I’m lined up to get my own place.
I toured an apartment on Tuesday 11/29/22. It’s 550 s.f., rent nominally $1,000, and within a half mile of my church. First floor of a house. It’s modest, but I couldn’t say no — unless I really wanted something fancy, which I don’t.
None of the rooms is large enough for a double bed, so that may limit my, um, social life. I can and will have a cat. Allowed to smoke, but not inside.
With the rental assistance program, it’ll cost me ~$300/month. I’m not really comfortable with that, and will want to get a job so that I’ll be secure. The rent is 1/3 of my income — so, if I get a job that pays “too much,” I may wind up having to leave the rental assistance program. I can easily envision staying here 10 years or more.
The one drawback is the crowd of young men that stays on the corner about 50 yards south of my door. Northwest corner and southwest corner. Appears to include tenants of both properties.
Well, for years, I’ve been praying daily for McElderry Park. Now I’ll live there. And have opportunity to be light in dark places.
Easy bus routes downtown. I can attend church in person now.
I anticipate move-in in 4-6 weeks. There has to be an inspection, and the process for the rental assistance program, and they’ll negotiate the actual rent and utilities, etc. I need to get a bunch of furniture, and the NGO will help with that.
The biggest question mark pertains to coffee consumption and wi-fi. Now, if I get a job, it may not matter. But wi-fi at home is likely to cost me $40/month. I can avoid that by continuing my practice, that I have done for years, of hanging out at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts all day and using their wi-fi — and spending up to $25/day on their coffee. But I must cut out that coffee cost in order to liberate the $300/month I need for rent. So, it’s a pickle, or conundrum, or dilemma.
Decision: Stop buying store-bought coffee completely; get a coffee maker and brew my own at home. Then I can afford both the rent and the wi-fi. I will need to make sure I have some kind of errand to run every day, to avoid staying cooped up in my room. But if I get a job, both that and the financial question will be solved.
Need suggestions whether to get a Mr. Coffee or instead a Ninja coffee maker.
Also whether to get a personal, mobile hot-spot — May mean getting an additional phone. — or instead rely on the wi-fi that may be available in the area. Either way, I’ll have to pay.
Which is better, Xfinity or ComCast?
The Homeless Blogger 
Congrats, WT (TW) or whatever you prefer to called here on your blog. I hope that the place works out for you and that it will be safe and comfortable. Also, best of luck on a job search. Having a home address will help, won’t it?
The address has never really been an issue, since I’ve maintained one “snailing” address or another all along. But everything else is a go!
Danny and I are happily hopeful (or hopefully happy?) for you! Decisions on what kind of coffeemaker to get are joyous ones! (I’ve had my old Mr. Coffee for many years, it’s so simple and reliable!) We are so excited for you to finally have a cat. In my life, my animals are what have given me the most joy, and often have been my reason to live and find ways to carry on. Please let us buy you a gift certificate of your choice as there will be many things you’ll need! Tell me how to get it to you!
I’m deeply grateful for your support over the years. I’ll have to give the gift certificate some thought, as to what kind to get. An alternative is to use the “Donate” button at the top menu; GoFundMe takes out about a 7% service fee.
Thank you !!! 🙂
Will use donate button if easier for you. Again, congratulations, and keep your readers posted!
After some thought, I have these ideas. (1) You can use the Contact form (Iink on menu) to, in effect, send me a personal e-mail; and then I’ll be able to give you my real name and snailing address. (2) Retailers I’m likely to patronize are Marshall”s, Aldi or Save-a-Lot. (3) Another option is — something related to cat food — Little Friskies or Fancy Feast — This would be something I can only spend on the designated thing, and would save me cash on other needs, since I can’t buy cat food with food stamps.
Thanks again !!! 🙂
Hi, cousin, glad to know you are doing well and are getting settled in your new home soon. I miss Aunt J so much because she kept all of us “in touch.” We didn’t really appreciate her efforts at the time. We are no longer in OH, so we do not see much of the family.
Blessings and good wishes,
JW
Holy smokes !!! I had no clue you were a follower !!! Great to hear from you! I hope you’re well. You can look me up on FB. Peace, and Merry Christmas!