See Jane Get Rich

Quick recap: 

(1) Sublease I subleased my apartment to someone who is a little strange but I discovered she was just fine because we had to share the apartment for two weeks since she was so eager to move in and I didn’t want to sleep on a friend’s couck for two weeks.  I required a security deposit for one month.   I have subleased my apartment for April and May.  This saves me $1,500 dollars in rent. 

(2) Finishing Law School Early I did finish all the things I needed for law school early so, I moved out of DC before my classes officially ended but I was done with everything  and I will be going back for exams and will likely stay with a friend.   I have been at home taking a nice relaxing break but also studying some. 

(3) Bar Exam When I subleased my apartment I was at a point where I wanted to walk away from this whole legal thing and go in another direction.  I still want to do this sometime in the future but I owe it to myself to take the bar and give this thing a chance before I jump ship.  Unfortunately, I only came to this realization after I subleased my apartment until the end of June.  My classes will be in DC and they start in mid-May.  One of my friends will let me stay at his place gratis for May.  If I want to continue staying in DC then I need to find a sublease or just crash at school for a month.  I am reconsidering this option and thinking I should just take the class online from home since I don’t have to worry about a thing here.  I have applied and is expecting to sit for two bar exams.  I have started reviewing for the bar today.  I started with torts. 

(4) Internship My internship ended with a trip to the New York office to interview someone.  This trip was so unnecessary but I really wanted to go and my supervisor set it up.  It was a blast.  More importantly, I believe I made solid contacts in almost three offices.  I also made contacts with all the alums working in the organization.  Additionally, I went and introduced myself to the HR people in two offices.  I am still applying for jobs with the organization.  I have recently applied for a position that I feel matches my skills perfectly.  But more on this later.

(5) March Finances – I need to sit down and tally everything up for March but I have been scared to because I know I spent way too much eating out.  It was a whole lot of “we must do dinner since I am leaving town super early and won’t see you again.”  Too many of that.

Unexpected Expense My Sony Viao’s power cord isn’t working for some reason so I have been without my laptop for a few weeks and that has made updating my website difficult since I don’t update my blog from home.  But, now that I am back in the library studying I expect to update my site more often. 

Life and law school has officially started getting very crazy.  This time last semester I stopped blogging but  I am going to continue blogging at least once a week since I don’t have as many exams this semester. 

I have listed my apartment on craigslist so I can sublease it.  I want to sublease it for part of April until July.  I have listed the apartment and got several responses.  I gave a skype tour to one interested party who was located in Boston.  I had three people who wanted to come and visit the place.  The first person came to visit on time.  The second person discovered upon plugging in the address to Google Maps that its awfully close to her ex and would rather not be that close.  The third person never showed up at the time he said and when I called him he was still visiting another place and just didn’t want to come up.  So, that’s one out of three for actual show up.  The first person however, wants to move in like now and they seem a little strange.  I told her than she can stay but she would have to share the apartment with me for the next few weeks and we can split the rent.  I am waiting to hear back from her about that.  

I have asked for a security deposit equal to a month’s rent and I have emailed her a sublease agreement.  This is the first time subleasing and I really hope I don’t get burned.

Okay, let’s break down why January 2010 was the most expensive month of my life. 

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Alright, my bedroom set and my mattress has officially been posted for sale on Craigslist.  Now, if only those interested Craigslist buyers who are “really interested” would actually make it through!  I have moved almost everything to the living room and pulled out my air mattress to sleep on.   Now, its time for Craigslist to do its job so that I can turn the furniture to $.   It always helps to keep a few things in mind when selling things on Craigslist. 

Five Tips for a Sane Selling Experience on Craigslist

• A picture is worth a thousand words.

Always post a picture of the item that you are selling.  If you don’t have your own picture then use a manufacturer’s picture.  It is also helpful to provide a link to the item so that buyers.  This will save you a lot of questions about the item from people who are slightly interested. 

• But, that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the details.

It is important to include as much information as possible about a product.  If you are listing a coat then you may want to let the buyer know more than just the size and color such as what material the coat is, presence or absence of any stains, whether or not you or any of your close family member is a smoker, whether you live with pets etc…  If you are selling furniture then it is very important to list the dimensions and this information is easily obtained by looking up the product online. 

• Price your items competitively and with leeway for further negotiation.

You can sell your item quickly and competitively if you search for the item before listing to see the range that is commanded by other sellers.  If for some reason there is no one in your area selling them item then you can command a higher price as most people wouldn’t want to drive out of the way.   Be aware that with most of the transactions there will be negotiation between the buyer and the seller.  This may occur over email or while the buyer is looking the product over. 

• Adopt a no holding/first come first served policy.

Craigslist buyers are notorious for not following through with their expressed interest.  If you hold something for someone then know that there is a strong chance they will come back and say, “Oh, I changed my mind.  I don’t want it anymore.  Oops! Sorry!”

• Adopt a cash only exact change policy. 

To make sure that you get your money it is better to make it cash only so that you get your money right then and there and you can be done with the transaction at the point of sale. 

Now, onto my crazy Craigslist Story

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I have moved back to DC from my Home State and I have been very busy cleaning, donating things to Goodwill and listing some furniture on Craigslist.  The Big Move that I am referring to is the end of my lease in July.  Right now, I am living in a 1 bed room apartment and after I graduate I will likely end up sharing a house or apartment with other people.  So,  I need to get rid/sell things so I am able to downsize. 

• State #1 Bar Exam : July 27-28, 2010
• State #2 Bar Exam: July 28 and 29, 2010
• Apt. Lease Ends: July 31, 2010

I have a big decision to make about whether or not I want to extend my lease by one month so that I would move out at the end of August instead of July.  Do I really want to take the hardest exam of my life and then come back and move out of my apartment?  If I can avoid paying one extra month’s rent then I definitely do. 

It also depends on what exactly I will do in August.  Traditionally, law student’s do a post-bar trip after the bar exam.  I haven’t decided if I will and if so, where I will go.  If  I take a trip then I need to be out of the apartment so I can use the August rent for the trip.

There are things that take up space, you don’t use it but nevertheless it is hard to get rid of.  The perfect example is yearbooks.  I threw out my middle school yearbooks.  But the high school yearbooks were more difficult.  I ended up tearing out the pages from my high school year books that I wanted to keep and putting the rest in recycling.

A lot of my friends have rent envy. 

When my friends and I compare our rents I come in on the lowest of the low spectrum with $750.  DC is one very expensive place to live if you want to live without a bunch of roommates/housemates.  AfterCollege.com put the average rent for a one bedroom apartment at $1,469 and Rent.com put that figure at an unheard of $1,100.  Most students and professionals who wants to live in a decent area that is close to the metro pays that much for a studio. 

 My Cali Friend’s rent is $1,250 for a studio while my New Mexico friend’s rent is $1,350 for a studio.  They both rent directly from condo owners which makes their rent lower than the typical apartment rates.  My Richmond study buddy pays $1,450 for a studio and she lives in an apartment.  They all live in a very nice area that is very close to the metro with a stone’s throw from a gym, grocery store, banks, restaurants and other convenience. 

 I pay $750 for a Junior 1 Bedroom.  I live in (ahem) a less-than desirable area of Washington, DC.  It’s the kind of place that I never would have lived in the first time I got to DC.  But, let’s just say my standards have changed and I have toughened up.  
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