Katie and Jake 2010 Move

Katie and I lived with her parents from the summer of 2009. After I lost my job at Michigan Tech they graciously opened up their doors for us until I could get a solid income again. What we hoped would be a several-month period grew to 18 months, since my SparkNET job wasn't enough to afford moving out. I finally got a solid job at DealerFire over the summer with enough income for us to seriously look at moving out on our own.

Living room in our Wheatfield duplex

It was hard to find a place in our price range that was still suitable for two adults and their pets. We spent much of September and October looking at different duplexes in Menasha and Oshkosh, turning one down after another because of location (active train tracks in the back yard is a definite no) or condition (sagging floors is another red flag). We finally got lucky with a place in Appleton - a last minute cancellation, landlord who loves dogs, and decent price for rent all aligned for a small, but relatively modern, duplex on Wheatfield.

Moving happened quickly. Both Katie and I had to work over the moving weekend, so we limited ourselves to a few loads per day. Unpacking took longer, but after a week everything has been moved and in their 'right' place.

Quaint kitchen in Wheatfield duplex

Our living room is relatively large and can handle two couches, my flat-screen, and several full bookcases without feeling cluttered. The dining room and kitchen are directly attached to the front living room. Kitchen is small but has enough appliances for us to start cooking our own meals, and the dining room fits our small table comfortably.

There's a sliding glass door in the dining room that works great for letting Logan out on his tie-out. The back yard is big enough for him to wander a bit, even if he is stuck on a 10' leash. With two bedrooms, we're in the process of turning one into an office/guest room and the other a master bedroom. It's the first bedroom we've had that's large enough to have our bed in without it dominating the entire room.

Wheatfield duplex back office

One of my favorite parts of the entire house is the basement. Carpeted and finished, it's a far reach from the wet basement that I grew up with back in Port Hope. There's a 'tiki hut' set up to hide the furnace and water heater that makes a great backdrop for the bar. Katie's father had some left over lawn furniture that we put down there, creating a unique spot for us to have some friends over, toss back a few, and play some games.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with our new place. This is the first time that we've been on our own (even in Houghton we had a bunch of roommates). In addition, both of our pets (Logan and the newer kitten, Lucy) enjoy having free reign in the house. All four of us really enjoyed this move and hope we can stay settled here for a good long time.