Apartments and voice lessons

I hate moving. There is an exciting aspect. Especially this time it will be at most 30 mins away, so there isn't the stress factor of all your stuff arriving in good order. Anyway, our lease ends on 9/30, and my husband says he 100% wants to move out of the dump we currently inhabit (while I am more like 50%, but 100% trumps any other percentage above 0%). My goal is a newish mid-rise building above the 3rd floor for under $1250/mo including parking spaces. Definitely not "vintage-style" (Amelie-esque) or courtyard-type. I've contacted the usual suspects in Evanston and there are no availabilities, although some might open up in August but not looking good. For over $1550 (incl. parking), there are availabilities, but those are not worth it, because they are nice but small and close to campus, which inflates the price. I've already looked at a place across the street, and it's not gonna work... due to a very dark brown carpet, very little light, a dumpster for a view, general oldness, a baby crying, and extremely rank smoke smell that I'm sure won't be there once the place gets cleaned up but still.

I'd want most to live in Glenview, where my husband works (and my voice lessons are!), but the only non-bad apartments there are these extremely nice ones that are really expensive. We are seriously considering Arlington Heights, which has nice new good-location ones for about $1100 (incl. parking). My only concern is the distance from downtown Chicago and downtown Evanston. Argh... I'm sure I can live with it.

And my voice lessons.... My teacher thinks I can really be something, and because I can't afford to go every week, she's gonna give me 2 free lessons to go 4 weeks in a row! YAY! But she is also making me buy a tape player--AFTER I got a digital recorder (that I can't return), b/c I didn't want to buy a newly manufactured relic, but she thinks the digital recorder doesn't sound real. Anyone have an old tape player? AND she wants me to get a keyboard (since I can't afford a piano, of course). I need a scholarship.