Really? It's midnight already? Ugh.

My apartment complex is officially weird. Not in a bad way, just in an unexpected way.
We are about 60 days from the end of our lease. (YES, WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR 10 MONTHS AND BRIAN'S NEW PRACTICE STILL IS NOT OPEN YET.) They sent us our lease renewal information a few days ago, for a 12-month renewal, with a $225 increase per month in rent. The increase was what we expected, since this property transferred our lease from the other property (Remember it? With "pimp" rubber-stamped on the unit's door?), and where we live now actually costs that much. So, the increase was what we figured it would be.
The 12-month length though, was an issue. We were hoping to add only six months, since May is a nice month in which to move, and by then Brian will have been in the new office for six months, so we'll know what we can afford in a house rental. The month-to-month option wasn't feasible, since that increased our rent by $400.
So, we headed into the office this afternoon with only the concern about the lease length. We were invited into the manager's office. After that, it was kind of a blur. She popped onto her computer, and next thing we know, our rent is only being raised by $75. The rates on the garage and car ports stay the same. The cable is pulled from our account, and nothing is said about the satellite dish deposit. And then, it comes down to the lease's length. They don't offer leases for less than 12 months. However, we can buy a lease-breaking clause -- a one-time, non-refundable payment -- for the cost of half a month's rent. This option, really, is a few thousand dollars less than breaking the lease (which we considered because we don't want to be here another full year). And then, she cut $200 off the cost of that.
Honestly, I was kind of stunned. I would love to brag about my amazing negotiating skills, but I don't really have any. And also, I didn't negotiate anything. It was like walking into a store, expecting to pay a lot for a pile of shoes, but then having the salesperson hand you a bunch of stuff for free, and then only charging you for a pair of flip flops. Weird. I feel like I won something without even trying.
I should have gone out and bought a lottery ticket.