To Move or Not To Move

When Matt and I were first looking for a place to live in Albuquerque we only had a couple days to find a place and sign a lease. We didn't know where the good and bad places were and were trying to do the best we could from Pennsylvania. We found an affordable place with adequate room and a nice landlord, but the location left a lot to be desired. We figured we'd stay for a while, then move once we figured the city out and our lease was up.

Our lease ends in July, and we're not exactly on the fast track to moving out of here. We both really want a place with a yard so that we can have a garden, but so far most places we've looked at in our price range haven't been so great. There's the temptation to just settle for something, but I really don't want to move again while we're here.

The truth is there isn't really much rush for us to move right away. Even though our lease is up, we can still rent month to month without any problem. I was feeling a sense of urgency about the whole thing over the past couple of weeks, but I think that's left over from being in a college town. The housing market was rather cut throat in State College, because there were so many students. Now that we're in a regular city, housing options pop up periodically throughout the year, and there isn't as big of a mad dash to try to find something.

The biggest issue for me right now is not being able to putter around in a yard. We're not supposed to have ANYTHING outside of our apartments. I'd like to at the very least be able to grow some lettuce and herbs, but that's not an option at the moment. The closest I can come to fresh local produce is the farmer's market, and that can be expensive.

I'll get my yard eventually. I'm just sick of apartment living and being in a sketchy area. But I can suck it up for a while longer.