My family and friends just don't get it lol

Published

Welp, I'm on my new assignment in a major city. I found housing on Craigslist as a sublet. Finding my own housing saved me a lot of money, but I almost gave up and let agency find housing for me. Got a place for zero down, dog friendly, free parking if available and walking distance to subwAy/el/bus. And only a 10 minute drive to work. I was concerned about furnishing this place tho. Well, I'm pretty comfortable with how I decided to get 'er furnished. My family and friends simply don't understand how I can live like this; as a traveler, you can't be a priss, that's for sure. My lifestyle, I tell them, is not for everyone, but it is providing me with financial freedom in the long run. I should hAve my new condo paid off in a year, etc and I have beautiful, well-built furniture at home. I am making over double/month as a traveler when I find my own housing. With past assignment, I've typically rented a furnished room from someone, but for this assignment, I knew I wanted my own space since my dog would be with me. So how did I furnish this place?

I knew I wouldnt have any help with moving here, and I probably won't have help moving out. I knew I had to keep things simple. As much as I wanted to bring my towel warmer, etc, I had to remind myself to keep it simple.

So, 7 pairs jeans/sweaters, boots, Jammie's, 2 Yoga pants, sneakers. No dress clothes, I can buy something dressy here. One skillet, one stoneware for pizza/baking, one pot for boiling, several Tupperware containers, 2 bowls, 2 plates, one sharp knife, otherwise just a few forks/spoons for daily use.

-toiletries

-now for furniture! This is what I'm must proud of. I don't have a big car and I didnt want to pay to have things shipped. If I think I may keep getting extended, then maybe I'd consider doing uship.com, but I am quite comfortable as is. Not to mention, packing and unpacking was a breeze. So for furniture, I am using:

4 folding dinner trays/tables. One is being used to eat from, but the other 3 are for misc use...I have a small lamp on one, books on another, my 19 inch tv on the 3rd. Very easy to fold up and move. Hardly took up any space in my trunk. My bed is an over-sized air mattress with a memory foam topper thrown on top. Very comfortable! I have a big chair and ottoman in the living room - both are inflatables. I threw a blanket over the top and it looks like a regular over stuffed chair. It's also comfortable.

When the weather permits, bike rentals are cheap here, so I didn't see any reason to pack my bike. The apartment has a microwave and shelves, so I didn't see a reason for plastic storage drawers. For my beauty products, shampoo, makeup, cleansers and jewelry - they are in a nice "caboodle" type thing that I got from QVC. Very compact, but it holds so much!

If if I don't get extended, I hope to be Cali bound next. I can deflate my stuff, pack up the few items that I have, throw it in the car and I'll be ready for the next adventure. This is how I roll! It's definetely not for everyone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I slept on the plush carpeted floor of my bedroom in one apartment. No furniture whatsoever while I lived there; sleeping bag, some blankets for padding, and a pillow did quite well. At my current place, used queen-sized air mattress for quite some time until I went in for a bed. Actually, the air mattress turned out to be better than the bed. Gotta agree, minimal is the way to go.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just picked up a queen sized mattress set on Craigslist last night. Clean and free! Well it actually cost me a couple hundred dollars in double time lost that I could have worked. I worked 80 hours this last week with a couple very early morning calls and I really really wanted a good night's sleep.

I did a couple assignments in DC with an apartment by the waterfront in SE. There was a large apartment complex across the street that had evictions every week with everything placed on the curb. Really good stuff and I furnished the whole apartment for free.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ned, when your assignment ends, what are you going to do with your mattress?? I am being tempted by a few free things that will come in handy if this assignment becomes long term, but then it will be up to me to get rid of it when the assignment ends, and that sounds like a hassle in this big city.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In my case, I will likely just donate to the house share I'm in for the next roommate. Otherwise, I'll post it in the free section on Craigslist and someone will be along. I could even do a curb alert on Craigslist if I can't be bothered with answering queries. No hassle at all!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I'm jealous. I have way too much junk and it all collects dust or remnants of my child's dirt.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Awesome! What a good experience it must be… I'm sure it takes a while to get used to it. I've certainly considered it, but got overwhelmed with the thought of having to pack light… I'm too high maintenance, but now that you've shared some of your tips on how to pack light, I may reconsider travel nursing!! :) Thanks for your post!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some high maintenance types or cooks will pull a trailer with all their stuff. Others may go for the RV life.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The first few lines sound just like my past week! The sublease worked out great though, even with lease approval 4 days before move-in date! We just got a 3-inch foam mattress topper from Target and that works very well on the carpet. Minimal living is the best!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I discussed rigging up a van for living in, one time with my landlord at the time, that I was renting a room from. I had told him of my adventures from living in my car and he could see where I would like to have a rigged out van for future homeless possibilities. Those van conversions can be quite accommodating I hear. Then you just have to worry about finding good places to park. Easier to do than when you are living in your car and covering the windows while you sleep.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Whenever I have traveled for an assignment, which I did for years, I always stayed at an extended stay motel type place. they offer free electric,cable, internet, kitchenette with pots and pans and plates. Clean linen weekly as well as housekeeping weekly. All this for under 200 bucks a week. The best deal in travel lodging. When there was not a extended stay motel, I would check with other motels and they almost all offer weekly or monthly rates and after 30 days in one they don't charge taxes anymore so the price drops even further. Best deals for travelers out there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in BMT.

I found roommates on Craigslist. Furnished my bedroom with minimal craigslist finds/IKEA. Brought a couple nic nacks and pics for the walls, my toiletries, a bedframe from my moms garage, my cheap ikea mattress and bought a box that was a floor sample the mattress store needed to get rid of.

Living with roommates I didn't need to bring stuff for the house, unless they didn't have something I did. Plus, it made it easier to make friends in new places!

My first assignment I lived in my grandparents old house that was being renovated. I had a mattress on the floor and a suitcase. I drank wine in plastic cups and found couple mugs they had left behind. An old tv and an antenna that got maybe two local channels? A crate I threw a blanket on made a little coffee table, a pool floatie was my couch. I roughed it a little but I loved it! Had the whole house to myself! Plus I had a working kitchen, washer and dryer, and it was close to everything. My friends loved coming over to grandmas :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion