the neighbours with the squeaky dog toy sounding child moved from across the hall to an upstairs apartment (thankfully, not above me). i had a brief fling with thinking about flipping my life and living on the other side of the building. the pros & cons stacked up thusly:
pros
chance to start fresh
new paint
scrubbed from top to bottom
no stompy upstairs
none of stompy’s garden flotsam falling onto my balcony
building on that side is quieter, more mature
breezeway never used by loud people cutting through
excellent opportunity to really purge more stuff
re-arranging!
cons
all the address/utility changes just to change from #6 to #5
moving (ew)
costs (may be higher rent)
re-learning where everything is (it’s a mirror-image of my apartment)
upstairs mafia guy may be worse than stompy (hard to imagine, but possible)
might be hotter as it’s on side which gets direct sun most of the day
could have a worse bathroom/uglier kitchen/crappier doors & windows
but, really, i’m lazy and cheap, so i’m probably not going anywhere.
another thing i’m thinking about is London.
turns out there’s both an opportunity for free accommodation and a very cheap flight to England and i find myself seriously considering finally getting myself to Europe before i die. but, it’s still going to be many hundreds of dollars i find myself hesitant to divert from more responsible uses. i also have goals to get a new couch and i think i have a destination wedding i need to save up for. not to mention just saving for emergencies and avoiding the accumulation of any more debt (especially after having worked so hard to pay it all off last spring).
i got my first passport a dozen years ago just so i could go to England and it expired without a British stamp in it. how depressing.
of course, these two thinking things work against each other. if i move, i can’t afford to go to London. if i go to London, i can’t afford to move. hell, i if i go to London, i can’t afford to buy my new dream couch.
being a responsible adult fucking sucks. so does being broke (not poor, right Jen?).
The chance for free accommodation is time limited? Hmm…that might be reason enough to take the $$$ hit and go — things are spendy on that side of the pond (though it’s better now that our dollar is relatively high) and accommodation is up there. If you can save money going now versus going later, you should go now!
Heh, yes. Being broke is teh suck.
But I’m with Jamie on the seriously consider going to London now thing.
The move is such a small one, that it doesn’t seem worth hauling your stuff across the hall, and going through the assorted costs and administrative headache.
As for couches, you’ve got the rest of your life to solidify a butt-dent in the finest feather cushions money can buy. And for all the things I’ve spent money on (responsible and not-so-), I’ve never regretted spending it on travel. If it’s just a matter of delaying the couch (and maybe some other things) and you’re not going back into debt, go!
The most expensive thing in London is accommodation. Next is having to dine out for each meal. Looks like you’ve got those covered! The rest of the best things about London (museums, markets, scenery) are free!
Also, your “new dream couch”? Is this some magical cat-proof dream couch that is going to take the place of your (not-that-old-yet-already-scratched-to-hell) current couch (formerly known as your “dream couch”).
Qualifier: What follows is based solely on my own priorities, and in no way should be taken as me trying to tell you what’s right for you.
That said… TRAVEL. Do it. There are so many things I “should” spend my money on, like replacing the broken door handle on my car, or buying a kitchen table and chairs, or simply paying down the debt I’ve amassed over the last 10 years. But instead I am traveling the south next month to see a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a long time, and I’m going to NYC in October for a long weekend to soak up the city in autumn. I’d go back to London in a heartbeat – I had a phenomenal time with Pete. And Paris is next on my list.
Your things (tires, couches, etc.) do not define you. What you experience in life – THAT is what makes you who you are.
IMHO.