#128 Taking in Lodgers Only to Discover There’s Better Ways to Make Ends Meet

Somewhere, out there, an unemployed person is observing his or her home – whether it’s a studio, an apartment, or a house – and trying to figure out whether there is enough space to take in another person. “In this economy” people are thinking outside the box to figure out how to prevent being evicted or losing their homes through foreclosure, and taking in a lodger to help pay the rent or mortgage seems like the brilliant thing to do. With others struggling to keep a roof over their heads, it only makes sense to offer them a safe place to stay and make use of livable space that would otherwise be wasted.

For example, unemployed parents whose unemployed kids have not come crawling home, might have a spare bedroom if they didn’t already convert it to a gym, completely eradicating their children’s memories the minute they went off to college. Others might have a guest bedroom that has seen fewer and fewer guests as the recession has progressed. Then there are those who happen to have a couch and figure there are would-be lodgers out there who would be happy to have a couch to sleep on. At that point, the unemployed must give up their stubborn attitude of never living with a roommate again, and start interviewing potential housemates.

The problem, the unemployed are quick to find after renting out some space, is that lodgers just get in the way of the freedom unemployment gives. There’s always that awkward honeymoon phase where the unemployed have to act civil around their tenants and do things like shower, wash the dishes, and clean up before trash mountain builds every day. Having to get dressed becomes a major annoyance, and acting busy so as not to be judged by the lodger becomes a more tedious endeavor than normal pretending to look for a job. The last straw is when the honeymoon period is over, and the lodger decides it’s completely okay to park himself in front of the TV all day, binge eating and drinking, taking away the one joy in the unemployed’s life. At that point they unemployed are faced with a tough decision: do they try to assimilate and make do with the new situation for the steady income, or do they risk losing their home just so they’ll have the memories of being a slob in solitude?

Tags: creative money making, in this economy, recession, taking in lodgers, things to do when unemployed