This housesitting thing has been really nice.
Housesitting I have my laptop, a cat, tv, food, beer, books.
Back at home I have a high strung roommate, clutter, papers to be filed, bills to pay, laundry to iron and fold. I also left the house in a state of really needing to be dusted, vacuumed, and otherwise rid of grime. I asked Ray to tackle the bathroom, but I’m not sure if anything else will get done. Remember – the dishwasher detergent bottle is Ray-proof. There are also a thousand other small annoyances – like the fact that I’m sick of my furniture and want new stuff that doesn’t say “I took my parents’ old furniture”, the carpets suck and could really use a professional cleaning, and the bathtub DESPERATELY needs to be re-grouted.
Of course, the annoyances weren’t so apparent until I started housesitting, and remembered what a glorious thing it is to live ALONE. And subsequently, how much I want to MOVE. NOW.
The plan, as it stands so far, is to start on the process of getting rid of all my extraneous crap (I have boxes that I’ve moved more than twice, that haven’t actually been unpacked in that time), and save up some extra money so I can pull a double rent month – keeping the current place while I move in somewhere new, so that I can both find somewhere I LOVE without the pressure of a 1 month timeframe, as well as try to avoid driving myself insane by moving my entire household in one day. I’d also have my car long since paid off by then, which is also a good thing.
The problem with that plan is that it doesn’t have me moving until at least March 2006. Six looooong months away. March is a good time for me to move, since such a high percentage of my income is commission based – and with the nature of spelunking, business slows down in the fall and winter. I’d be incurring moving expenses as my income is picking up again, instead of declining. Living alone also means my rent and utilities will pretty much double – another good reason to wait until the low-pay cycle is on its way out.
Everything logical in me says the original plan is a good, sound one, and I should stick to it.
But there’s a huge part of me that says “live in the moment – do what you feel you need to and everything else will work itself out – living on ramen and KD isn’t that bad…” Especially since I know that if I act like a responsible human being, I wouldn’t actually have to compromise all that much on the lifestyle I’ve become accustomed to living.
I think.
Someone stop me.
Maybe it all comes down to this: What price do you put on your sanity? 😉
Here’s another idea… How about getting a really awesome roommate, and finding a place downtown that would afford you more space for yourself, as well as updating your living conditions?
That’s what I should have done, instead of spending over $1500 a month to live alone. When I’ve got a good roommate, living with them is always a great time with good communication and respect for personal space.
Just my two cents.
My apartment’s actually really great, and if I could have pets, I’d evict my roommate and live alone. In fact, if I had known what my financial situation was going to be, I’d have not bothered with another roommate and just stayed there.
But I really do want a dog, and crave my solitude – it’s not really about changing location as much as changing situation. And if I move closer to downtown when I do it, all the better.
i heartily recommend the double-rent month method of moving. it saved my ASS to have both places so there was no extra pressure of end-of-month moving, etc.
Little know fact to run through your noggin. Rent starts at the beginning of the first month and mortgages start at the end of the first month. So, when you get your house you also get a free month of rent (kinda). Doesn’t seem like you’re really in the buying mode at the moment – just thought i’d mention it though 🙂
ohhhhhhhh if only i a) had a down payment as large as the student loans that are making it hard for me to save one, and b) qualified to borrow enough to buy anything west of Chilliwack!