Greetings from Alison Wiley here in Portland, Oregon. I'm a writer/doer/thinker who lives happily by putting people, nature and God ahead of accumulating more stuff. Read more →
When I googled “tips on living with others” just now, my posts from 2008 and 2009 on that topic were the first two things that came up. Given that folks seem to be coming to me for this advice, plus the fact that most of us will live with one or more others for a [...]
Tags: appreciation·home·housemates·living with others·roommate
I’ve have had so many good experiences with housemates that I’ve never understood why the practice isn’t more common among people who are post-college — even here in Portland, Oregon, where reducing your carbon footprint is a fairly normal conversation topic. Our house is: Newly built, spacious, with lots of light Highly energy-efficient Housemate’s bedroom is 12′ [...]
Thor and I returned yesterday from our annual New Year’s retreat, which we take together each year, just the two of us, to go into our deep inner lives and look at our intentions for 2010. This year we
Update on September 14, 2013: Our most recent housemate who has been gardening in exchange for rent, Dan, has been a joy. I’m grateful for his good work, and his positive presence in the house. He’s 63, in contrast to our prior work-for-rent folks, who were recent college graduates. Who says that single people ought to live alone, or that [...]
Tags: carbon footprint·fun·happiness·housemates·urban farming
Today’s post fleshes out an ad I just posted on Craigslist for a housemate. Thor and I want to continue practicing a modest form of community and learning to grow some of our own food. I like having a housemate, especially when it comes to that person teaming with me on the gardening. Much more [...]
Tags: barter·housemates·Oregon·thrift
“I’ll need to move. I’ve been laid off.” Our housemate Scott’s face was unusually sober. He had been happily working as a carpenter here in Portland for a company that did home remodels. “The work has dried up because nobody is signing new contracts. My boss cut me loose yesterday.” My eyes welled with tears. [...]
Tags: consumption·economics·family·government·housemates·jobs·laid off·life·Oregon·stimulus package·thrift
Note in March 2013: Also see here for my updated tips on living with others. Everything I read about the year ahead of us refers to a tighter economy, including widespread job losses. Interestingly, I haven’t seen any buzz about a very sensible economic option if you’re one of the millions of Americans who lives [...]
Tags: culture·economics·environment·frugal·green living·housemates·life·relationships·roommates·thrift
Note in March 2013: Also see here for my updated tips on living with others. It’s a modern notion that people should live alone; this is the first time in human history that millions are doing it. Living alone is also expensive, both in dollars and in the earth’s resources. I lived alone for five [...]
Read via RSS reader of your choice (for example, Google Reader).
Subscribe