300-square-feet of pure bliss is what I’m hoping my new apartment in the East Village of Manhattan will feel like. 300-square-feet of an entire paycheck is what it’s going to actually be. Hopefully, this blog will successfully document the ups and downs of adapting to life in the center of the Universe.

Currently, I’m living with my husband and daughter (by daughter, I mean a 4-year-old golden doodle) in a 6,000-square-foot lake house in Florida. Weekend paddle boarding is our favorite activity along with an occasional daily glass of wine on the dock at sunset.

Endless nights searching Streeteasy, Craiglist and Naked Apartments to find the perfect place, in the perfect location, led to a million application approvals and backing out right before signing on the dotted line. We decided it was time to set new guidelines before applying again.

Before apartment-hunting must-have list:

• 1 bedroom
• 450 square feet
• Full kitchen
• Maximum 2nd floor walk-up
• Laundry
• A dog park less than a block away
• South-facing Windows

After two weeks of apartment hunting we finally changed our must-haves to:

• East Village
• Kitchen sink is not also the bathroom sink
• Secure building
• Rooms larger than arms-length
• Near subway

Finding a place to rent in Manhattan is similar to ordering a drink at the bar on New Years Eve. It’s a race to spend more money than you probably should. The seemingly endless search included ridiculous steps like virtually walking the apartment’s street to see if I would be virtually mugged.

After two and a half weeks of searching, virtually walking, emailing and negotiating we finally found a place through a secret Facebook group (no, I’m not inviting you). 300-square-foot, 4^th floor walk-up with no amenities on our first must-haves list.

We couldn’t ask for anything more. We are incredibly happy with our Home Sweet Box. Cheers to the next few weeks preparing for life in the city. By the city, I mean THE city.

Next step: sell everything we own.