Hi, my name is Skye and I rent!

Living while renting
And maintaining a sense of you

Renting, I often think the word should be considered a curse and it is in fact often treated that way in my home receiving the same scowl from me towards whoever says it as I give out to those who use true curse words.

The word makes me shiver, well at least it used to. Thoughts of rent inspections and rent increases, following my children around like a hawk with crossed fingers hoping they wouldn't damage anything or put dirty handprints on the walls, anxiety attacks over spilt milk - yes I have been brought to tears once or twice - and trying to figure out how on earth I would remove purple oil based paint from the back brick patio. That was the old me the 2013 version. 2014 saw the arrival of a new improved, slightly to start with, version of me that is determined to actually LIVE my life while we rent.

We still have rent inspections and increases, the first of which comes into effect in 4 weeks, but I'm not going to sit and sulk about it like I used to. I'll still complain, complaining and sulking are two totally different things in case you were wondering. I can complain while at the beach watching the kids enjoy their summer but if I were to sulk while at the beach I'd miss out on enjoying my kids not to mention burn to a crisp under the WA sun. So yes I'll probably complain just as much as the 2013 version of me did but sulking is in the past.

This year I'm going to start to live the life I want, work towards creating the home I want and do it all while sticking to our savings plan.

This blog, 'Living while renting', is my way of sharing any knowledge I gain on how to be you, how to enjoy life while living in a rental home. It was an idea that came to me while sulking (I'm pretty sure it was still 2013 when this happened) about not being able to do what I wanted to the house to make it ours. Truth is it's not our house, but it is our home so why not let our personality shine through? I was also sulking about what little there is to do as a young family that is affordable and would fit into my renters budget. A lot of that is just a Perth thing I think, I am very harsh on my home town, but talking to friends interstate it seems it's true in other parts of the country too so I'll be sharing what activities I find that are not only affordable but entertaining and a good use of valuable family time.

I look forward to hopefully inspiring others to enjoy their rental life. The journey is sometimes the best part of a trip so come along as I journey to my destination of a happy life and a happy home.

Skye