Life isn’t geared toward single people.

I’m stuck in a pretty terrible rut. Today particularly I’m feeling very discouraged and down because I am being constantly reminded of how broke I am and how I can’t afford to live a regular life.

Currently I live in a townhouse with my friend who is pregnant. We share the rent and utilities and other various expenses and neither of us can really afford much more than that. Her boyfriend (and baby-daddy) doesn’t live here right now, but there has been talk of him moving in this fall before the baby is born. Ideally, I’d like to move out and live on my own so they can live together and start their family, but the harsh reality is that there is NO WAY I could ever afford to live in a place by myself because the rent is just much too expensive and out of reach. I have a few options including renting a room in someone else’s house or finding a new roommate to share a place with- but both of those options aren’t ideal for a 35 year old woman with a pet. I might better just stay here and we can split the rent 3 ways- I just have to deal with being “that” woman who lives in a house with her friend and her family (including a new born baby). Privacy? What’s that??

I could find a new job, but I currently work full time (with benefits) for a company that actually  has one of the highest paying salaries in the city, which means that I would have to change careers entirely in order to find something that makes more money. It’s no wonder there is a MAJOR shortage of PSW’s right now in Ontario, we simply can’t afford to live off what we are being paid. Most PSW’s I know are stretched to their limits working up to 3 or 4 different jobs just to try to break even. The problem I have being full time is that I don’t have the flexibility of the casual staff to be able to work another job, and PSW’s are expected to be VERY flexible in the hours they are available to work.

Sigh.

I’m tired of writing about this shit.