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Whether you have suffered a pay cut or wish to save money to build up a financial cushion, living in your office may be a decision one may contemplate to save on costly rent and/or home ownership costs. Other reasons for office squatting include convenience, saving commuting expenses, getting extra sleep (as you can wake up shortly before work), and general health.
Steps
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Before moving out of your home, stay overnight on different days of the week to find out if there are any problems you should be aware of, such as noise, security at night harassing you, and general comfort, such as if the A/C or heat is turned off at night. -
Determine how much personal space you will have available and what possessions you will keep. Sell what you have left to raise money for costs you will incur for such living arrangements.Advertisement -
You can use your car to store some of your possessions, such as clothing or non-perishable food. -
Buy a small refrigerator to use in the office. -
Buy a Crock Pot for cooking. -
Find a nearby laundry facility. -
Arrange your sleeping schedule to avoid attracting attention to yourself. You may wish to sleep in the early evening after work so you wake up and have time to shower and get dressed before anybody arrives to the office. -
Find a place to shower. If your work has a gym facility, this is ideal. You can also find a cheap gym membership or a community pool. -
You may need a P.O. Box or a friend who can receive mail for you. -
Don't get caught. Be careful about telling people where you live. While it might not be illegal, such living arrangements are definitely frowned upon by coworkers and employers. -
Use this as an opportunity to put aside extra money for the unexpected, such as a job loss. -
A downside of this living arrangements is if you are single, get ready for the challenges of inviting a date to your "home".
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Community Q&A
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QuestionIs this even legal, and if it is, am I getting paid?Tom De BackerTop AnswererFrom what I could find, it is not strictly illegal. Your colleagues will definitely know what's going on very quickly. You will only get paid for the work you do, not the full hours spent at the office.
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Tips
- Look at the benefits: freedom from responsibilities of a home, freedom from problems if you lose your job (as you can quickly build up a good emergency fund this way), convenience and freedom from traffic.Thanks
- Be positive and look at the positive sides of your life: you are fortunate to have a place to live and sacrifice relatively little. Always see your glass as half full rather than half empty.Thanks
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Warnings
- If you lose your job unexpectedly, you will also lose your home. Make sure you have a backup plan. Hopefully, this plan can help you build up a cushion so that a job loss will become much more manageable.Thanks
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About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 65,576 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I also live secretly in the office, for almost 1000 days, and still lived there. I struggled at beginning, but now I'm master at the art of living secretly in the office. I'm saving 1/3 of my salary every month. Love of solitude will make it easy." ..." more
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"I also live secretly in the office, for almost 1000 days, and still lived there. I struggled at beginning, but now I'm master at the art of living secretly in the office. I'm saving 1/3 of my salary every month. Love of solitude will make it easy."
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