Chez Ginger, that is.
I just got word that my roomie got a new place for March, so me and Luna are going to be the sole inhabitants here in less than 2 months!
Heh, let the awkwardness ensue, eh?
I’m glad that she is leaving, however I would have preferred more notice and also more time. For purely selfish reasons, of course. Paying off my Granny plus paying full rent every month is going to be pretty tight–when I took on the loan I didn’t anticipate my roommate leaving!
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As I was writing this she came to talk to me about the moving out process, and asked if she could stay for an extra 5 days to make her moving easier.
I am not impressed.
She’s pleading and whining and making me out to be the bad guy because I told her that she would have to pay for those extra days. But you know what? Its business.
I’ve already offered to help her pack some of her things and suggested she move out early (March 1st is a Tuesday) if she doesn’t want to be stressed about stuff. Why should I have to put up with her and all her junk for 5 more days without compensation?
I’ve been nothing but giving, flexible and kind towards her, but I really have to look out for #1 sometimes, you know? Maybe if things had gone better for longer I would have let her stay, but frankly I don’t feel she deserves it after what I’ve gone through with her.
I’m particularly astounded that while she is asking me for charity and to let her stay for free, she is simultaneously calling me cold and heartless, saying that I don’t care about others the way that she does, that I’m not human, etc. Can you believe it?
Good riddance, I say! This is exactly why I want her to leave! Who insults someone as they’re trying to get a favour? She’s trying to guilt me into letting her stay but I’m not having it. She really needs to wake up and realize that she’s not the centre of the universe. I’m tired of babysitting her.
I’m amused at the thought of her on her own… I wonder how she is going to cope? Will she suddenly realize just how much me and all her past roommates have done for her?
Probably not. She’ll just find some other unwitting soul to prey upon.
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I guess the upside of all of this is that I’m feeling good about myself. I’m able to laugh this off, and see clearly through all the shit she is spewing.
You know, having this perspective is awesome. Instead of getting all upset and stressed about the situation I held my ground, told her what I wanted and now I’m watching her try all her methods of manipulation on me.
So far we have guilt and whining. Next I am anticipating good behaviour and being nice to me (In the hopes I’ll relent and let her stay!). After she realizes that that isn’t going to work, she’ll probably be sullen, snippy and stop doing work around the house.
*sigh* it sucks that I’ll have to pick up all the slack towards the end, but I guess I’ve been doing that all along anyway. I just hope she doesn’t ruin or steal any of my stuff!
4 responses to “Change is in the Air”
I'm glad you're able to shrug off the nastiness and not let it get to you. I always let that personal crap get under my skin. It sounds like she's just doing her regular thing, which you know how to deal with. March is going to be a great month for you, I just know it.
But remember your karma! I know you've been down a seriously hard road with this girl, and she's not a very pleasant person, but try to hold back on the nastiness in your own mind. She's probably going to be fine on her own, and I'm certain there are people out there who consider her a friend. Don't let her attitude and non-meshing with you bring you down to her level! <3
asking to stay for free outright is tactless and unreasonable. she knows that you're not sharing your space just for fun – you need the money. i don't see on what basis she expects a handout like that. If i were her, I'd at least offer a token payment (i.e. something less than 5 full days rent, but at least a token payment).
but i'd be careful with burning bridges if i were you. if nothing else, she could steal your stuff and/or ruin them. My ex roomate had that done to him when he sublet his room to someone over the summer.
can you reason with her and tell her that you're in debt and that her moving out so soon is a surprise to begin with, and that you were planning to have potential new roommates come and look at the place, so if she's asking to stay, she can offer some sort of compensation?
No matter what, I'd definitely make sure to be there when she does the big move though… at least you can stop her from trying to steal anything from you then. goodluck!
When I moved out of a shared house, I paid up until 31st of August, but moved into my new place for August 15th. I didn't expect my roommates to give me back my money, because the agreement was that I be out by Aug 31st.
Same thing happened when I moved out of my basement apartment into a high rise – I moved out on the weekend (for ease), but kept my key until Monday, so I could go back, make sure it was clean after I moved, and then handed my key over.
I agree that she should move the weekend before. It is not your responsibility to help her move either. If she wants to stay longer, determine what the daily rate for rent is, and charge her that, or just change your locks on the Tuesday.
I just read Kim';s comment. That is a valid concern about her stealing or ruining things. I still feel like she should be responsible, but your other portrayals of her don't give me that impression.
I used to sublease roomies too. One roommate wanted to back out for an entire 4 months. I told him that business is business. If I let him slide, I'd jeapordize my own finances. He shouldn't have signed an 8 month lease if he couldn't commit.