I'd like to find a cheap place to live in a big city (technically it's Chicago). I think I'm in somewhat of an unusual situation (not on ERE, but in general) in that I have extremely low needs. I barely have any possessions, and I don't watch TV or use the internet at home. In other words, about the only thing I do when I'm home is sleep, sometimes read, and occassionally cook.
In the past I have happily slept in an "office" of a house, and in a wine cellar. Both of these unusual situations were found through friends who understand that even though I don't want to pay hardly anything in rent, I'm still reliable, responsible, considerate, and will pay rent on time, etc.
Basically, I'd be happy living in places most people would not consider renting out. Unfortunately, I think that if I came right out and said what I was looking for, most people would mentally lump me in the group of people who live cheap out of necessity. For me living cheaply is more of a game, and the question for me right now is how can I spend the least amount possible on housing in Chicago?
===
Things I've already thought about:
- living in a van or on a boat. This is made difficult by the brutal Chicago winter which is on its way. Maybe in the Spring.
- finding a 1BR apartment with a medium/large office, taking that for my room, and renting out the bedroom without telling the landlord about it.
Things I've already tried:
- living in a sketchy area that no normal person wants to live in. (not worth it)
- setting up a bunch of craigslist feeds in the $200-$500 range and monitoring them.
Any other ideas?
I think the best thing would be to have a large social network of alternative lifestyle people. Unfortunately, that's a long process, and Chicago is a relatively new city for me, so what can I do in the meantime?
Any Creative Ideas for Cheap City Living?
I would try looking into some kind of community living/dorm style housing. These links are probably not the answer but I would think with more research something could be found?
http://www.cohousing.org/directory/view/20156
http://www.gallagherpress.com/pierce/commun.htm
Depending on your tolerance for multiple room mates you could think about buying a place and renting out multiple rooms? Of course, there is risk with this, but maybe worth it in a down market?
Making more new friends is probably the only way to find someone willing to rent out a walk-in closet for next to nothing. Unfortunately, it usually takes a while before anyone is comfortable with the idea.
http://www.cohousing.org/directory/view/20156
http://www.gallagherpress.com/pierce/commun.htm
Depending on your tolerance for multiple room mates you could think about buying a place and renting out multiple rooms? Of course, there is risk with this, but maybe worth it in a down market?
Making more new friends is probably the only way to find someone willing to rent out a walk-in closet for next to nothing. Unfortunately, it usually takes a while before anyone is comfortable with the idea.
I am exploring the move to a studio apartment in the downtown area, somewhat equidistant from work, the public library and a large grocery store, and with a light rail line no more than three blocks away. Surprisingly decent stuff available for $500 to $600 a month. I once lived in a 12x14 ft. efficiency with a two-burner range and a mini-fridge. It was more than adequate for grad school since most of my time was spent in classes or the library. I think that for purposes of ERE, having a so-called "third place" will be critical. Spending unbroken hours awake in a small space would unhinge me. While I could probably save more by sharing a multi-room house with others, I don't like surprises in the guise of emotional outbursts and I probably am more of a slob regarding dust and grime than most could tolerate in shared spaces.
Perhaps you could work as a house sitter for folks that are on vacation and/or need somebody to take care of their pets. This is not very ER friendly, but my wife insists on hiring a house sitter to take of our dog when we travel. The sitter has a regular job but stays overnight and walks the dog in the morning/evening.
Other options might include:
(1) living in public storage. You are not supposed to live in there but people have done it.
(2) live with students in off-campus housing. Students are notoriously cheap and you might be able to find good deals.
(3) living in non-residentially zoned office space. not sure if this is cheaper but I have known people who have done this.
Other options might include:
(1) living in public storage. You are not supposed to live in there but people have done it.
(2) live with students in off-campus housing. Students are notoriously cheap and you might be able to find good deals.
(3) living in non-residentially zoned office space. not sure if this is cheaper but I have known people who have done this.
-
AlexOliver
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:25 pm
I don't know if this would work for you or not, but expanding a bit on The Dude's suggestion of dorm living:
At or around universities there are often lower cost living options. Sometimes the university will allow you to live in student housing, even if you aren't a full time student. 1 course per semester (bowling, tennis, swimming, etc...) might get you access to some low cost housing. Also, there are private dorms in some locations. Depending on your stage in life, this might or might not be a reasonable suggestion.
At or around universities there are often lower cost living options. Sometimes the university will allow you to live in student housing, even if you aren't a full time student. 1 course per semester (bowling, tennis, swimming, etc...) might get you access to some low cost housing. Also, there are private dorms in some locations. Depending on your stage in life, this might or might not be a reasonable suggestion.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
RE: co-op living: I would be happy to live with lots of roommates. The challenge here is finding a house with the right mix of people. Unlike most co-opers, I'm not a vegetarian/vegan, and I'm not a huge social activist either. Also the houses tend to be far from the center of the city where I work. If I could find the right house this would be great though!
RE: landlording: I like this idea a lot, and actually it kills a few birds at once (what do I do with all this accumulating ERE money, what side hobbies can I pick up that will also earn me money, etc). However, the whole point of ERE for me is increased freedom, and I value freedom of location almost as highly as freedom of time. Thus tethering myself to an illiquid asset is scary, and I'm not particularly confident that I will still be in Chicago in two years. I still like this idea though, especially if I can find a place with very positive cashflow. Finding this is hard though!
RE: house sitting: I'd love to do this. I've tried to find opportunities like this in the past and failed. Alex, have you paid for member access to that housecarers.com site? I can't seem to find much on there without paying, and I'm hesistant to pay for something without some evidence of its utility. One thing that concerns me with house sitting is that I think I will be a relatively undesirable house sitter. Why would anyone choose a 20-something male to house sit when they could have a retired married couple who garden and love pets? I think I would end up being a good house sitter in practice, but I suspect people won't see past my demographic.
RE: dorm living: living with a bunch of grad students is my ideal situation. I'm trying to find this on craigslist, but it's harder than you'd think. Maybe because the universities here in Chicago are inconveniently located, unlike in Boston (where I'm from) where they were everywhere.
RE: studio: this is the backup plan, for sure, but can I do better? I definitely agree about the importance of third spaces. Actually, I find myself to be relatively unproductive at home, in general, so I tend to go there as little as possible. The fact that studios typically come with unavoidable year leases (except through sublets) is also a big minus.
RE: living in residentially zoned office spaces: I'd love more information on how to pull this off.
RE: co-op living: I would be happy to live with lots of roommates. The challenge here is finding a house with the right mix of people. Unlike most co-opers, I'm not a vegetarian/vegan, and I'm not a huge social activist either. Also the houses tend to be far from the center of the city where I work. If I could find the right house this would be great though!
RE: landlording: I like this idea a lot, and actually it kills a few birds at once (what do I do with all this accumulating ERE money, what side hobbies can I pick up that will also earn me money, etc). However, the whole point of ERE for me is increased freedom, and I value freedom of location almost as highly as freedom of time. Thus tethering myself to an illiquid asset is scary, and I'm not particularly confident that I will still be in Chicago in two years. I still like this idea though, especially if I can find a place with very positive cashflow. Finding this is hard though!
RE: house sitting: I'd love to do this. I've tried to find opportunities like this in the past and failed. Alex, have you paid for member access to that housecarers.com site? I can't seem to find much on there without paying, and I'm hesistant to pay for something without some evidence of its utility. One thing that concerns me with house sitting is that I think I will be a relatively undesirable house sitter. Why would anyone choose a 20-something male to house sit when they could have a retired married couple who garden and love pets? I think I would end up being a good house sitter in practice, but I suspect people won't see past my demographic.
RE: dorm living: living with a bunch of grad students is my ideal situation. I'm trying to find this on craigslist, but it's harder than you'd think. Maybe because the universities here in Chicago are inconveniently located, unlike in Boston (where I'm from) where they were everywhere.
RE: studio: this is the backup plan, for sure, but can I do better? I definitely agree about the importance of third spaces. Actually, I find myself to be relatively unproductive at home, in general, so I tend to go there as little as possible. The fact that studios typically come with unavoidable year leases (except through sublets) is also a big minus.
RE: living in residentially zoned office spaces: I'd love more information on how to pull this off.
I lived in a garden shed for half a year in a run-down and not-central suburb of London (and still paid about 500USD per month). Using the kitchen, bathroom, phone, or street exit meant going through the garden and into the main house. On the other hand, I could sit on the roof, or play music all night without bothering anyone. All in all, I loved it, perhaps because I've got slight hermit tendencies 
I set up a RSS feed on craigslist for rooms with my search criteria, for the last three rooms I've rented (with roommates). Often the gems don't have pictures. I usually have to look at 10 to 20 rooms -- which is tiring -- to find the right location with the vibe I'm interested.
You need to be keen as you only have about 15 minutes to figure out what you're getting into for 6+ months. For example if the television is on during the apartment tour, I'm immediately not interested in that shared living experience. Also realize that the place isn't going to get any cleaner than you see it.
I'm more of a Type B personality, so I look to move in. Also, I have no interest in buying furniture, silverware, etc. If you are more Type A, you may want to find an apartment/house to set the initial living tone then look for roommates, if you are interested in this approach.
You need to be keen as you only have about 15 minutes to figure out what you're getting into for 6+ months. For example if the television is on during the apartment tour, I'm immediately not interested in that shared living experience. Also realize that the place isn't going to get any cleaner than you see it.
I'm more of a Type B personality, so I look to move in. Also, I have no interest in buying furniture, silverware, etc. If you are more Type A, you may want to find an apartment/house to set the initial living tone then look for roommates, if you are interested in this approach.
The local newspaper here did a fascinating story on the life of an asylum seeker who had gone underground (willingly decided to become an illegal, that is). Over the past year, he had slept in attics and vacant sofas (in friends' homes), house-sat for a friend's girlfriend while she was away, and finally taken to sleeping in his employer's cleaning closet without anyone knowing. The last was the most fascinating - he apparently had a job cleaning stores and the closet of the cleaning company had lots of toilet paper and napkin rolls that he strews on the floor for a bed. The journalist did note that the smell of cleaning chemicals was quite something.
Interestingly, he was spending just 50 euros per month on food (fried bananas, beans and rice) and had managed to save up 6000 euros over the past two years.
Interestingly, he was spending just 50 euros per month on food (fried bananas, beans and rice) and had managed to save up 6000 euros over the past two years.
-
AlexOliver
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:25 pm
-
AlexOliver
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:25 pm
for reference I found this: http://www.housecarers.com/search_detai ... 2145505196
from houses to sit in the united states with nothing else specified
from houses to sit in the united states with nothing else specified
@ktn "the smell of cleaning chemicals was quite something"
Hi ktn! Interesting but scary. Our health is probably our most precious asset and if we lose it, it becomes a major liability. This guy is taking risks.
Reminds me of this study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 205630.htm
I've done my own share of not so smart things. I spent one year living in a hotel room. The cleaning products they used were incredibly agressive. I hope it won't have consequences. Sometimes you don't have a choice, but if you do... err on the side of safety.
Hi ktn! Interesting but scary. Our health is probably our most precious asset and if we lose it, it becomes a major liability. This guy is taking risks.
Reminds me of this study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 205630.htm
I've done my own share of not so smart things. I spent one year living in a hotel room. The cleaning products they used were incredibly agressive. I hope it won't have consequences. Sometimes you don't have a choice, but if you do... err on the side of safety.
My girlfriend is extremely low maintenance. I actually met her couchsurfing in Sydney.
Seeing what we can get away with is something of a shared interest and adventure of ours, especially while traveling: sleeping in cars, tent camping where we don't belong, etc.
Besides, she's in Brazil for the next few months, so I'm totally off the hook for a bit.
All this would never have flown with any of my exes though.
Seeing what we can get away with is something of a shared interest and adventure of ours, especially while traveling: sleeping in cars, tent camping where we don't belong, etc.
Besides, she's in Brazil for the next few months, so I'm totally off the hook for a bit.
All this would never have flown with any of my exes though.
@akratic: By word of mouth; I knew one of the people who had previously rented a room in the house itself, and she referred me to the owners.
Sounds like some good travelling in Australia! It's generally a good place to travel like that, sleeping in cars or in the open, and it's always pretty easy to find a good spot to park/camp, even in the cities. If you had a van, then you could park next to a beach (or in the deserts), and either sleep in the van or on the sand (it's still a little cold at the moment but getting warmer already). If you wanted a shower or to wash your clothes, then choose a beach with showers and use them. Hmm... *dreams of travelling again*
Sounds like some good travelling in Australia! It's generally a good place to travel like that, sleeping in cars or in the open, and it's always pretty easy to find a good spot to park/camp, even in the cities. If you had a van, then you could park next to a beach (or in the deserts), and either sleep in the van or on the sand (it's still a little cold at the moment but getting warmer already). If you wanted a shower or to wash your clothes, then choose a beach with showers and use them. Hmm... *dreams of travelling again*
@akratic
That's a good situation to be in. My current girlfriend gets mad at me when I refuse to eat out several times a week.
It's funny though, she also is a stickler for conserving electricity and water. No problem driving all over the place or constantly eating out. Different priorities I suppose. It'll take some adjustment (on her part ;p), but I believe we'll agree on more and more. I don't know about the extreme living place though.
That's a good situation to be in. My current girlfriend gets mad at me when I refuse to eat out several times a week.
It's funny though, she also is a stickler for conserving electricity and water. No problem driving all over the place or constantly eating out. Different priorities I suppose. It'll take some adjustment (on her part ;p), but I believe we'll agree on more and more. I don't know about the extreme living place though.