wondering...

[ayani]

hey all-

as of the next few weeks i'll be facing something of a dillema. i'll be needing to leave my old apartment by the end of the month, and am searching around for a new place to stay by then. my money is low, and while i have a job, i haven't yet saved enough to pay for rent and a deposit, even on a very cheap place.

so.

right now i'm facing the possibility of not having a place to "live" for a while. i'm not super alarmed, just a little tired of being on the move. i know some of you have faced similar situations before, though i know everyone's experiences are different. right now i'm sorting through the technicalities of where i could go, what i'll need to sell and what i can take with me. i'm remembering my chipper step dad's motto "it'll be an adventure!" which he used to describe everything from getting lost three blocks from the house to going to a memorial service. heh.

what has helped you when faciling similar decisions?

 

[michel]

hey all-

as of the next few weeks i'll be facing something of a dillema. i'll be needing to leave my old apartment by the end of the month, and am searching around for a new place to stay by then. my money is low, and while i have a job, i haven't yet saved enough to pay for rent and a deposit, even on a very cheap place.

so.

right now i'm facing the possibility of not having a place to "live" for a while. i'm not super alarmed, just a little tired of being on the move. i know some of you have faced similar situations before, though i know everyone's experiences are different. right now i'm sorting through the technicalities of where i could go, what i'll need to sell and what i can take with me. i'm remembering my chipper step dad's motto "it'll be an adventure!" which he used to describe everything from getting lost three blocks from the house to going to a memorial service. heh.

what has helped you when faciling similar decisions?

I have been there before. When I was 20, I lived in a rented room, in a big old house. I had seen nothing change, but one night, when I got back to the room, Ifound all the doors wide open, someone had put a foot through my ceiling (from the room above) and the electricity were both switched off.

The owner had supposedly sent a letter to all the tenants - well, I never saw one.

I slept there that night, put all my belongings in the car, and went to work; one of the older guys there told me of an agent he knew. That night, I was installed in a much better small flat.

I have gone through similar traumatic episodes (ones that in the cold light of day I would never see myself being able to cope with), and yet, I rose to the occasion each time. Life is like that; you find you are so busy being practical that things will usually work out.

We used to have a neighbour who had a fantastic philosophy; whatever disaster occurred, she would turn round and say "Is anyone ill, or injured ?" whenever anyone told her of their problems - to which the answer (most times) was 'no'. "So what are you worrying about then ?", she'd say.

I hope all goes well for you. One day, you will look back on this time and most likely laugh.

 

[ayani]

michel-

thank you, honey!

i'm trying to be practical and ok about things, and i think i'm doing an alright job. what is, is. it's best to just keep a bag packed anyway, and have a plan b, as i'm figuring out. still not sure what my plan b is. but i know my dad got through poverty and homelessness when he was younger. people deal with this stuff all the time- i'm glad to know i'm not alone!

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If you don't mind a poor quality place, I know some slum lords in Kokomo don't mind if your way behind in rent. In fact, the one that owns my brother's apartment has a tenent that is over $2,000 dollars behind. I'm sure there are landlords that don't mind abit behind everywhere, but that far behind is quite rare I'm sure. Try to figure out a landlords reputation on what there general reaction is when someone comes up short on cash and can't pay rent.

When I'm short on cash, I used to sell (I have very little things worth much I'm willing to part with) things like books, my car amp and speaker box, cds, and unused things like a printer. I look everywhere for oppurtunities to make money, and that includes dragging my *** to the plasma center.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Hmm... I'd suggest exploring things like the local food pantry and shelters. If you have enough, you might be able to put your things in storage for a short while. If you have a car and your area is warm enough at the moment, there's no shame in sleeping in your vehicle and using gas stations to clean yourself up in the mornings for work. I'd say to ask a friend if you could stay at their place, but that can create a bad dynamic.

I really wish I was able to help, financially.

 

[ayani]

hey, it's ok. i don't need money right now, just ideas.

there IS a car across the street they're selling cheap. you're right, i could buy and live in it. that solves shelter and transportation. i'm still staking out places i coukd hide out at around the city. it's not difficult, and really i couldn't be living in a better city to be in my position. every tenth house is abandoned, and people have been living on the fringes in Richmond for years. i'm ok with it.

i just have to get my stuff together, sold off, and my butt out the door.

 

[Valjean]

There are always a lot of "roommate/housemate wanted" ads in food co-ops, health-food stores and colleges. The posters are often pretty flexible.

 

[ayani]

There are always a lot of "roommate/housemate wanted" ads in food co-ops, health-food stores and colleges. The posters are often pretty flexible.

yeah... i'm just moving out of an apartment gained from answering such an ad. my housemate is now packing up rather unexpectedly and asking me to either leave or foot the $600 a month bill by myself. no can do. i'm also broke.

but. you all have great suggestions, and i thank you. i'll find a place to put myself. i do have a job, which means that some time in the near future, i'll be able to afford a place after i save up enough. so it's not dire.

but i do know that a number of y'all here have faced similar circumstances, so i ain't alone!

 

[Melody]

Gracie,
I don't know whether you belong to a "church" or spiritual group but check with people like this. Even if you don't belong to a church, sometimes they can help with locating someone who is renting just a room.

Heck, when I first moved to a city a few hours from my parents home when I was 18, I moved into the YWCA. Wasn't much, but neither was the rent.