Why is this so hard?

After some mental calculations, I'd realized this morning that there is only 3.5 months before we go on our England trip. I was given the task to look for accommodations. It's harder than it looks.

I decided that I didn't want to stay in a hotel like we did on our London trip last year. I wanted something with a kitchenette, or at the very least, a microwave and bar fridge. I found last time that I'd rather go to the local Tesco and buy my own breakfast and lunch nibbles. Also, I'm not a big eater, so being able to put things in a fridge to eat the next day would've helped with the expense somewhat.

I had a couple of constraints. First, there are four of us. Second, there is no way in hell we are going to share a loo with other people, we have enough trouble getting along amongst ourselves as it is. In fact, my sister had requested that we find a place with two toilets. Great. (As an aside for the uninitiate, 3 stars in London means that you get a loo to yourself as oppose to sharing with strangers).

So I Googled for Apartment rentals in London. Let me tell you that there are about a bajilliion sites out there, and about 80% of them are really poorly put together, the rest being barely passable. Nothing turns me off more than a really poorly designed site.

What have I discovered so far? That renting is just as expensive. Renting a place with two toilets is even more expensive. Having more than one toilet in many English households is actually a bit of a luxury. I'm trying to determine what my upper limit in terms of price will be, and let me tell you, it keeps going up. Not to mention that I had foolishly waited until now to book something, a lot of the places that I was considered were already taken. Wah!