The concept for The Right Cottage came to me as I was listening to yet another of my friends tell me about his financial plight. How will he pay his rent? He has lost his job, and his roommate is moving out because he has found a less expensive living arrangement (leaving my friend with a place too big and a rent bill too high).
Well, of course, I certainly have great compassion for my friend’s predicament, and I do what I can to help him. But I also start to wonder what is going to happen to my own children when they begin to try to make it on their own in this oh-so-expensive world? Where will they live? How difficult will it be for them to find a job, get an apartment, pay all the bills? How will they come up with all the required money to even become part of this great rental game- first month’s rent, security deposit, and sometimes last month’s rent as well? Hmm…it sounds like a daunting task for even the brightest and most ambitious young person with a low-paying job.
Yes, they could always move back into my little home, and I would welcome them with open arms. But really, is this the ideal solution? I don’t think so. A young adult needs his own space – to grow independent and become his own person. (On that note, I think I better add a washer and dryer to the cottage’s list of amenities. Nothing says “independence” like doing your own laundry.) And let’s face it, by the time they are on their own, I too may want my own space.
My solution to a problem I don’t actually have yet? Plan ahead! I’ll build a small guest house in my own backyard, knowing that these little darlings of mine may indeed need it at one time or another as they make their way through life.
– Connie Allegra, ASID
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