We get it. The past year has been difficult for all of us. The current state of things is far from ideal. Many people lost their jobs. You’re probably one of them. And for a long time, you tried to get by with your savings, if you even had one. You likely hustled doing freelance gigs to make ends meet. For a while, those ends did meet.
Now you can no longer stretch whatever resources you have left. It’s time to move back into your parents’ house. You will probably be welcomed into the basement. There’s no shame in it. However, you also don’t have to sacrifice comfort. Here’s how to live like royalty in your parents’ basement.
Do a basement makeover
Make that basement shine. With the help of a reliable contractor, muster your inner Nate Berkus and turn your parents’ basic basement into a polished basement worthy of a spread on an interior design magazine sold at gasoline stations. Paint the walls with colors that won’t depress the hell out of you. Get rid of things that don’t need to be there, like your dad’s boxes of old newspapers. Put rags on the floor. Put curtains on even if you don’t have windows. The illusion will suffice. Just make sure you don’t look out of your make-believe window lest your parents get sick of worry.
Get yourself a personal fridge
In the middle of the night, while you’re pondering how your life decisions led you to where you are now–your parents’ basement, that is — you might want to pop open a beer. Walking up the stairs to the kitchen will disrupt your train of thought. So if you have money left from your savings, invest in a personal fridge. Have it stuffed with your go-to ale. Once you run out and no longer have the cash to replenish your fridge, replenish from your dad’s supply. He won’t mind. If he does mind, he won’t tell.
Install a Wi-Fi extender
You want to stay active on your social media group chats. You might want to finally get on board the TikTok bandwagon. When inspiration strikes, you might decide to spend time on LinkedIn in search of potential employments. You need a reliable internet connection. The Wi-Fi’s likely upstairs. You need a Wi-Fi extender or repeater to expand the reach of your parents’ Wi-Fi. It won’t cost you a lot. But if you have no means of paying even a little, you can always ask for your holiday gift from mom and dad in advance.
Finetune the air conditioning
Summer’s around the corner. You do not want to melt in the basement. You do not want to give your parents a heart attack after seeing you as a puddle on the floor an hour of evaporation away from complete disappearance. Also, after summer comes autumn. And once that’s over, winter’s coming. You’re not Jon Snow. You can’t fight the cold. You do not want to give your parents a heart attack after seeing a frozen version of you one winter morning. So make sure the basement AC’s working fine. If not, take it to the technician.
Get lit
You can interpret getting lit in different ways. But here, we mean install proper lighting. Remember that lighting directly affects your mood. Your mood affects your behavior. And your present behaviors basically serve as blueprints for your future. If you want a bright future for yourself, mind the basement’s lighting. You don’t want harsh light. You also don’t want dim, depressing light. Somewhere in between is perfect.
So take your mom on a date to Home Depot. Pick up some lighting fixtures and take them straight to the cashier. Give your mom the best sad puppy eyes you can muster. She’ll understand what you mean.
Your parents brought you into this world because they want to look after another human being. They want to experience that so-called unconditional love. They want to raise a person that can contribute to humanity’s progress. However, right now, contributing to humanity’s progress is beyond your realm of immediate concerns. Your main priority is survival. And if that means moving into your parents’ basement, no one has the right to judge your decision.
By all means, own it. Take pride in the fact that you did not hoard enough of the planet’s wealth to afford to survive in an almost apocalyptic world. At first, your parents might feel a bit frustrated with how things turned out for you. But eventually, they’ll understand. And they might even want to keep you in their basement for good.
