Challenges for a Cozy Apartment

Hello, Dear Reader,

Have you ever dreaming of living in a cool and cozy apartment in New York City?

I do. But the reality is...

Challenge 1: Get a HUGE apartment with a reasonable price on my own

Before I came here, I’ve heard a lot of complaints about how hard it is to find a cheap apartment in New York and my friend told me it would be more difficult for a foreigner like you to get one and better ask a broker to help you.

“Come on. I am a courageous young man step out of his comfort zone. There’s nothing that can scare me. I can do it on my own” I told myself.

To prove they’re wrong, I searched online through the rental website, such as Rental.com, Aparment.com, Streeteasy.com, etc. There’re so many nice rental units but the problem I have is

No Social Security Number.

No credit records.

No guarantor.

After two months of research, I got nothing.

Totally nothing.

At last, I compromised on it and went to the broker to ask if they can help me with this. However, they told me that it’s a little bit late so it may be only few rental units are left. Two weeks later, they still gave me some options that might fit my requirement.

Guess what?

I did get an apartment eventually.

But it's a small and not that cheap apartment.

If I only knew that there’re so many restrictions to rent a house in New York and I should ask the broker at the first place, I wouldn’t waste two months for searching the apartment that I cannot afford and might get a better one.

After the apartment things were done, I still need something to make it like home.

Challenge 2: Find a big and nice bed.

The next thing I got to do is to find a mattress, so I can still lay in my cozy room. Therefore, I ordered a big, comfortable bed on IKEA’s website and asked them to send to my apartment before I arrived. My roommate, who came earlier than me, can pick up for me so that I can sleep like a boss on the first night in New York.

I hate myself for being that smart.

I still remember the day I first step in my apartment as if it happened yesterday.

"The floor is clean and smooth. The wall is clear and white, and I can still smell the fresh paint. At that moment, I feel like a king in my new castle. And my bedroom...

It’s still empty!?"

The first night in New York, I slept on the floor with a jacket covering me.

On the next day, I decided to call IKEA and ask what’s going on. They told me that there’re too many orders and their warehouse currently have some issues so it may take at least one month to deliver my order.

ONE MONTH???

I’m going to sleep on the floor for one month?

I decided to cancel my order, get the refund, and find another mattress.

And this is what happened next.

Two hours for waiting in refunding line.

Two weeks for searching the new mattress.

Cannot find any new mattress is lower than $1,000

In the end, I got a second-hand and not that comfortable mattress on Facebook. However, after all my furnishing stuff are settled down, my friend told me there’s furniture rental service in the U.S. I then took a look on the website and found that most of the furniture there are way cheaper than those I bought.

What the...

If I only knew that the IKEA’s delivery is that inefficient and there's another way to get a mattress, I wouldn’t lay on the bed that is far from what I dream of.

It’s like the city is teaching me a lesson.

Idiot!

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Love you, guys!

NYC Newbies