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Need some non-raw advice.

I work in a house converted into an office. There is a basement below the office, and its an apartment. Its open to live in now.. Only 400 dollars a month, EVERYTHING included. Meaning I wont have to pay electricity, gas, wireless internet, or anything else. No bills. I dont have to sign a lease. Month to month lease and to move out whenever I want. I has a small grass side yard (very small) and a large 6 car parking area I can play in. Those are the positives.

Negatives: Im very very tall. My head hits the cealing in the shower (only place in the house, go figure). There arent a lot of windows, and the ones there are are tiny. So almost no natural light. I dont know how I or my cat would handle that. I love natural light. Its right below my work.

It will help because I am planning on moving to the East Coast at the end of this year, so no bills or anything.

Its just confusing. Im asking you guys for advice cause I spend most my work time on this website anyways :)

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Comments

  • How long would you be staying. Does your cat go outside now? How much time do you spend at home?

  • I spend a lot of time at home. My cat doesnt go outside now, which means I can take him outside and watch him, but I wouldnt leave him alone. Only about 5 months ;)

  • I think I am more worried about being stressed all the time. Not feeling like work and home are separated.

  • When I first read your description of the place, I squirmed in my chair and thought to myself that I just couldn’t handle it. I am a bit claustrophobic and need my natural light. However, with a little more introspect, I reasoned that it wouldn’t be so bad for a couple reasons and with some modification. The low rent with all utilities included is a bargain…and since you are not paying for electricity, invest in a couple flourescent lamps (the kind that closely mimic sunlight) and keep the area well lit. That is the way I dealt with a small room in the barracks while stationed in Alaska during the VERY dark winter months. Another positive is that you will only be there a short time, which is a goal to keep in mind to mentally help you if you start to stress over your surroundings. With work being above you, that will save you more money because you won’t be paying for gas for your vehicle. Try to make an effort to get outside more often, if just for 10 minutes at a time, for some natural light… I am sure your kitty wouldn’t mind a chance to nibble on some grass. I hope it works out for you.

  • I plan on using the parking lot to weight lift so I can get some sun everyday. I dont know, today is the day I have to decide, and I still cant make up my mind. I usually am so sure about things. Especially when I move out to new places.

    Confusing.

    The money saving would be amazing. My friends tell me since its month to month if I dont like it I can always move out. But since I am planning on moving out of state, I dont want to move out then have to sign a 6 month lease else where then have to wait a couple more months til I move.

    Haha. Ive though about this way to much.

  • do you enter the apt. from inside or from an outside door?

  • kandacekandace Raw Newbie

    Working in the same building is definitely something to think about, especially if there are people that might be working in the office when you are home on your own time. I’ve had my office in my house for about 4 years now (moving to a separate space in a month) and have found that one needs to draw clear boundaries between work and home, lest everything becomes work! It is possible, though – and there area many benefits to a super short commute.

  • There is a door leading to a stairwell from outside. Go upstairs their is a locked door to the office. Downstairs a locked door to the apartment.

    Work is only 9-5. So I would ahve the whole building to myself before and afterwards. No weekend work there either.

  • I think you should grab the deal and save your money for the move, JKD. You need to control your on/off switch for working – maybe when you leave work, make it a point to go for a walk to the store or run some other light errand before returning home – create an artificial barrier of sorts between being at work and being at home. And maybe have a little ritual when you walk in – play with the kitty for a few minutes and chnage your (black hoodie?) shirt. It’s summer, and the lack of a flood of natural light may cause you to be more active and get out of your apartment more. I wouldn’t advise living under your job forever, but a few months – at that price – certainly sounds doable. Good luck!

  • Ok. Here is the deal. A long time ago I got threatened at my old job (i worked at a gas station). The guy followed me half way home from work before telling me next time he sees me he will kill me. The next couple months were hard for me. I had this lump in my throat that wouldnt go away and a bad feeling in my stomach whnever i thought about it.

    Fast forward two years, new better job, over what happened with that guy. For some reason me saying yes to this deal is giving me that lump in my throat and the feeling in my stomach. Its wierd. Thats why I am worried. Hmmm. Myabe my body is telling me something? I dont know.

  • It sounds like your body/mind has made an association between your trip home from work and danger – and the shorter the trip, the greater the danger. I don’t know how superstitious you are, or how much of a ‘mind of matter’ person you are, so it’s hard to give personalized advice. I know if it were me, I’d move in for the month for $400 and give myself a chance to get past the lump in the throat phase. If it didn’t go away in a month (or even in a couple of weeks! it’s only $400…) I would move. You can probably find a 3 month rental elsewhere which might then take you to the time when you are ready to do your big move. The experience you had was incredibly traumatic, but you probably didn’t process it as much as it might have needed. You think of people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder when they survive a war or an airplane crash – but really you can have it in different degrees after any experience where you have a fear for your life or body. Your fear is justified and complicated – but try to put it aside for a moment and see the situation with clear eyes and decide whether there is anything to fear here. Your fear is real – but its use as a reason to not live in this apt may not be as ‘real.’ The fear may just be poking up whenever and wherever it can because you haven’t given it enough attention.

  • Well I gave it a chance. I told him I will take it but I want to see how i feel after the first or second month of living there if i can create the disconnect.

    The only thing I guess I have to worry about now is my head bumping on the ceiling in the shower

  • Take a bath! Good luck!

  • Thats hard also when you 6 foot 8 ;)

  • Hi Jkd- Have you thought about putting a little bench in your shower and sitting down and then Getting a shower head adapter so you can spray yourself.. ? Also you could get a grow light and grow some plants in there to make it seem more alive and add oxygen. You could put a few ferns or bromeliads in the bathroom or kitchen because they are low light plants. Where are you moving?

  • Hey there jkd_soccer801 HOW’S THE NEW PLACE GOING????????

  • Ive been moving my stuff in slowly but surely. I have almost all the small stuff moved in, and none of the big stuff. The big stuff is being moved in this weekend hopefully, or next weekend. I feel more comfortable about moving in there, and writeeternity I believe I am going to do that. With the low light plants and stuff.

    Im still is Salt Lake City, I dont think I am going to be moving out of state anytime soon. I want to, god, I hate Utah. But yeah, I was going to move to Connecticut

  • everything in time,nobody knows what’s in store for the future! Goodluck to you!

  • Thanks. I just took the blinds off the windows and it gets decent light. It has east and west windows so its not so bad. Still though. Thanks for your concern :)

  • Hi jkd I sympathize with you about the shower.. My husband is 6’2” and has countless times hit his head coming out of the shower (we have a low shower with an even lower doorframe). I’m glad to hear to you’re trying to make this apt. work and I hope it does for you. One suggestion I had, though it might sound a lil silly, is if your not getting sunlight through your windows try a med. size mirror opposite to the window that gets the most sun to reflect some of the light into your room.. It may not be completely natural but it should help make the room brighter without using alot of electricity, even if you don’t have to say for it seperately it’s better to use as little as you can.. Also try getting some posters of nature scenes and putting them on your walls.. To give your room a more “outdoors” feeling. Hope these suggestions help. K-Mom

  • Im all moved in. And I dont like it. I dont know if its Im about 15 minutes instead of 2 minutes away from my closest friends now, if I feel squished because I am so tall in a basement apartment, if its because work it upstairs, or if its because I liked my old apartment, I lived there the longest I have ever lived anywhere on my own, and I miss it.

    I am thinking its just the jitters. But I dont know.

    Is there a juice we can make that helps with destressing lol?

  • Hi Have you tried celery juice? Anything with zinc is good. Combine celery with carrot, red pepper, orange, avocado, etc. Hang some fabric you like up and put a light behind it. You could also hang fabric over your bed so that when you lie there you can be somewhere else. Boil some water with cloves and burn candles to change the ambience. Plan to have some people over and have a movie night.. Hang in there!

  • On going tribulation in this move.

    I LOVE THIS PLACE. Just to let you know. Wireless internet helps a lot with the loving of it. But I like it a lot.

    Now here is the problem.

    One of the girls upstairs at work says she is allergic to cats. I moved my cat in saturday. Monday she started sneezing a lot but never felt sick. She left work and sneezed a little, but started coughing a lot, she says due to asthma. Enough that she threw up blood and had a bloody nose!? Tuesday she didnt sneeze as much, but still did, but she lost her voice, you could barely hear her. Today she seems fine. But I dont know, its just the beginning of the day.

    I had allergies ALL my life until I went raw. I was even allergic to dogs and lived with a dog and never felt the symptons she felt. When I had allergies, really bad allergies. I felt sick, my eyes watered, my sneezes were horrible, and it just became worse until the air cleared out of pollen or whatever I was allergic to moved away.

    But I NEVER lost my voice or had a bloody nose or coughed up blood. She says her body feels fine, like she isnt sick.

    Could it be my cat? If it is, I didnt sign a lease at all, can he force me out?

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    Seems weird that she would start sneezing if your cat is downstairs and she is up. I think she would have to be closer than that to start sneezing.

    She can’t prove it is from your cat. Does she have other allergies? If her allergies are that bad, she should be taking something. I never heard of someone getting a bloody nose or throwing up blood from pet allergies. I am wondering if it is something else. And I am not sure, but I don’t think that having a cat allergy would trigger her asthma. Isn’t that usually triggered by panic or stress?

    Maybe you should tell her about raw food for her allergies and asthma?

    Don’t make them make you get rid of your cat before you find out what is up.

  • I wont. But we arent ruling it out for now. I keep telling her it doesnt make sense because Ive had allergies my whole life and never ever heard of anyone reacting like that, being so far away, between floors basically, of a cat. She gets sick often, and sneezed alot in the spring, so i know she has allergies. Maybe something is in the air.

    She seems fine today. I told her the reason my allergies have almost disappeared is beause of what I eat, raw. And since she has worked her I am turning her mind around on healthier foods, she is now addicted to kombucha haha.

  • Hi again jdk. Your co-worker has a serious health issue. Seasonal, pet or even most food allergies for that matter would NOT cause her to throw up blood, I used to work in a hospital and I’ve never heard of a reaction of that gravity caused by being in the same room as a animal much less just being in the same building. I would be 99.9% certain that it isn’t your cat but something else causing her problems. Good for you for telling her about raw foods… I hope it helps her. If anyone tries to make your cat in issue concerning this girl don’t do anything until she can bring proof from a allergist stating that you cat is the cause (which is so unlikely. Because she’d have to have physical contact to have a huge reaction) even if you did’nt sign a lease they still need a big reason to kick you out. Good luck with all this..

  • A little update. She seems fine now. Yesterday she mentioned she feels sick, like its not allergies. So I believe I am ok.

  • Is anybody good with rent laws?

    My old landlady told me that if my apartment isnt cleaned up to her standards, that even though I have already turned in my 30 day notice, and tomorrow is my last day, if it isnt clean enough I have to do everything all over again and I may have to pay rent until she is available to check up on my apartment again, which wont be til next week. Can she do this?

  • Hey jkd_soccer, just found this thread, hope you are doing ok in your mini apartment, when I was younger I lived in my share of small basement places and studios/efficiencies. Hang in there :) Deasmiles xoxoxo

  • jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

    jkd, it sounds to me like your landlady is trying to take advantage of you or intimidate you. I’m no legal expert, but what she told you sounds totally illegal. I think the only thing she can do legally is hire someone to clean it the way she wants it and take the cost out of your security deposit. From what I can tell, she’s probably going to decide it’s not clean enough no matter how good a job you do… some landlords are just mean like that. I’ve had my share, unfortunately. And making you pay rent for a whole week while you wait for her to get around to inspecting the place? Excuse me, but that’s just pure bullsh*t.

    I did a quick Google search for “tenants rights,” and came up with a pretty good list. Here’s the first one that comes up:

    http://www.oag.state.ny.us/realestate/tenants_r…

    Good luck!

    Jen

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