The Plan

Since yesterday's rant about my struggles with housing, I have had some time to settle my thoughts and come to some conclusions.

Fact 1: Much as I would like my boyfriend to contribute to the rent, I don't think it would be the best course of action for either of us. He does, after all, pay all the utilities (I asked him to take on that responsibility when we moved to the apartment, since he's so fond of running electronic devices 24/7), so it's not like he's just dead weight. He also finances most of our entertainment and food budget. I'm slightly peeved that he would rather spend his money improving a house he doesn't live in than on helping the two of us live more comfortably, but, I don't feel it's an important enough issue that I have to pick a fight about it. Our current situation is working for us, and we might as well keep it that way. 

Fact 2: I'm actually in a very good situation now, as far as it comes to being choosy. I have a place to live, a roommate to help with the rent, and, as of the end of this month, a month-to-month lease (that may come back to bite me as it did with my last place, should my landlord decides he wants his condo back...but probably won't because most landlords don't want to go through the bother of finding a new tenant when the current one pays their rent on time). So I can afford to bide my time.

Fact 3: I have been reluctant to commit to renting a new place, since my first priority is to buy one and be done with it. However, I've come to realize that just as bringing an umbrella ensures that it won't rain, committing to a year-long lease and going through the hassle of a move is probably the surest way to make buyable homes pop up like mushrooms. If I lose a month's rent because I have to break my lease, that would still be preferable to living forever in a place I hate.

These three facts have led me to a solution, an eminently promising one. Here's what I'm going to do about my miserable living situation.

Step 1: I will hold out for an affordable and convenient freestanding house, either to purchase or to rent, until the end of May/early June. At that time, college students will be moving out, and the options may be more plentiful. 

Step 2: If I haven't found the house of my dreams by the beginning of May, I will put in my application for Belcrest Plaza. This is an older apartment complex in Hyattsville, a far cry from the luxury apartments that are popping up all around the area. It is probably infested with roaches, but it has 3 things going for it: 1) It's within walking distance of a Metro station, 2) It has doors that open right out onto the sidewalk, making it easy to bring a bike in and out, and 3) It is cheap. I could get a 1-bedroom unit for under a thousand dollars, and a 2-bedroom for under 1400, which means I won't have any trouble affording a unit that's big enough for two humans and two dogs. 

And those two simple steps are the plan! I always feel better when I have a plan.