about killed me!

      And, yes, the movers helped tremendously with our stress levels. Luckily, that was part of the moving package from Johnny’s employer, which helped a ton!

  • Reply andee December 1, 2014 at 10:40 am

    I missed your last couple of posts due to the holiday madness, so this is very shocking to me! I’m SUPER excited to follow along with your new adventure though. Crazy! Congratulations you crazy people!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 2:59 pm

      Thanks! It all happened very quickly. We’re excited to share more about our new life out here in the city!

  • Reply Kathleen December 1, 2014 at 11:35 am

    Are you guys crazy? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. This totally sounds like something I would do! Enjoy NYC! I love it!! Can’t wait for updates!

  • Reply Amanda December 1, 2014 at 11:54 am

    Wow! Crazy times! I can’t believe you will be gone tomorrow! I look forward to hearing about all your NY adventures, Best of luck!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:00 pm

      Thanks! It all happened SO fast… I have never done something so insane in my life!

  • Reply jennifer p December 1, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    good luck with the move .i live in brooklyn, we should totally hang out.i think you guys rock..i would love to see a post about living on a budget,being frugal in ny,etc.
    welcome back.

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Thanks Jennifer! And we’re glad to be here. Being on a budget out here is going to be interesting as I’m sure you well know, but we’re gonna figure out how to make it work! Good to hear from a fellow NYC’er!

  • Reply Sarah December 1, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Sounds busy!!! But awesome!! We moved to NC from AZ a few months ago. We downsized and packed up our car, Uhaul, two girls and two dogs and drove out here! It’s fun living somewhere new (even though you said you’ve lived there before…it’s still “new” in that it’s a new area and apartment I’m sure!) Can’t wait to follow along 🙂

  • Reply Miranda @ Miranda Writes Blog December 1, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    I’m so excited for you guys! I can’t wait to see what the apartment hunting process was like for y’all. Sending good thoughts your way for the plan ride. P.S. Every time I see/hear someone talking about Serial, I feel like we’re all a part of a little club or something. Never mind that 40 million* people are also listening… *Estimated figure.

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:03 pm

      Haha, totally! I can’t believe how popular the podcast is, and yet I feel this special connection to fellow listeners.

  • Reply Rob December 1, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Good job, guys! You two never cease to amaze and impress me with your determination and ability to get things done. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, eh?

    Hope your big move goes well and all 4 of you (including Persie) get settled into your new digs with minimal hassle. When the dust settles (somewhat), we’ll be eagerly looking forward to reading about your ongoing moving adventures.

    So, just 2 questions:
    Does Persie like snow and does Sally know how to make a snowball? 🙂

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:05 pm

      We’ll find out if either of them likes snow. Although, Persie will be experiencing all the snow through a pane of glass… no going outside for her!

      We’re very glad the moving process is over, and we’re excited to share more about our city budgeting!

  • Reply Brittany @ Fun on a Budget Blog December 1, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    Best of luck! What an adventure 🙂

  • Reply Angie December 3, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    I AM SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!!!!! I want to go on maternity leave first thing in January and hang out with you all the time. BAHHHH I am so happy you’re back! Still can’t believe it. YAYAYAYAY

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      YES. You should definitely do this. We’ll prepare our nurseries together and do all that fun nesting stuff. Moving out here is 100x better with you out here, too!

  • Reply Anna | Gone Banannas December 3, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    I am a little late to the commenting game although I have been following a long so first I just wanted to say CONGRATULTIONS! For many things actually, for the new baby on the way and for the NYC move! You aren’t too far away from Boston now if you guys wants to come for a visit! 🙂 All in all, I wish you all the best on the move and in getting settled and I look forward to read about how everything is getting along!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      Thanks, Anna! And we will most definitely be visiting Boston. We love that place.

  • Reply Ashley Roeber December 4, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    Hi! I recently discovered your blog and I’m so glad that I did. I actually moved to NYC last year and also live on the UWS… reading your post brought back the craziness of that time! Best of luck on the move and I look forward to reading more!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:07 pm

      Very cool! And thanks! We are really loving the UWS. We knew nothing about it before moving here, but it seems to be the perfect place for our little family.

  • Reply Shannon December 5, 2014 at 12:27 am

    Gooood luck! And I’m so excited – I’m back in NYC again as well and would love to meet you guys when the dust settles!

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      Awesome! PF bloggers unite! Where are you living?

  • Reply Michelle December 7, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    I got tired just reading through your list. Take care of yourself! Sending good vibes your way.

    • Reply Joanna December 12, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      Thanks! It was an exhausting process. Thank goodness we survived.

  • Reply Ronnica, Striving Stewardess December 7, 2014 at 11:47 pm

    That’s awesome! I hope it went as smoothly as a move can. I recently moved to Denver from North Carolina and I’m still enjoying getting to know my new city!

  • Leave a Reply to Shannon Cancel Reply