10 to 50 -- 2000
I was in and out of temp jobs: taking floral orders around Valentine's Day and doing a few arrangements, working at Dysfunction Junction (Family owned, and the family in question, an older couple and their adult sons, could not speak three sentences to each other without it turning into a screaming row. Insanity.) I was there for five months, and I've never been so happy to be fired, despite the fact that Mrs Dysfunction called me up at 9 AM on a Sunday morning to let me go.
That summer, HWSNBN moved in with me---his parents kind of asked him to leave because they wanted to move his grandmother in and needed the room. This wasn't a completely terrible thing; for one thing, HWSNBN is VERY responsible about money, and we divided things equitably. The phone and cable were in his name---he paid those, while I took care of electric, water and insurance.
He also got me a new hot water heater as an early Christmas present---I'd been either taking cold showers during the summer, visiting his folks a couple times a week, or going up to the ladies locker room at the college and using the facilities there. Honestly, the first time I took a nice hot shower in my own snug little bathroom, I was in there for twenty minutes or so, singing like Julie Andrews. Romantic, no, much appreciated, yes!
When I finally did get a full-time job, we both set aside $100 from each check and saved until we could replace my drainfield. That was huge, and without him to poke, prod and nag me, it wouldn't have gotten done.
So there were advantages to having him around. He wasn't always easy to live with---the bastard could sulk for a week, which was rather wearing to be around---but it wasn't all bad. His family was nice to me---his mom was a yard sale queen on a scale I couldn't hope to aspire to, and she presented me with things like a matched set of bedding, a whole closetful of clothes, and her cash Christmas present was enough for me to get a sorely needed new pair of glasses.
If nothing else, my standard of living improved while we were together.
.
That summer, HWSNBN moved in with me---his parents kind of asked him to leave because they wanted to move his grandmother in and needed the room. This wasn't a completely terrible thing; for one thing, HWSNBN is VERY responsible about money, and we divided things equitably. The phone and cable were in his name---he paid those, while I took care of electric, water and insurance.
He also got me a new hot water heater as an early Christmas present---I'd been either taking cold showers during the summer, visiting his folks a couple times a week, or going up to the ladies locker room at the college and using the facilities there. Honestly, the first time I took a nice hot shower in my own snug little bathroom, I was in there for twenty minutes or so, singing like Julie Andrews. Romantic, no, much appreciated, yes!
When I finally did get a full-time job, we both set aside $100 from each check and saved until we could replace my drainfield. That was huge, and without him to poke, prod and nag me, it wouldn't have gotten done.
So there were advantages to having him around. He wasn't always easy to live with---the bastard could sulk for a week, which was rather wearing to be around---but it wasn't all bad. His family was nice to me---his mom was a yard sale queen on a scale I couldn't hope to aspire to, and she presented me with things like a matched set of bedding, a whole closetful of clothes, and her cash Christmas present was enough for me to get a sorely needed new pair of glasses.
If nothing else, my standard of living improved while we were together.
.