Hey guys,
I've been looking for some sort of 'alternative housing' subreddit, and this is the closest I've found to what I'm looking for. I just wanted to share my story and connect with people who live in a similar way. If you think there is a more appropriate sub for this then please let me know! :)
I live in the UK and 5 years ago moved to a large city. For the first three years I was being paid a student loan and therefore the expensive university accomodation was paid for. I still had to get a job however to afford food, leisure and what not.
I ended up with an agreement that I could live in the living room of my three friends house for a year, and only pay for the bills (~£60 a month). As you can imagine this got old fast ... it was very generous of them and worked for a while, but soon I felt like I was a burden to the house-hold. Even though they told me it was fine, I felt like a weird slob, wanted to give them their own space and have my own privacy.
I'm a musician and I had recently jammed at my friends music studio, in which the landlord did not give a fuck, he made it very comfortable for himself and even slept over-night occasionally. This gave me an idea!!
I asked around, and before I knew it I had found myself a room in a band practice building. I went to a viewing, and this was the only time I have ever met the landlord. There was a huge hole in the ceiling and plaster/rubble everywhere... but this was an adventure so I agreed to pay £240 deposit and £240 per month. I decided that I would live there, and I slept there the night I arrived. At first it was weird - cold, uncomfortable, and unusual. I felt like I had to wake up at 6am every day to ensure that no one caught me sleeping. But over time I got more comfortable, I got a bed, heaters, lighting, internet and a few other improvements.
Two and a half years later, I still haven't been 'caught', and I still love it. The landlord went off the radar a long time ago, and my rent was a rip-off price compared to others (£100), so I started paying half rent. I am now in a situation where I live 10 minutes from my part-time job, and I only have to work 16 hours a week at minimum wage to cover my rent and food.
There is a gym next-door (literally 10 seconds away) with a hot-tub, steam room, sauna and swimming pool (£20p/m). Every day I wake up with a smile on my face cos I'm off to use these luxurious facilities.
Due to the lack of money I need to finance this lifestyle, I am left with a lot of free-time to spend making music. I must admit that for a long time I have still been growing up and finding my way in life, so I have not used this time wisely. I think I am getting there now slowly, and feel very blessed to be in a situation where I can think about focusing my time on other areas of life.
The story gets even weirder, because by some strange coincidence recently, a friend of a friend of a friend asked me to live in their family home for 3 weeks and look after their cats. I said sure, and it's gone great. I mentioned it to a friend of mine, who has now asked me to look after and live in his house for 6 months, when he goes to care for his grandparents - again I said sure.
I'm starting to feel like that there are so many options for living cheap and off-the-grid, I've only explored two of them!! I am so grateful that my life has gone this way, I think it's a very unique opportunity and has allowed me to live my life out of the rat-race.
Apologies for the rambley post. I just wanted to share my story, and wanted to know if anyone else here lives in a similar way, I'd love to hear your experience! I am thinking of continuing this house-sitting thing - it seems like a dream come true, as I am not paying ANY rent, yet I have the luxuries of a normal family-house. Is this a real career path that I could chase?!
Much love from England
Submitted July 12, 2018 at 12:13PM by ThrwAway93234 https://ift.tt/2zxIzC5
