thinking about moving off post to Lakewood. I know it's not the nicest place- but does anyone know of a good area? Apartment that allows dogs or small house. Just need 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. and we are enlisted so nothing too expensive!
lol 

Depends, what is too expensive for you? 

We lived in Lakewood off Bridgeport Way when we first moved there. A place called Royal Oaks. The apartments weren't the greatest but the neighborhod behind us was quiet and there were nice houses for rent. One of the houses we looked at renting was $1200 per month plus eletric (gas, water and garbage were included). It depends on how much you are looking to spend. 

There are quite a few apartment complexes off Bridgeport toward the Walmart. I think it's a pretty decent neighborhood. Rent runs anywhere from $675-1600 depending on which one, how many utilities are included, and any extras (pool/gym). 

We would like to move too. But with 5 kids its nearly impossible. Housing is getting on my nerves. We have to pay for mini blinds and pay for a microwave that was used when we moved in and quit. We had a toilet issue yesterday and they pulled a toy told me if they could not retrieve it we would have to pay for a new toilet. Everything has to be prepaid before they do any work now. So where is our 1400 a month going these days plus utilities. 

I also know someone living in Royal Oaks and they seem to like it. It's just not new and updated. I assume it's pet friendly since she has a dog.

You'd have to pay for damages off post too. I haven't had to prepay for anything maintenance related but then again I haven't had any major issues. Just lots of burnt out light bulbs lol! I really dislike having to pay Minol but at least the bills from them aren't as outrageous as what we paid off post. In the winter with the heat running our electric bill was easily $350-400/month when we lived in Lacey. 

Be prepared to be shocked with how much utilities cost off base. It's absurd! 

If your going to live in Lakewood, the cheapest power company in the area is Lakeview Light and Power which pretty much is the majority of Lakewood. My bill runs around $50 or so, and then in the winter $80-100 depending on the heat I use. We live in Echelon Apts. They are nice buy pricey. Plan on finishing up our lease and trying to find a house. =) Good luck! 

Thanks for all the tips! I guess I am hoping for a place under $1000. ? I just want to feel safe and know that there are definitively some areas that I would not feel safe in Lakewood! :) 

The neighborhood right by Royal Oaks and Walmart off Bridgeport is quiet and was safe when we lived there. We never had any issues with break ins or weird people. 

Well you can find a 2b/2b with 1 covered parking space at Steeplechase in Lakewood for under $1000 a month, but from living there myself I wouldn't recommend anyone live there, but my standards my be a bit snobbish when it comes to where I live lol. Issues I had with my apartment were: They didnt clean the carpets or even clean the apartment before I was supposed to move in, showed up with the moving truck and the place was so nasty! They tried to tell me it was cleaned but ummmm how does hair get everywhere and dirt all over the floors when a unit is clean? So I had to wait an extra day to have it cleaned and it was still not cleaned right. When things broke, good luck getting them fixed. My fridge and stove broke and they took 2 weeks to fix them when WA state renters laws say they have 48 hours to fix them. I had mold in my unit back by the master bathroom, and water damage in my livingroom >had an issue with one of the pipes cracking that caused water damage from peoples sinks on the 2 floors above me coming into my unit. They didn't repair it right. The lower units stove exhaust fans will suck in all the smells from other units above you and the staff will not fix them, I don't smoke and it always smelled like cigarettes and dope in my apartment. They had major issues with staff turn over, I had 4 apartment managers and all new leasing staff in the 14 months I lived there, I moved out last April 2011 so I don't know how its is right now, but probably more of the same. I had to deal with corporate to get repairs done and for them to deal with bad bad bad upstairs neighbors that were so loud (them and there 2 dogs that barked non stop) every unit around them and across the walkways and the next walkway over had filled complaints against them, took them my entire lease to finally evict them. So with caution... if you do rent from them, get an upstairs/top floor unit on the end of the building unless you want to hear absolutely everything going on above and beside you. Make sure everything they promise is in your lease and read the lease twice before you sign it. I heard lots of bad things from other neighbors about how their leases were messed up. And when you move out, insist on a walkthrough inspection with the property manager and get a signed copy of any damages they note. My place was spotless and they still took my entire deposit. What a joke. 

For 3 people, how much it the typical utility cost? OUr BAH is 1400 so wanna keep it around that. 

Dang Sham you got shafted for sure, sorry that happened to you. Reading this makes me adore my landlady even more than I already did. I KNOW I got lucky with her, and she is a big part of the reason we are turning down housing on post. Not worth losing our whole BAH first off, but I would rather deal with her than any company any day!