Rent is often the single biggest chunk of a monthly budget.
Heres how three renters made it happen.
A series of bad builds hit the construction company hed been working, forcing it to let workers go.
Id always sworn Id havean emergency fund, said John.
He laughed, reflexively rubbing the knuckles of his left hand.
Despite selling everything that wasnt nailed down, he still came up $100 short.
The building owner, Robert, a fellow Bronxite, lived on the main floor of the three-story building.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
I just thought, I gotta go for it.
And now, hes quick to point out, I got a nice emergency fund.
I started getting interested in cutting back wherever I could, especially utilities.
I like to keep thethermostat lower.
My bill dropped by nearly sixty dollars.
But every time he looked at the other units, he saw gaps where the doors met the frames.
I could just see money flowing away through it.
We became interested, interconnected, sharing whenever possible, and reducing waste, too.
It started out because I was cheap, Jason laughed, but we created something really good.
They even got together to purchase an energy-efficient washing machine and a large freezer they all could use.
The recently purchased duplex was still undergoing minor repairs the first time Gabe saw it.
I knew I wanted it right away.
When the temperature began to drop, though, Gabe noticed a difference in the back bedroom.
It was just colder back there.
It wasnt unbearable, but you wouldnt want it for a bedroom.
With winter barrelling down on Toronto, home renovations would have to wait until spring.
I didnt like the idea of paying full price for an apartment if I couldnt use each room equally.
So he did something about it: He renegotiatedhis lease.
Gabe calculated the size of the back bedroom to be 10% of the entire apartments square footage.
A little leverage can go a long way.
No matter where you live, a little creative thinking can turn into real savings.
So go on, get creative.
Freedom Chevalier is a writer, journalist, and content creator specializing in finance, business, & HR.
An anti-bullying advocate and human to very special little dog named Tallulah, you could tweet her @ReallyFreedom
