I have a renter!

[shadesofmauve]

After eight months of only one tenant, I got a deposit and signed lease today, from a girl who seems quite nice (and had great references and all that). That last craigslist posting finally did the trick. She's moving in on the 22nd, and we'll see how she is as a housemate then, but there were no warning flags at all.

I am giddy.

I haven't really mentioned it because I'm very, very aware of how many of my friends are in really tough financial straits, and comparatively I'm livin' high, but knowing I've plugged the slow leak in the budget is a huge weight off my shoulders. Eight months is waaaay longer than I wanted to go without a second tenant. A year ago it would've been a real problem, but in January my hours were raised at work, which accounted for a good chunk of the lost income (which means in the next few months I'll actually feel like I've gotten a 'raise', for the first time since the raise!).

I've been lucky to have a float -- I bought my house when there was that big federal incentive, and saved half of it for the studio project (other half went to windows that absolutely had to be replaced pronto) -- but I was spending it down a tiny bit at a time. When I priced out the studio a few weeks ago the total was about a thousand less than I thought it would be -- and a thousand more than I had.

Comments

[westrider.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it, and I hope she works out well for you!

And don't forget, just because others are doing worse doesn't mean you're doing well. When it comes to money stuff, I don't usually get bothered by people who make more than me talking about their money problems until they're an order of magnitude or so above where I am.

And that's usually because those people always seem to be complaining about things like a half-percent increase in Sales Tax or the rising price of Perrier, rather than anything that's actually cutting into their lifestyle ;)

A boarder's worth of rent is pretty significant income to be losing.

[shadesofmauve]

Well, now that I actually directly pay property taxes, I still vote to raise them every chance I get, so there's that. :P

I actually do feel like I'm doing pretty well, honestly! I mean, I have a house and I'm planning a remodeling project (and I won't have to take out loans for it). I can generally go out to dinner if I feel like it. That's better than I thought I'd be doing at this age.

I think it's mostly the difference between income and savings. I felt similarly awkward in college, when I had no income but did have a significant amount of money in the bank. It felt wrong to say I was broke when I knew people who were living right on the line, but on the other hand, I knew nothing was coming in to replace what I spent, so the couple thousand in the bank had a limited lifespan.

And honestly, I SHOULD have changed my lifestyle more with no renter. I probably could've saved a bunch. I've gotten so used to good food, though. :P (And I kept thinking I'd get a new renter any day. That's a dangerous trap).

As long as we're talking about money and crazy lifestyles, have you seen www.geekchichq.com? I've added 'awesome stealth-gaming table' to the list of things to buy if money ever falls on me out of the sky (after 'awesome violin', naturally).

[sinvraal.livejournal.com]

Woohoo for fiscal solvency! Like getting a big fat raise. I hope it all goes well, it sounds really promising.

[shadesofmauve]

Thanks! I'm really psyched. I've had mostly-good luck with housemates in the past, but it's always something of a crap shoot. The relief of knowing I don't have to keep hunting and worrying about whether random person #10 will be a decent renter is almost as big as the relief about money.

I think the two combined were one of those long slow stressors you hardly notice until they're gone, y'know?

[sinvraal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those grinding background anxieties can really do a number on you over the long term. You almost loose track of how much it's stressing you until they go away, then it's like you're floating for a few days! It always seems to be money or health issues, too.

[virusq.livejournal.com]

Woot!