Roommates - slightly OT
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Roommates - slightly OT
| Fri, 04-01-2005 - 11:47am |
I guess this doesn't really apply to online dating, at least not to my situation anyway, since I've met someone, but I remember a while back there was a discussion about roommates.


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Don't sweat it. I almost always had roommates when I owned my house, and am currently living with my mom.
On the surface, some people may judge those as "bad" things, or red flags. They were/are logical choices to me.
Sounds like you've thought it through and think it'll work for you. I just hope you don't get a psycho like I once had.
Ok - you point out that you simply can't go on making less money - yet you have decided to move in with a roommate ---- so you can split expenses ... allowing you to continue to make less money.
You need a better plan that that imho.
She has a plan.
Get a roommate situation - which will reduce her expenses - more money in hand, or more money to apply towards debt.
Go to school and get the education required to earn more money. She said she can't handle working two jobs AND school.
They say to "always trade up" when it comes to jobs, so if/when you're looking for one, be sure that you only take it if it offers more of something. Time off (which is a benefit), better payments on healthcare and such, or more money.
I think that's a great plan. I think that roommate situations vary from people who are cordial to one another but not really friends and not really involved with each other's lives, to people who grow to be almost best friends. My gf has a roommate like that; she owns the house and wanted someone around more often, so she advertised and interviewed many people.
When she met her roomie it was a great fit and they've become very close friends, which I think is totally cool.
I like your plan and think you should drive onward with it. Good luck! :)
You will never truly succeed, CGUN, until you put to rest your negative attitude about where you are right now. Every successful person had a burning desire to get somewhere. Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy -- they were all at a black period in their life when they made the decision to change their circumstances.
Never mind dwelling on where you SHOULD be now. Concentrate on where you WANT to be and get there. Slowly, surely, focussed on your goals.
I remember when you were first talking about your second job. I so admired you for doing that!! That is the hardest thing to do, I should know. The joke is, though, that all those extra hours don't help all that much, and just make one tired and depressed. I know about that one, too.
A room mate sounds okay, but is this the only answer for you? You are looking for financial relief, I understand that, but what about simply scaling down, getting a cheaper apartment?
Anyway, good for you for planning to better your life!!!
I will confess that when I was reading your op I was worried that I would read that your new room mate would be Ricky. Then I would have to say: moving in together for financial reasons is never good, on so many levels.
I really advise you to start reading books about goal setting, and about getting out/staying out of debt. I have been helped enormously through counselling and reading. I should be able to buy a little piece of this world within 2 years, something I thought I would never be able to do.
Cheers!!
amjay
Stacey,
One of the things that helped me best to pay off my debt was setting a budget down in writing (Excel works great for this). Put down your monthly bills and income, and figure out what needs to be paid when according to your pay schedule. You'll also be able to see at a glance what, if any, any extra money you have to spend. I did this years ago, and it helped me pay off all my credit card debt. It also really helped me differentiate between "needs" and "wants". I still use the spreadsheet every now and again when I need to get back on track (usually around the holidays). Hope this helps some, and good luck!
Holly
I learned the hard way about moving in with a boyfriend to make it easier financially - that's part of the reason I'm in this situation now.
When I was moving to DC I considered a roommate and found this site www.roommates.com that's just like match.com except for the sole purpose of finding a roommate. You can put whether you already have a place and need someone to share or if you want to move in into someone else's place. You post a profile of what you're looking for and read their profiles as well: age, smoker, pets, etc, you see their picture sometimes and apt pictures as well. I ended up renting on my own afterwards, but I thought it was a VERY COOL site. I believe you pay a membership fee like match, but it will probably make your apt search much easier.
Another thing you might want to consider (and you might not want to hear this) is to sell your car. I have a 93 Passat that takes me from A to B, gives me no problems and it's all paid for since I bought it for cheap. All I have to worry is money for the insurance (liability only too, as the car is not worth paying anything more than liability). No one likes getting rid of their nice car to get an older one, but if that's a financial burden to you now, you'll have to weight your choices: school or a car, just make sure you're not getting a lemon. You can always buy another car once your financial situation improves (hopefully due to a new job -- woohoo!)
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