I initially posted this on the Communal Living forum, but I'm posting it here as well in the hopes that someone will be able to help me. Thank you! I'm not sure if I can make this work, but here goes! My name is Carrie. I currently live in the Chicago suburbs in a cookie-cutter apartment that costs me way too much every month, a menial job that barely pays the bills, and an ex-boyfriend who is moving out in December to go live out all of the plans which we'd made together....with someone else. I've been out of school for over four years now, and I've been miserable since then...and long before that. Sure, there have been bright spots. But the last time I was truly, utterly, and deeply happy was when I was in high school, and had friends which I could go camping with (amonst other things). I've always been fat, but I'm just getting progressivly larger as time goes by, because I spend all day sitting around at a depressing job, and then I come home, maybe make dinner, and then sit in front of a computer, read a book, or work on needlework or craft projects. I need a change. A drastic one. And dammit, I want to build my own cob house!!! *ahem* Anyway. The thought of communal living really appeals to me. Unfortunatly, I don't think I would be able to live in a lot of the communities out there. I, like the vast majority of people who have tried to live a modern life and failed, have credit card and student loan debts. As such, I need the ability to make several hundred dollars a month in order to keep those bills in line. I would need to live somewhere that has access to jobs - not well paying ones, but ones that would allow me to keep everything kosher in case I ever decided/needed to move back to the regular world, and I wouldn't be able to give everything I make back to the community. I also wouldn't have this job right away when moving in anywhere, nor would I have any money saved up for rent/dues/application monies. A lot of places I'm looking at also require an impossibly long "trial" period. Sure, if I wasn't working and didn't need to work, I could manage to do this. But I am tied to my lease here until the end of May, as well as keeping up with those Other Bills. I cannot afford to take that much time off work, nor would it be approved. I need somewhere that I can visit for a weekend or a week, and if I like it, be scheduled to move into at the end of May. I am also an avid meat eater. While I do not judge those who are vegetarians, I refuse to give it up entirely. I enjoy vegetarian meals, but I will not limit my pallet to such things. I have two cats that also would either need to be accepted into the community, or I would need help finding homes for. I do not want to be an irresponsible cat-mother and dump them in a shelter. One is four years old and fully armed, while the other is eleven and front declawed. My ex is willing to take the younger cat (and yes, I do trust him with her. He's an idiot, but not a complete ass) if I am moving into a situation where I cannot keep her, or it is in her best interest not to do so. But I still have the other one, and finding a home for a senior cat is always difficult. I would want to be somewhere with at least some modern convienences (electricity, internet access of some flavor, television, running water, etc). Ideally, I would want to be as far from Chicago and as close to the ocean (either one) as possible. But the right living situation is more important to me than the location. I have looked on multiple websites, and I have found a lot of information. But I don't know if what I'm looking for even exists. Any input, suggestions, or pointers in the right direction that anyone could provide me would be greatly appriciated. If you wish to email me privately, you can do so by emailing "c dot kauzlarich at comcast dot net" Your help is sincerely appriciated!
