I finally moved

I finally moved in to the unit last Saturday. I still don't have a phone line and an internet connection so the updates to this blog might come slower especially during the weekend. I got to the unit around noon and was disappointed when the guard told me that a delivery truck left just a few minutes before I arrived. I had no choice but to wait for them to return. All the items I was waiting for arrived late in the afternoon:the bed from Mandaue Foam, the Samsung refrigerator, washing machine and airconditioner. Images to follow.

The long awaited pictures

Furnishing the unit: Day 2

In order for the unit to be livable, we really need to decide on what queen sized mattress to get. Here are our options:

• 6" Uratex Orthocare @ 14,000.00
• 6" Senso Memory Foam Mattress @18,000.00
• 6" Flex/Memory Foam with cotton cover @ 7600.00
• 6" Flex/Memory Foam with quilted spring cover @ 9,000.00
• 14" Memory Foam/Gala Spring Mattress @ 13,900.00

We believe that the 14" Memory Foam/Gala Spring Mattress @ 13,900.00 offered the best value for money at this point even though I could not find any reviews on the internet. We went back to the Mandaue Foam showroom to place our order. The staff who handled our purchase was very accomodating. We even took the bed sheet we got the day before and tried it on the sample mattresses. We also found some nice pillows to go with the new mattress. All in all, the items we purchased added to a total of 15,080.00 which already includes deliver charges. It also includes the 10% discount since I opted to pay in cash via EPS. The discount would have been lower (5%) had I used my credit card to pay. I hope to provide more feedback on the mattress and pillows once they deliver it on Saturday. We went to visit the unit primarily to take measurements and to take some pictures. Will upload them soon.

• Refrigerator - L:21 W:27 H:67
• Washing Machine - L:24 W:24
• Small bedroom window - L:77 W:35
• Big bedroom window - L:77 W:71
• Living room window - L:47 W:47
• Front door - W:36
• Airconditioner - W:23.5 H:15.5
• Planned Counter - L:48 W:24 H:40
• Planned Shower Glass - W:72 H:56
• Planned Bathroom Cabinet - L:10 W:18
• Planned Bathroom Mirror - W:40 H:30

And the buying begins

Our first stop for the day is the Uratex outlet located in QC. We are considering getting the Orthopedic Mattress(14k@7yrs warranty) and the Senso Memory Mattress(18k@10 yrs warranty)
We next went to Mandaue Foam located at the corner of Quezon Avenue and BMA Avenue. They also had a spring mattress with a memory foam topper which in my opinion provides more value for money. After looking around the store, we took a quick lunch in the nearby Chowking outlet.
We then proceeded to Ortigas Home Depot where we were almost convinced to buy overpriced appliances we don't really need at this point. The details of the story can be found here. We looked around the facility but we didn't find anything we liked except some high stools which we could use for the planned meal counter.
We then went to SM Megamall where there was an ongoing sale of appliances. Most of the items aren't exactly on sale. Instead, they can be purchased on installment. After checking out all the booths, we settled on the following:

• Refrigerator: Samsung no frost 7 cubic feet
• Washing Machine: Samsung 8kg Fully automatic
• Airconditioner: Samsung 3/4 HP with timer and remote

We didn't purchase anything yet as we had to make sure the appliances would fit the planned spaces. I'll probably pay for them late monday evening. Next, we went to the department store's home section where we bought:

• Water dipper(tabo)
• Pail
• Laundry Basket
• Hangers(2 dozen)
• Basin
• Ironing Board
• Toilet Brush
• Bath Towel
• Soft Slippers
• Sanitized Bed Sheet and Pillow Case

All of the items above adds up to 3,727.00. We also got a teflon coated dry iron at the appliance section for 900.00. We also bought 2 units of Dehumidifier and a unit of Glade scented gel from Blade to improve the smell of the unit although to be honest, I don't mind that the unit smells like brand new.
All in all, we spent a total of 4,902.25 for the first day of purchases. More purchases to come.

Receiving the keys

I was contacted by my realtor, friday last week, to inform me that my unit is ready for final punch listing. I scheduled it and went to see the unit last Wednesday. I had minor complaints at that time which the turnover group promised to fixed within a few days. I got a call the following day informing me that the unit is now ready for acceptance. I skipped a few hours of work at lunch to go to tivoli gardens and handover a check amounting to 15k for the move-in fees and to finally accept the keys to my kingdom. The keys in my hand gave me a sense of achievement. I will be posting pictures of the building, its surroundings and the bare unit soon.

Doing the numbers

I got some expert advise from some people who have done this before. They told me to consider prioritizing based on activities:

moving around in your home - subtotal:4,200

Item	Price	Notes
front door lock	no price info	I was advised to use bolts. No idea yet what to get.
fluorescent bulbs	???	Light emitted by the bulbs have different properties which are appropriate for certain activities. Color Rendering Index(CRI) measure how accurately a lighting source renders the color of objects when compared to sunlight. The CRI of sunlight is 100. Color Correlated Tempearture(CCT) refers to how warm or cool the light emitted by the bulb. Warm light(2500-3000K) is characterized by a yellowish color ideal for dining room, living room and bedroom. Cool light(4500-5000K) characterized by a yellow white to white color ideal for use in the kitchen. The international color code is often used to denote the temperature of a lamp's light. This code is a three digit number. The first digit refers to the color rendering index: if it is 8, then the CRI is between 80 and 90, if it is 9, it lies between 90 and 100. The next two numbers are the color temperature (to the nearest hundred) divided by one hundred kelvins, thus if the temperature is 6500 K, the number is 65.

sleeping - subtotal:28,700

Item	Price	Notes
mattress	1,300 or 7,900 or 23,000	The cheapest option is to get a queen sized air bed for 1,300, the next one is to get a 4" Uratex Comfort Plus Foam with a 2" Bio Aire Mattress topper for 7,900 and the most expensive one and the most comfortable as claimed by the various salesmen we talked to is a spring mattress from slumberland. The particular model comes in at 23,000.
bed frame	no price info	I believe the cheapest route is to have someone custom build a frame. I found several platform beds online that I'll show to a furniture shop so they can give me a quoute. Another option is to just purchase a 6x8 carpet initially and put the mattress on top of it. The carpet can later be reused if I'm able to get a frame.
bed sheet/pillow cover/comforter	4,800	Found good quality sets on sale in SM Megamall
pillows	no price info	Still have to do research on this
airconditioner	15,000	Planning on getting a 0.8hp Condura, the one with a timer, a remote control and a special plug that will allow us to connect an electric fan so that when the airconditioner shuts-off, the fan turns on.
stand fan	1,000	my brother claims that the industrial types last longer

preparing for work

Item	Price	Notes
mirror	no price info	the bathroom finish does not include mirrors

doing the laundry - subtotal:11,200

Item	Price	Notes
washing machine	10,500	8.5kg whirlpool unit with dryer
flat iron	700	3D steam and dry iron

eating and drinking - subtotal:20,300

Item	Price	Notes
refrigerator	15,000	no frost models are less power efficient but are much easier to maintain
rice cooker	1,300	3D 2.5L Stainless Rice Cooker,Model MF-90S. I tried looking for one that uses induction but haven't found one yet
induction stove	2,200	I found several but I don't know if they are any good.
air pot	1,800	3D 3.2 Liters Stainless Electric Airpot, Model AX-300E

Current total not including things that still need canvassing: 64,400

• front lock
• bed frame
• mirrors
• pillows

Everything else, I plan to borrow and steal from people who'd let me. Thanks in advance.