What happens after you give up your apartment to save money? Lots of things, apparently. Here’s a bit of what I’ve learned so far.
So last night, I bid farewell to the room I’ve been renting for the last three months. For the next two weeks, I’ll be staying with my mom until I leave for Hawaii for almost a month. As I was packing up my things, I started reflecting on my experience living in someone else’s home. Not only was it not as bad as I thought, but I’ll be exploring this option further in my travels very soon.
There are a lot of things you can live without. (Most of your “needs” are actually ”wants.”)
Over the last three months, I went from having a 600-square foot apartment to having a small room in someone’s home. I had everything I needed in my old apartment – or so I thought. I didn’t actually need a walk-in closet. Or hardwood floors. Or a balcony. Those things were nice, but as I’ve downsized, I learned that I really don’t need much at all. Obviously, I need a furnished room since I gave up all my furniture. But very few things need to be in that room. A bed. A dresser (and even this I could do without as I have bins for my clothes). A desk where I can do my work. A private bathroom (still haven’t tried the shared bathroom set-up, though I likely will soon). A parking spot for my car (for now). Add kitchen and laundry privileges and I’m set.
What other people think about your living situation doesn’t matter.
In the DC area it’s pretty common for young professionals to live with several roommates, but in other parts of the country . . . maybe not so much. At 28, some people might look at you funny for not having your own spot. But it’s important to remember that those people are NOT paying your bills! Their opinion of you should not matter. Even my mom has referred to me as “homeless” on more than one occasion, which bothered me at first. But I had to immediately shift my mindset to stay in the power of the decision that I made to modify my lifestyle. Most homeless people have no choice but to wander, but thankfully I do. If I wanted to, I could do a lot of things the conventional way. But I am choosing to experiment with something different at this point in my life. There is so much power in that.
New possibilities open up when you start living with less.
I feel like there’s been such a weight lifted off of me over these past few months. Yes, there is the fact that I’m saving $600 a month by not having an apartment in the city, but there’s more to it than that. I feel free. I feel like I can go anywhere. And technically, I can! I just have to be able to get to an airport to travel to my various speaking engagements throughout the year. (And have clients who can pay for the flight!) By forcing myself to live with drastically fewer things for three months (all my clothes now fit into two 20-gallon plastic bins), I’ve seen how much more mobile I’ve become. Travel just seems much more possible for me now.
Overall, my experience renting a room has been positive. My next step is to figure out where I’ll be staying in January once I come back to the mainland from Hawaii (and after spending the Christmas holiday with family in Florida). But honestly, I’m really not ready to think about that just yet. Right now, I’m thinking of palm trees and mai tais. And maybe having a Happy Black Woman Happy Hour in Honolulu??? Let me know if I have any readers on the island and we’ll see if we can put something together during November 28-December 21!
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@Kalley C I’m trying to focus more on my goals and destinations instead of being caught up it in the clutter.
The timing of this post could not have been better. I’m in the midst of deciding if I should change my living situation from living at home to getting my own place. And couple that with needing to buy a new car and wanting to further my education, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. Mostly, I wonder if I want my own place to keep up with my peer group or for my own satisfaction. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
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Whoa that’s quite a list! Be careful not to stress yourself out with too many financial burdens due to trying to “keep up with the Joneses” as my grama likes to say. There will always be time to get your own place. Man, I wish I had the option of living at home indefinitely at this point LOL. Long-term goals may trump everything else.
You’re right, long-term goals are more important than keeping up with the Jones.
Read my latest blog post…Black in America: The Curious Case of Privilege
I think this is a great idea, especially if its just you. It really doesnt matter what anyone thinks other than you. You could save so much money by living minimally, and you really get to know more about yourself in the process as well–as you have.
You have the opportunity to separate your needs from your wants. You live with what you really need to live with.
People try to define success by where you live and what you have, but never do they focus on the goals and destinations.
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Your lifestyle experiment came to me the other day while I was blogging. I was thinking to myself and why I’m feeling stuck. Besides money, the other reason is fear. I’m not going to say I wish I had your life because you are an example of that any thing is possible and if you truly want it, you can get it. Your progress gives me hope to keep on pushing. Just like Ricki, I too want to be at the point when I move it’s will be done in one trip. Now if I can just figure out ebay, maybe I can sell a few things but most will be donated.
Have fun on your new journey.
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Love it! Kudos to you, Sis for living life according to your own rules. It feels great to not be burdened down by a whole bunch of “stuff”. I make it my practice to leave the country at least every other month and people always look at me like Im crazy and ask me how i afford it on an educators salary…When i look at the $300 outfits, and red bottom shoes, etc, I always chuckle and how people forget that we have a choice of what we spend our money on! I’ve been following your journey and the ways in which our stories parallel are amazing. Glad to be able to follow the journey of a fellow Dreammaker :0)
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Little can people add that spending your money on clothes is the same as a trip. People can have a good life traveling if they prioritize their finances.
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Congratulations & good luck. Enjoy.
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OMG! You’re living the life I dream of. I frequently come home and feel burdened by everything and I live in a studio. I have too much stuff and one day I would love to have all of my clothes fit into two 20 gallon containers. I crave to be at a point in my life where packing up and leaving will take an hour or two and not days.
Maybe an easy first step would be to get rid of a few things every week? I was reading somewhere about a woman who does that every weekend as part of her cleaning routine. Good luck!
I love this post. I like having nice things but, life is about so much more. Fight the good fight.
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