The first home

In May 2022, the writer and her husband Daniel bought a 1,300 square foot house in Western Washington with four bedrooms and two baths. No more noisy apartment neighbors.

A year of just us

They spent the first year on at-home dinner dates and TV binges, enjoying a place that was finally theirs. Then they asked their friend Chelsea to take a spare bedroom.

A Bumble BFF success story

They met Chelsea in Nashville in 2019. She went to grad school in Minnesota, felt financially stuck, and one day after enough Midwest winter, she called to accept their standing offer.

“My friendship with her was a Bumble BFF success story.”

Everyone else was baffled

Friends and family questioned why a married couple would take on a roommate. The writer wasn't worried about privacy, she was worried about being a landlord to a friend.

“What about our privacy as a married couple?”

Growing pains, then rules

Chelsea was tidier than either of them, and her bedroom sat feet from the late-night TV. They learned to be direct: ask for a mess to be cleaned, say when you need time alone.

$800 that changed the math

Chelsea paid $800 a month, later $830 after a property tax spike, about half of a one-bedroom in Olympia. The couple skipped charging utilities, and she watched their dogs for free.

“Having extra income from a tenant gave us the cushion to save and invest for our future.”

The part money can't buy

The writer lives with anxiety and depression and struggles alone in the evenings. Chelsea preferred the common area, so there was always someone to read or watch TV with.

“There shouldn't be a stigma about how our lives "should be" as a married couple or as homeowners.”