Settling down Checklist

After the big ones of school (Vibgyor Balewadi) & apartment (Baner Rd) were taken care of, we started looking at checklist for settling down

1. Phone
1. i started with pre-paid and then converted that number to postpaid - Vodafone. [Jun 23 update] So far it is working fine. I got Idea for my husband so we can compare which one gives better coverage (data and voice) in the areas we frequently visit.
2. Airtel just launched 4G (after I made my payments to Idea and Vodafone).. we may change after a month
2. Internet
1. this has been pain in the b*!.. broadband at home stopped working and took forever to work, which finally never worked (tata docomo in 'paud road'). 
2. What worked - i bought a dongle - option for USB connection. The store guy told me that fastest option is 3G :) .. got Vodafone dongle. It took several visits and several days. I had to give my father in law's name and documents. They did verification before enabling service. This is highly surprising that dongle internet connection goes through so many levels of verification. 
3. [Jun 23 update] Mistake - <separate post>
3. Handset - gave my iPhone for unlocking I'm still using a dabba phone :(. [Jun 23 update] Got a better smartphone temporarily from a cousin. Iphone is given to another Vendor for unlocking (on JM road).
4. Water - had to find a store that sells 5 litres of bottled water coz getting 1L bottles gets expensive over the period of time.    
5. House for rent
6. School admissions
1. supplies, uniform, shoes, books, etc. In our case school sold all at one place.
7. Appliances - done - yay!
1. Fridge
2. Microwave
3. Washing machine + Dryer
4. Dishwasher
5. ACs
8. Gas stove - [Jun 23 update] Bought 3-burner Jyoti gas stove from Jyoti's factory store on Paud Road. Will buy separate induction one later, which can be placed anywhere as needed. We gave them old burner we had at home and got good discount. 
1. Suggestions - Jyoti, Surya, Sunflame
2. Another suggestion - get one with both flame and induction options. Induction is supposed to be cheaper than LPG gas. 
9. Water purifier - [Jun 23 update] Bought BARC one and it was a smooth experience - from Rupali industries. I can give number if needed.
1. Options are Kent RO, Aquaguard RO (about 18K to 20K)
2. SIL suggested one developed by BARC - research center - supposed to be meant for India water and cheap compared to other options. She uses this at her home after a lot of research and has kids + elders. Need to call vendor. http://barc.gov.in/akruti-tp/atp_dwp.html 
10. Mattress - TBD - need suggestions
1. We need to two mattresses - visited couple of stores. Usually stores selling curtains also sell mattresses. Got quotations of about 18K to 36K for one mattress. Folks here say about 20K is what I should expect.
2. Some brands I saw here are spring air; dura flex, century
11. Curtains - TBD - need suggestions
1. Saw ready mades one at @Home - didn't like and were expensive for what they were
2. Visited Prime furnishings on Karve Road - bad service and not so great designs
3. Vama - small one on Baner Road - suggested by tailor - ok ok collection, didn't like 
4. Bharat Furnishing - Aundh Baner Road - good service, loved the overall collection. Not sure if prices are right. Still evaluating.
12. Curtain rods, bathroom fittings - TBD - need suggestions
1. SIL suggested to buy online. Bathroom fittings brand "SGH" is good.
13. Household little items - buckets, etc.
1. I visited Auchan mall and got everything at ones. There were decent choices and not super high quality ones but I got a lot of work done at one place and with convenience. They had large carts which were allowed until the car parking.
2. Recommendation - 
1. D-Mart; 
2. Big Bazaar; 
3. Tulsi on Lakshmi road (good quality but inconvenient to visit and buy large items