I just blew up my life, and it is OK because of Mr. MM!

[MissStache]

Well.  I just broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years.  Mutual, long time coming, blah blah blah. 

Now comes the hard part- finding a new place to live, moving out, etc.  I've done this once before and it was totally traumatic and palm-sweat-inducing.  Now, thanks to finding MMM almost exactly 1 year ago, I have eliminated my debts, lowered my spending bigtime, and am awash in savings.  I also know exactly where all my money is going, so I know exactly what I can afford in terms of rent. I'm about to spend a God Damn fortune to move into my own place in pricey DC, but it feels awesome to be able to afford it easily and not have to break a sweat to lay out a deposit, rent, and moving expenses without a worry. 

Damn, I am so thankful that I am able to do this.  Yay!

[Paulie]

I'm sorry to hear that you broke up with your BF, 4 years is a long time so even when it was a mutual thing, it must still hurt.

But good for you that you're so in control of the whole situation! Wish you the best of luck finding a new place!

[geekette]

Yeah, ouch, but yay!  Hope things go well for you.

[arebelspy]

I'm glad you are making positive changes.  I hope the transition goes as painlessly as possible.

Congrats on getting yourself into the situation where you can handle something like that without adding on financial stress on top of it.  :)

[lifejoy]

I guess it's always darkest before the dawn?

Once you're done with all the icky bits, your life is gonna be pretty sweet! :)

[MissStache]

Thanks everyone!  I'm feeling amazingly positive and tonight I'm looking at an apartment in a crazy faux-castle house!  Fairytale ending?!?!

[forward]

Sorry to hear of the stress.  Its great to know that you know how you will land and be able to move forward with no worries!

[Sparafusile]

I guess I'm going to buck the trend and say congratulations on the break up. Much better now than in another 4 years, one marriage, and 2 kids later. A happy household should be your #1 priority. I say this not because I'm jaded, but because I like to think I helped a divorcee create a happy household for the first time.

That and lawyers are expensive.

Keep your chin up. Your current elation wont last forever, but the memory will. If you start to doubt yourself just remember how happy making this decision made you feel.

[jfer_rose]

Hang in there! Breakups are always tough even when they are positive changes. I wish you luck with finding a place. It might be wishful thinking, but will you move into DC proper? Because there's a faux castle apartment building not far from me and I would love a Mustachian neighbor...

[minimalist]

Live with roommates! I pay $500 a month including utilities in NW DC. We actually have 2 guest rooms that we don't even care much about filling because we keep our expenses low.

[MissStache]

Hang in there! Breakups are always tough even when they are positive changes. I wish you luck with finding a place. It might be wishful thinking, but will you move into DC proper? Because there's a faux castle apartment building not far from me and I would love a Mustachian neighbor...

Oh, I wish!  That would be awesome, but sadly I can't afford DC proper just yet!

[MissStache]

Live with roommates! I pay $500 a month including utilities in NW DC. We actually have 2 guest rooms that we don't even care much about filling because we keep our expenses low.

That's an incredible price for the area!  I actually looked into it, but I couldn't find anything less than 900/month, and for an extra $200, I can live on my own (which I greatly prefer).  It's a little tricky for me because I have 2 cats, so finding a roommate situation isn't as simple as I wish it was! 

[MissStache]

I guess I'm going to buck the trend and say congratulations on the break up. Much better now than in another 4 years, one marriage, and 2 kids later. A happy household should be your #1 priority.

WORD

[crumbcatcher]

Awesome about having things under control so that you can roll with the circumstances!

I was in bad financial shape when I blew up my life 3.5 years ago, but since then I've turned things around. I agree so strongly that having the confidence that you can handle crap situations from a financial perspective is priceless. Good for you for figuring all of that out in advance. :-)

Now, good luck in settling into your new life! (It's just a little bit fun, isn't it? I know I enjoyed it.)

[kkbmustang]

I guess I'm going to buck the trend and say congratulations on the break up. Much better now than in another 4 years, one marriage, and 2 kids later. A happy household should be your #1 priority.

WORD

I was a bridesmaid in two different weddings where the brides called off their respective weddings after the invitations went out and deposits were nonrefundable. It's much easier to address retractions than go through a divorce. They are both happily married with children now. :-)

[oldtoyota]

Hang in there! Breakups are always tough even when they are positive changes. I wish you luck with finding a place. It might be wishful thinking, but will you move into DC proper? Because there's a faux castle apartment building not far from me and I would love a Mustachian neighbor...

Oh, I wish!  That would be awesome, but sadly I can't afford DC proper just yet!

I am sorry to hear about the breakup. =-( How good it must feel, though, to have all of your financial ducks in a row. =-)

PS: Where are all of these faux castles??

[JPinDC]

Another DC-er here wishing you luck on the housing search! Check the library for a book called Better Single than Sorry. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's my go-to book when a relationship ends, and I recommend it to all my girlfriends. Lots of support!!!

[Russ]

I guess I'm going to buck the trend and say congratulations on the break up.

+1, way to look out for yourself.

Best of luck with the transition, and of course let us know if you need anything. I'm sure anybody here would be glad to help out in any way they can.

[Fireman]

Congratulations on starting a new single life AND congratulations on being mustachian and having the means to do it well!

When we split, she was deployed and I had to separate hers from mine, pack the house, move her things to storage, and move my things to a friend's for two weeks....until I got an apartment.  Moving sucks!

Good luck with the single life and the move!

[HappierAtHome]

Breaking up with your partner isn't okay because of MMM.

Breaking up with your partner is okay because of MissStache.

You will build a wonderful life :-) congrats on knowing that happily single is far better than miserable together.

So... What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

[SwordGuy]

There are inexpensive apts in downtown DC.  I got one near Lincoln Park for about $600 and it came with a parking spot. 

[DoubleDown]

Aw, sorry to hear that, but good for you!

[Cassie]

Sounds like you made the right decision for you!  I left my 2nd hubby after 22 years and I was not one bit sad-just hugely relieved.  So glad you have your finances in order because that makes your life so much easier.

[CHOPAG]

Thanks everyone!  I'm feeling amazingly positive and tonight I'm looking at an apartment in a crazy faux-castle house!  Fairytale ending?!?!

This castle house isn't in Del Ray, is it? If so, I think I checked that out when I was looking for a place seven years ago. I remember it being quirky and cool, but I don't remember anything else about it. Small world.

You know, Alexandria clean up days are starting soon--Old Town's is next Saturday--so you might be able to find good furniture, housewares, etc. on the street.

Good luck with your new chapter!

[Blindsquirrel]

   Wishing you good luck in all of your future endeavors. You are going forward in a positive fashion which is always nice to see.

[Thegoblinchief]

This may be too personal, but is it attributable in part to frugality changes?

Curious because I know my DW and I are definitely less "in tune" than pre-MMM days, though still quite happily married at this point.

[MissStache]

Woo hoo!  Got the awesome castle apartment!  Should be all moved in about 3 weeks. 

This may be too personal, but is it attributable in part to frugality changes?

Curious because I know my DW and I are definitely less "in tune" than pre-MMM days, though still quite happily married at this point.

There was definitely more to it, but it played a part.  It really frustrated me that he was capable of saving so much money (High-level IT guy for a govt. contractor) but didn't put very much effort into it.  It was partially a lack of discipline and partially a lack of trying, but both of those things were off-putting to me.  Especially paired with the fact that he is significanly older than me and he should have really been trying to get his financial ducks in a row, it made me question his judgement and what kind of future we could have when our goals were not aligned. 

[iris lily]

What a way to make lemonade out of lemons. WOW! Awesome OP! Here's to drinking a lemonade, hoping that your emotional healing will go well and as quickly as can be expected.

[carloco]

 I am happy to hear about your recent changes.  Although, you already found a place, I found cohousing interesting.  Here is a community in DC.
http://www.takomavillage.org/wordpress/

[DjinnTonic]

Congrats on the break-up!  Definitely, do not stay with someone who has a different view on spending/saving.  I recently went through a divorce where I ended up having to shell out some dough to my ex due to community property laws.  My view- marriage is just a business contract saturated with emotions. 

-DjinnTonic