Upcoming move

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Because I am always busy with my interests, chores, and with dealing with my health issues, I can rarely manage to squeeze in time to visit WP and go thru all the forums of interest to me. Today I managed to do that, and now that I'm done going thru the forums I am posting about an upcoming move.

I've never liked the process of moving, but the aftermath depends on whether it involved an improvement in circumstances, or not. Where I am now was a positive move, as I went from homeless to a run-down trailer in a decent old trailer park near some family members who help me out when I need help. Been here about 13 & 1/2 years now. We are all getting older. I have bad knees, a bad back, and other disabling health issues. The porch steps are getting too much for me, as is the scramble to get into the tub for a shower. Can't manage getting down and back up for a tub bath. My relatives are having more trouble managing to fix the many problems this old trailer has, as well as mowing the lawn, so they suggested I apply for subsidized handicapped housing, and helped me find several places to apply to, which I started doing in either late October or early November. The usual wait time for a regular one bedroom apartment in our area from the time of applying to the time of availability is between 18 and 24 months. Most of the places in our area have a fairly high population of residents with substance abuse and/or mental health issues, because they are near medical facilities, so these people often make lousy neighbors. There are a couple of places that are farther out, away from the medical facilities, and closer to some of my relatives, that don't have a lot of difficult residents living in them. These niceer places also have a slightly shorter wait time to get in because the problem people prefer to live in the places near the medical facilities. Well, turns out that a handicapped apartment has an even shorter wait time to get in at those nicer places, as not many handicapped people want to live farther away from the medical facilities, but it's not a problem for me. I was on the list for only a few weeks when I got a call from one of the nice places--still in November, that they had a handicapped apartment coming available in December. I wasn't able to take it this month, but they were able to hold it till January, so I will be moving there at the beginnning of January. I already saw the apartment once. It is bigger than a regular one bedroom apartment there, as it has to be able to accommodate people in wheel chairs. I don't need one, but do use 2 canes to get around. The overhead kitchen cabinets are set lower to be easier to reach, and there are no cabinets under the sink, so a wheel chair can be pulled under it. There is a level entry front door--no steps, and there is a step in shower stall the size of a tub, but with no high tub walls. There is a fold down seat in the shower, and there are grab bars in the shower and by the toilet, and the bathroom is big, so a wheel chair can be manuevered in it, if necessary. The regular one bedroom apartments there have a small galley kitchen, but the handicapped apartment has a roomy kitchen open to the decent sized living room, and a large hall, that allows for easy wheel chair passage. There is a big hall closet and a closet wall at one end of the bedroom. Both closets have the overhead shelf set lower than usual to be easier to reach. I'm short so that's a big help. The apartment also has a back door--opening out of the bedroom onto a back walkway, part of which will be my patio.

I hate moving, but at least this is a positive move, as it's even better than the trailer I'm in right now. The only downside is that it's smaller, so I will be leaving some furniture behind for the younger relative who will be moving into the trailer when I leave. The apartment is in very good condition, and the whole apartment complex is in good condition outside. Each building has a small laundry room with one each washer and dryer. Unfortunately, there are no table and chairs in there, but I have a plastic tub/shower chair I can bring along with me when I do laundry. I will just turn it upside down over my laundry cart. The chair is very lightweight, but sturdy, so it won't be a problem to take it along with me, and I will be able to stay there till my loads are done.

I think the best part is that I will be paying less than half what I am paying now in rent, as the apartment is government subsidized, so I will be paying approximately 30% of my SSI monthly income. Actually, I think they used a formula that deducts some regular expenses from consideration in the calculations, as the amount I was told I would be paying is more like 20% of my monthly SSI payments. Currently, I am paying below market rate to family members who bought the trailer for me, so I wouldn't be homeless anymore, but that hasn't left me really enough to make other non-food purchases. The amount I will be paying on the new aparment is a little over 25% of the trailer rent, so that will be a big help, and I will be able to buy things I had to put off getting, including, eventually a mobility scooter. I recently sold my extremely old Cherokee to a relative, and put the money aside to pay for the security deposit on the apartment. The Jeep needs a lot of repairs, but is still a good vehicle, so I am glad we are keeping it in the family.

The relative who bought my Jeep is also helping me with my paperwork, and just became my representative payee. I have Executive Function Disorder as a comorbid, so I tend to not keep up with paperwork and other stuff. He was stunned when he found out how low my new rent would be, and on such a nice apartment. For that matter, so was I. Besides a mobility scooter I also want to get a portable clothes washer to do smaller items, to save money on using the laundry room at the apartment complex, and then I'll only need to pay to do larger items, such as blankets. I also want to buy a half size front loading freezer, as the fridge-freezer unit at the apartment is a little smaller than the one in the trailer, which is also a little too small for my needs.

There is one down side, and that's that the apartment is all electric, so my electric bills will be higher, but each room has it's own baseboard heater, and when I am going to be out of a room for a while I will be keeping the heat turned down low in those rooms, which should be more than enough to compensate for adding a half size freezer and a portable clothes washer to the electric useage. I won't be using the oven/stove range much, as I prefer cold sandwiches, or microwave my food. I also have a toaster oven, which uses less electricity than a full size oven, which I can use for smaller amounts of food.

I used Libre Office Draw to make a floor plan of the apartment, and where I want to put the furnishiings that I'm taking with me, and I'm also working on a stowage guide, so I will know before moving where most of my stuff will be stowed once I move.

Right now the only premove down sides are that I have Executive Function Disorder, so my relative helping me with the move has to do the lions share of packing, and I am also working thru a bad cold. I should be thru it by moving day, as it has gradually been getting better. Another down side is that my helper now has a cold. BUMMER! There is an upside--both my helper and another close relative have trucks, so they will help me with the move, which means I won't need to hire a moving company, just pay my relatives for the the gas, and some for helping me. I will also look into seeing if any of the local eateries deliver, so I can treat my helpers to a meal or two.

Anyway, unpleasant as the process of moving is, at least this looks like an improvement in my circumstances, so I am feeling pretty good about the situation. Gonna spend part of the day watching Christmas movies online. No longer own a TV, so I don't pay for cable TV service anymore, just cable internet, so I watch stuff right online, which saves me a lot of money, too.

Anyway, Merry Christmas Everyone!