So my Apartment was broken into.....
August 20th, 2009 at 12:58 amWant to have a fair-size vent here....
So my apartment was broken into today...
I left to play soccer at 11:55 am...
Arrived back at 13:15 pm...
Noticed nothing different initially... just noticed my pillows were at the foot of my bed instead of the usual head of the bed... I thought "Emmm... that's weird... maybe the wind blew them or something..."
Forgot about that.... went into Kitchen had lunch, logged on here [ :-) ] , surfed net and then came the time to go to work...
Went into spare bedroom where I keep my money, keys etc.... Noticed that 250 euro was missing, that the drawers and wardrobes had been gone through and that some boxes had been moved around... then I thought about the pillows in my own room... and thought "Oh, I've been burgled"...
So was really pissed off at the invasion of privacy, the cheekiness of the burglars and the fact that 250 euro of my money was stolen...
Now I know that I shouldn't have had that much money in the apartment but I had paid for my mother's and brother's holiday using my debit card. The total was 520. My mother gave me her half. I was waiting for my brother to give me his half so I could lodge all the money together - save queueing twice... and I thought... "ah sure, it will be grand there for a day or two..."
The door wasn't damaged so the intruder may have had a key... A window in the kitchen was open but I live on the 3rd floor... you'd need a big conspicuous ladder to get in... so could have been another resident in my block...
The landlord changed the locks this evening. The police are coming tomorrow to check for finger prints - they said there was a second burglary in my vicinity....
Nothing else was touched - computer etc... just the cash...
so inititially my reaction was I'm gonna move from this place at the end of the month. I could rent a room in a shared house for half the money I pay here... I'd be saving 250 a month in rent...
Then I thought... but that's letting them win.... I remember reading a book about a buddhist female monk and in it was a paragraph about people taking material things from you.... so if people take material things from you... that is one thing.... but if you let them take your peace of mind away AS WELL as a result of the material thing robbery... then they have robbed you twice... and your peace of mind is so much more important than material possessions....
So I won't let them take my peace of mind. The locks are changed, the police were informed and I've learned my lesson about leaving cash around... c'est fini...
I had been thinking about paying extra towards my debt (from overtime) over the next few months (I will be debt-free by New Year's Eve regardles of whether I do this) and today I thought is this burglary the Universe telling me to stop pre-allocating every penny... loosen up a bit financially... go with the flow more... like punishing Scrooge by taking some money from him ?
I've decided:
1. To stay where I am - but I will be asking for a 20% reduction in my rent effective 1st January 2010. If I don't get this, then I will leave at the end of my lease.
2. To start enjoying this beautiful apartment to the max... maybe buy a few bits of small furniture I've wanted (second-hand), maybe personalise with pictures/accessories, maybe get a proper-size TV, make it feel more homely, get some plants for the balcony, maybe a beer-fridge !, and maybe start inviting more people around... maybe even throw a party !!
Emmm... I know the most frugal thing would be to leave and rent a room in a shared house... but I love having my own space.... and I am confident I will get a 20% rent reduction at the end of the year... I won't be here forever... it just suits me at the moment... so I better get on with enjoying it ! get bang for my buck I guess !
Oh... and I was in the Bank last week and the Bank Official suggested Renter's Insurance to me... (I don't have insurance) and I said no... I actually said I live in a safe block and I have no valuables apart from my computer .... Anyways the Renters insurance is 10 euro a month.... over 2 years that is 240 euro.... so as long as I'm not robbed in the next 2 years, then I won't have lost anything- if you know what I mean -give 240 to an insurance company or 250 to a burglar...
Then you go Dear Burglar... I hope you put it to good use... I really do !