A woman is working three jobs and completing a hefty workload of up to 70 hours a week – all so she can afford to live alone.
Michele Theil juggles a full-time job as a press officer with part-time writing and bartending gigs to be able to fork out £1,225 a month in rent.
Her motivation?
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Not having to suffer through stranger housemates and “walk on eggshells” in a shared living space.
The 25-year-old was living with her ex in the same flat in Hertfordshire until they split a year ago, and she decided to try and front the costs solo.
While it means juggling responsibilities and working six or even seven-day weeks, Michele says it’s all worth it.
“I really love my flat and I didn’t want to have to pay to move or try to find other people to live with that I hope to get along with,” she told Absolutely Business.
“The problem with living with strangers is you don’t know until you’re there whether there will be any issues between you but unfortunately none of my friends were looking for a place to live – although living with friends can also cause issues.
“I realised that my finances were very dire and if I didn’t take on the extra jobs, I would be maxing out several credit cards and that would have a more detrimental effect on my life long-term.
“Working more seemed like the perfect solution.”
Michele currently has a 9-5 working as a press officer, which she earns just shy of £33,000 a year for, and supplements her salary with part-time jobs as a freelance journalist and bartender, which combined boost her earnings by an additional £10,000.
Admittedly, there are a few drawbacks to the hefty workload.
She said: “I work a lot so sometimes I won’t be able to attend certain events, although I do try to make it work around my schedule because my friends are very important to me.
“I also try not to spend too much money so I try not to do much shopping or anything.
“I cancelled several streaming service subscriptions and am lucky that my aunt and uncle pay for me to be on their Apple Music plan.”
But for Michele, the perks outweigh any cons.
She explained: “I always felt uncomfortable living in house shares because I felt like I couldn’t be myself and felt like I had to walk on eggshells.
“I have ADHD which can make household chores slightly harder for me to do due to executive dysfunction and I would be scared that my housemates would have a go at me about small things if it slipped my mind or wasn’t done ‘perfectly’.
“Not to mention the high cost of living in house shares nowadays as rent has continued to increase means that it’s not even worth it to share a bathroom and your home, with only one small bedroom as your own space, with others.
“I love being able to come and go as I please, with no one to keep track of me.
“I love that I can do what I want, sit where I want, play music and TV out loud, and not clean up if I don’t want to in that exact moment.
“It feels great to be unencumbered and not have to be beholden to anyone else.“It’s definitely very hard to do this and to live alone but for me it’s worth it.”
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