Last month, I made a huge change in my living situation. After much deliberation, I made the decision to move out of my studio apartment in Washington, DC to rent a room in Northern Virginia as part of my goal to save money for extended world travel next year.
As I’ve said before, most people who say they want to travel the world NEVER get past the wishful thinking phase because of their limiting beliefs around money. Many people still think traveling is just for rich people or celebrities! Of course, this negative mindset prevents us from seeing ALL the possibilities available to us. There are so many steps we can take that will get us closer to any goal we have for our lives, if we only take action.
But anyway, I’ve already completed one of the first tasks on my journey to achieve MY travel goals for next year: saving money by getting rid of my apartment. Several ladies have asked me to share more about my decision and the experience in downsizing my living situation, so today I’m offering some tips on how to go about this for yourself and other things I learned along the way.
Get Clear About What You Really Want
Most people I’ve spoken to seem shocked that anyone would ever want to go from having their own apartment to a shared living space. My response is that it all depends on what your goals are for your ideal life. If being “independent” for you means living completely on your own, fine. But if being “independent” means being able to have more money in your pocket, it might be worth it. For me, for right now, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks:
- I’ve reduced my living expenses by 50%
- I now live closer to my mom and sister
- The move forced me to get rid of ALL the stuff I didn’t need, once and for all
Here’s the deal. I very much want to spend the latter part of 2012 exploring Italy, Greece and Southeast Asia. At this point in my life, that desire trumps any insecurities about not having my own place.
Rethink Your “Must-Haves”
After I got out of college, I was dead-set against ever having a roommate. “I’m a grown ass woman!” I would say to myself. Grown women need their own space. But I never stopped to let myself consider what it was I really needed from my living situation. As I began to explore cost-cutting measures and renting a room, I discovered that I really only needed a few things to be content with a shared space:
- My own room with a lock on the door
- My own bathroom with a shower and tub
- Kitchen privileges with a microwave, stove, fridge and oven
- A parking space for my car
- All utilities included, plus free wireless internet
Once I knew my real “must-haves,” it made it easier for me to find an opportunity that was right for me. If I had kids, I might have added other items to this list, but it’s still not impossible to downsize with little ones in tow. Many ladies have done it!
Determine How Much You Want to Save Per Month
My price range that I wanted to pay per month was initially $800-$1000. I figured since I was already paying over $1200 per month for my studio, any reduction would be a step ahead. Then, I started thinking more clearly. If I was going to make this huge change, I might as well save as much money as I possibly could! My final price range was $500-$800 per month to rent a room in a single family home. (You’re probably shaking your head at these prices but again, I live in the DC area where just having any place to live usually costs an arm and a leg.)
Research All Possible Options
For the DC area, the Craigslist “rooms and shares” section is a great place to find ads for rooms for rent. Roommates.com is another popular site. What I noticed were a few patterns as I did my research. All the “group house” type arrangements made pretty unbelievable claims in their ads that everyone was “quiet” and “clean.” Um, in a house of FIVE twentysomethings, I’d be very shocked if that was actually the case. Other rooms for rent were near colleges, so I expected to be living with kids who were still discovering the joys of getting drunk on school nights. No way! Finally, I settled on only responding to ads that described a single family home where I would be the sole renter. That’s how I found the room I’m living in now.
My current landlord owns a townhouse and is rarely home as she works and travels a lot, so I have the house to myself most of the time. It’s in a quiet neighborhood where I can take walks and focus on my work without being bothered. She also has a cute cat, Jazzpurr that is growing on me! Yes me, the former animal hater. Sometimes I let Jazzpurr sit at my feet with her meowing while I write my blog posts. Overall, moving from an apartment to renting a room has been a great decision for me and what I want for my life.
Do you think this strategy would work for you and your financial goals? What are some other ways you could reduce your living expenses besides renting a room?
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.
Three years later, how is everyone doing? Still happy with their downsizing decisions? I am inspired by this post and all of the comments. I have decided to downsize from my first one bedroom apartment to my own rather large room and small bathroom in a newly renovated 3000 sq ft home that I will share with 3 other people. I am excited about this, as I will definitely be saving over 200 dollars/month compared to my current living situation. However, I am also a little nervous. I am a very independent person and have grown accustomed to living completely alone and very close to work. This will be very different for me, but I am very excited. I feel this is the right move. :)
Hi Rosetta
OMG! Why does your life mirror mine? This is too funny. I did the same thing. My living expenses were close to $2000 a month and after 2 years of living like this, I had simply had enough. I sold everything including my car, left Dallas Texas and traveled to London and Africa for 6 months. I even picked up a few style coaching clients in Nigeria which was pretty fun. I could not tell you today how I paid for all of it but the Divine made it happen. I am back in the states and now live in Chicago (I know…my first winter), but now rent a room in a family home where I pay $350 and $100 for miscellaneous expenses. I take public transportation and I’m loving it. I have thoughts about getting a studio and living in the city, where I could be paying close to $1000 a month, but I’m not sure how I feel about that yet, but either way, all is well. Looking forward to traveling again.
This is a wonderful post. It highlights many key points that we have to practice daily needs vs wants, practical vs unrealistic, limiting perceptions vs wide horizons, and lifestyle choices.
Thank you for this post. I’m long overdue to inventory my needs and wants to map out my future years.
I’m constantly trying to convince my husband that we need less space and less stuff. Currently, we’re living in about 900 square feet. He thinks it’s small, but I love it. We purge unneeded items monthly and we’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much of our income is freed up when we deal with needs instead of wants. But if there is a want that crops up, like travel, it doesn’t take nearly as long to save for it because we haven’t blown so much of our budget on rent.
So Refreshing. It’s great to know the differences between needs and wants. You have made that decision very clear. Too often, we are blinded by the latest fashions and everything that we must have.
I also think that it’s awesome that you’re making your dreams come true all on your own. Out of dream mode, and into “do” mode!
I moved into a group housing situation in August and I love it! I said for years that I would never be able to share living space with anyone ever again. However after getting divorced, it made no sense for me to continue to pay the money I was paying for a 1 bedroom apartment. I sold or gave away most of my belongings as I REFUSED to pay for storage — a big money waster in my eyes. Everything I own is either in my tiny room, or the trunk of my car. Moving has not only cut my expenses in half, it has allowed me re-energize myself and my goals. Living in a space I once shared with my spouse long after he had left just wasn’t serving my spirit. Hopefully I can be like the other sisters who said they left their jobs to pursue their dreams.
So inspirational. Thank you, Rosetta. I loved that you were clear on your needs vs. wants and simply went for it! And, geez, a hole in the universe DID NOT open up and SWALLOW YOU! ADDED Bonus-you get to be closer to your family! I’ve decided to open my home up to a renter again (after a five year hiatus)for monetary reasons and ‘quit trying to do it all on my own’. I would love to save money and be able to more easily visit out of town family and friends at least once a year! I’ll post on Craigslist and screen carefully. Will let you know how it goes.
Thanks for reading, Jacquelyn! Yes, be sure to screen carefully. I even did a cursory background check on my landlord. Gotta know who you’re living with!
Hey Rosetta,
Thanks for this practical and inspirational share. I say inspirational because I love how you teach and live with a can-do mentality. You’ve gotten clear on what you really wanted and now your doing what you can do to make that happen. As you said, not a lot of people are willing to do that kind of thing.
I hope your new living situation will be an enjoyable one. I’m sure it will prove for great blogging fodder and lots of juicy learning experiences for you share with us.
Keep kickin’ butt girl!
Appreciate you stopping by, Marlee! I think the best way we all can teach is through sharing our experiences, so it means a lot for you to mention that :)
I did just this back in July! It was my attempt at getting a landlord who looked like me…1 month later i’m quitting my job to pursue my dreams full time. Life in tandem Sis! Love it!
That’s a great point Natisha – when we release that financial burden, it makes it much easier to make the decisions you’ve always wanted to make. Congrats to you :)
Yup! I accumulated $47K in loans for grad school in NYC. Moving to NJ has been the best decision. I still don’t care for having a roommate but I’ve been able to pay down $17K of my loans in less than a year.
Great story, Nina! Thanks for sharing here.