What would you do? Seriously?
A good friend of mine just got laid off from work (economy, they said). He lost his apartment and for the last two months has been sleeping in his van.
Tonight he admitted this to me, I invited him to stay with me on my couch, for $50 a week OR all the cleaning he can do - and he gets food stamps so that will help towards foodstuffs. A little nervous about having someone sleep on my couch and being in my home, but I think I did the right thing. He's moving in Sunday with his one bag of clothes, hiS laptop (yay for wifi!).

Seriously, would you do the same if you knew and trusted the person?
Oh, and he's under orders to buy his own booze.
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:08, 51 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

If you alter "couch" to "spare room"...
... then yes, and I have had friends live with me for months at a time in the past. One was working, so she paid a peppercorn rent - about £100/ month (at her insistence - and utilities were included in that...).


Yes seems to be the obvious response.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:10, Reply)

agreed
got someone staying with me at the moment.

if they are as good a friend as you say then there's no reason why not. Unless they start to take the piss, or are being shit about sorting themselves out.

Then I would club them and eat their bones
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:13, Reply)

Set a time limit.
Say, two weeks, or four. This will encourage him to get another job or sort something else out.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:13, Reply)

if he's been sleeping in his van for two months
a two week limit probably won't be enough motivation
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:14, Reply)

Maybe it's a nice van.

(PsychoChomp, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:16, Reply)

Shagwagon

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:18, Reply)

Shagon

(PsychoChomp, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:20, Reply)

I didn't consider that

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:30, Reply)

Chevron

(PsychoChomp, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:34, Reply)

Chavron

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:40, Reply)

:(((((((((((((((((((((
You've ruined the chevron.
(PsychoChomp, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:47, Reply)

HA
Ruined Chompy's Day - CHECK
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:51, Reply)

Why would you do that? Why? What's wrong with you?
/ac
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:34, Reply)

Oh man ! I totally missed the chevron !
Delete your post and post a new one, to fix it.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:32, Reply)

And out of the non-chevron, grew another !

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:48, Reply)

we can make it look like some breasts though
in a double chevron
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:49, Reply)

Is your girlfriend Madonna?

(PsychoChomp, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:52, Reply)

she is not
I was going to make a madonna comment when I wrote it, but got distracted because I put my reply in the wrong place at first
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:53, Reply)

He's seriously looking
I told him a month (the cleaning is actually more important than the money, he's sleeping on my couch for fucks sake.........)
I think I did the right thing though, 'cos that could have been me surf couching, and it could still be.

And the company might be quite nice! (He's a lovely chap, nothing going on, but he does have his head on straight)
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:16, Reply)

If theye are a good then friend then of course

However a time limit will be necessary.

What kind of van does he have?
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:15, Reply)

I let Kaol stay at my house
and I think I'd met him like twice and once was the incident we don't speak about so if a mate was in trouble yeah obviously I'd let them stay.

I'm sorry but this may just be the most PTOTD (not to be confused with PoD)
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:18, Reply)

I saw my name,
Read the whole sentence, and got confused by acronyms :(
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:29, Reply)

Probably
but only if the ground rules were laid out and very clear and they did not take advantage of my good nature
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:20, Reply)

I told him I'm subject to panic attacks
and that if I want to stay up all night and watch TV he's gotta deal with it. My bedroom is off limits. Bathroom is to be cleaned of poop every day no matter what, and I WILL NOT clean up his emesis if he pukes..

His rules....."if you're cooking enough dinner for two-four, can I eat?"

Well.....he is getting food stamps, so ok then!
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:24, Reply)

I had a bloke living in my sitting room for four months once
I made him pay me £200 a month for this privilege.

He was fucking pain in the arse and I threw him out for stealing my *name of illicit substance removed to prevent Badger rage*.

From this experience I'd say 'fuck no, it's a nightmare'.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:24, Reply)

Fair enough.
But this guy hasn't asked one person since he's been homeless for help. Everyone knows he is, and I'm the first one to come forward. He's a good guy, respectable and all that...showers at the gym each day (membership paid in full for the year), nice chap and just needs somewhere to stay.

And, quite honestly, I could use the company. But it's MY television, MY computer and MY Playstation........hehehehehe
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:30, Reply)

haha
Badger Rage is like the Power Rangers crossed with Chuck Norris. It looks ridiculous but has an awesome roundhouse kick
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:40, Reply)

that kind of just describes Chuck Norris
he looks pretty ridiculous, you must admit
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:41, Reply)

Ok then
Chuck Norris in spandex

And you better not let him hear you say that
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:42, Reply)

we've got a peace agreement
it's to do with beards
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:46, Reply)

I BEG YOUR FUCKING PARDON, OLD BOY?

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:45, Reply)

granted

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:53, Reply)

Calpol?

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:33, Reply)

Nah
I had enough of house sharing and putting people up on the sofa when I was a student and wotnot.

Having people to stay is a bit like the snow, nice to see at first, but quickly becomes an annoyance and you attack it with a shovel.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:41, Reply)

When the ex hubby kicked me out
(two years today, actually), I was determined to never have anyone live with me.
I'm still nervous about it, but fuck, if I was homeless I'd want someone around.
He's gonna get computer access, food (which he can provide thanks to his food stamps) and a place to kip for a month or two. He's a good guy.
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:53, Reply)

Fair enough. Can you lock your bedroom door? If not wedge, it with a chair,
I'm sure he IS a good guy, but why risk it
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 9:59, Reply)

Glue it shut with foodstamps

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:02, Reply)

Are foodstamps actually sticky?
this is america we're talking about, the land where "fanny" and "fag" mean very different things
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:06, Reply)

Dunno,
never had to get them.
To be honest, I think you can buy anything except booze and fags with them. And, back to being fair, my new housemate is totally trying for jobs, has used my computer (desktop and laptop) many a time now to send out resumes.
but hey, if he can bring food into the house, who's complaining??? :D
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:11, Reply)

What I've never understood about the US of A
is when they say "I could care less" whereas over here we say "I couldn't care less". Surely if you could care less, that means you care. Confusing times.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:13, Reply)

Yes, I have noticed that
but people in Britain say "Cheap at half the price"...whut?
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:19, Reply)

I've always taken that to mean
'this item would be cheap, were it half its actual retail price', which does make perfect sense, does it not?
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:23, Reply)

Makes sense,
just seems a bit of a redundant thing to point out. A bit like, "he'd still be alive if he weren't on the receiving end of that severe bout of Badger Rage."
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:32, Reply)

HA!
*clicks*
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:35, Reply)

I agree
but I have heard people use it wrongly (is wrongly a word?)
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 11:01, Reply)

the key to understanding here is knowing that Americans are stupid

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:36, Reply)

I'm not worried about that.
At all. It's just the fact that someone else is going to be living in my home, that I don't even call home - I call it "my place where I live". Trying to do the right thing (because it could so easily be me). I just hope the poor fucker can see me through my panic attacks! Mwahahahahha!
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:08, Reply)

I'd help out a mate
But it would drive me nuts after a couple of weeks. I'm a very private person. When I'm out and about, I love socialising and being with mates, in fact I don't like being on my todd whilst out the house.

Indoors though, I am the biggest, secluded hermit you'll ever meet. I hate interaction. Since I got home from uni for Christmas it's got worse, I'm so used to just sitting alone that now when my mum shouts hello from the bottom of the stares it takes all the restraint I have to not tell her to piss off. Weird.
(Barry from Eastenders is, despite the words written above, not a woman, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:25, Reply)

If anyone is in a gambling mood...
...I bet this will end in tears.

Give him a week and then out.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:30, Reply)

I got a few lodgers, they're quite good in the most-part, much better than living alone, esspecially if they help pay the bills.
But I wouldn't let someone stay long-term living on the couch, I would want to be able to feel, in my own home, that I can relax infront of the telly whenever I wanted.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:35, Reply)

Oh man, you're so screwed.
I suggest you consilidate your debts into one easy affrodable monthly repayment, quit your job and go to Uni.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Fri 15 Jan 2010, 10:42, Reply)