by Steven Gomez

Created on: March 15, 2009

I grew up in a large family that struggled with finances. We barely had enough food in the house, and I spent my childhood rail thin until I grew up, got into full time work and moved away. I spent a lot of my money eating out, buying what I wanted at the grocery store, going out with friends, and finally filled out my frame.

However, like my parents, I coupled my haphazard spending with a lack of budgetary planning, and though I subletted in cheap living situations, I could never save my money. In effect, I was making up for lost time: After a lifetime of eating once or twice a day, I finally got to eat a lot of fast food, potatoes, chicken and beef that I craved but rarely got, and I ate it whenever I wanted.

Over time I took baby steps towards managing my budget, trying to grocery shop and eat at home when possible, only going out one or two nights a week, hanging out over cheaper drinks like coffee at cafes. But I still ate out at restaurants a lot, still threw around money too often, and instances where I managed to save money proved few and far between.

I moved to Seattle with my best friend in 2004 and we shared an affordable apartment in Lake City. Hard times over the past year led me to tighten up my spending a bit, but I still went out a lot and even after I upgraded to a great desk job at an ad agency, I still managed to drain my finances as often as I stockpiled them.

The pivotal point came after my best friend and I parted ways. I got a 2 bedroom place in the University District with my sister's ex-boyfriend, a smart guy with a decent head on his shoulders who was applying to grad school for English and liked to read, see theatre and travel. We coexisted quietly and split reasonably cheap expenses. Still, I treaded water despite maintaining a solid income, luckily sliding into a stable income office temping after getting laid off from the ad agency.

Then my roommate dropped a bombshell: depressed with wanderlust, he up and decided to leave Seattle and travel overseas. He allowed me to keep the possessions he left behind and left enough money to pay next month's bills, but like that, he was gone. He was young and I don't blame him for following his dreams, but all of a sudden I was left to pay for an apartment I couldn't afford on my own, on a deflated salary due to taking a low-paying temp assignment.

I tried advertising on Craig's List for a roommate. Not only did I not meet anyone reliable, my friend John, a technical writer who was also an astute

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