Economie solidaire : rénover un appartement/association
Economie solidaire : rénover un appartement/association
Présentation
Bien que la rénovation d'un appartement puisse sembler un processus simple, il y a plusieurs facteurs à prendre en compte avant de commencer les travaux. Premièrement, les règlements du syndic de copropriété peuvent être stricts en ce qui concerne les modifications de l'apparence extérieure de l'immeuble, comme le remplacement des rideaux par des volets. Assurez-vous de bien comprendre ces règles avant de commencer à apporter des modifications. Deuxièmement, vérifiez l'état du bâtiment et la santé financière du syndic. Si des travaux de rénovation majeurs sont nécessaires et que le syndic n'a pas suffisamment de fonds, vous devrez peut-être payer une part importante des coûts. Troisièmement, prêtez attention à l'éclairage. Si votre appartement a des plafonniers encastrés, vous pourriez être limité dans vos choix d'éclairage de remplacement. Enfin, pensez à la réaction de vos voisins à la rénovation. Le bruit et l'inconfort peuvent créer des tensions, il est donc judicieux d'en discuter avec eux à l'avance.
Voisins
Si vous vivez déjà dans votre appartement avant de commencer les travaux, il est important de prendre en compte l'impact que votre rénovation aura sur vos voisins. Il y aura forcément du bruit et dans certains cas, cela peut aussi causer des problèmes pour eux (comme la saleté dans les espaces communs ou la présence constante des travailleurs). Il est donc important d'aborder le sujet avec eux avant de commencer les travaux, en leur expliquant votre projet et en répondant à leurs questions. Vous pouvez également leur assurer que vous ferez de votre mieux pour minimiser le bruit et maintenir les parties communes propres. N'oubliez pas que vous devrez les côtoyer chaque jour après la fin des travaux, il est donc préférable de rester en bons termes avec eux.
Faire appel à des experts
Avant de commencer des rénovations majeures, il est vivement recommandé de consulter des experts en la matière, tels qu'un designer d'intérieur, un architecte ou un entrepreneur qualifié pour travailler. Vous pouvez également avoir besoin des services d'autres consultants, comme un ingénieur structurel, un plombier ou un électricien. Assurez-vous de définir clairement vos besoins et votre budget avant de faire appel à des professionnels pour obtenir leur avis sur la faisabilité de votre projet.
En conclusion
Pour résumer, voici les principales recommandations à prendre en compte avant de commencer des rénovations dans un appartement :
Faites appel à des experts qualifiés pour travailler sur les immeubles de type 2.
Renseignez-vous sur les règles de votre syndic en matière de rénovations.
Songez à opter pour une mise à niveau esthétique plutôt que des modifications majeures.
Évitez d'investir plus que ce qui est raisonnable dans votre rénovation.
Soyez respectueux envers vos voisins et imaginez-vous à leur place si c'était eux qui faisaient des travaux juste à côté de chez vous.
Pour les personnes en difficultés voici le lien vers notre association
Honestly, I thought I’ve been doing pretty well since LC and I broke up. Other areas of my life are moving forward at warp speed and I’ve been content. Perhaps even happy. LC and I even managed to keep talking and being friends. We even hung out once! I am a break up model of perfection. Or so I thought.
Internally I felt like I had a handle on it too. I am comfortable with breaking up with him. When I think over what happened, I know that I made the right choice for me. Any other choice would not have served me as well. This may sound like a load of BS, but I mean it. I’m at peace with my decision.
So no one was more surprised than me when I started yelling at him in IMs a few days ago. Ooops. Apparently even though I’m at peace with my decision, I’m not at peace with him. It would seem there are some loose ends that left me kind of angry. Which I realized at the exact moment that I told him so.
LC had no idea I had ever been angry about any of the things I mentioned. Which in turn made me madder because they are all things I’ve said before. Go ahead and snicker. You can already see how the whole thing escalated.
This, my friends, is why I like to practice DTM. With DTM I can have imaginary arguments with him in my head. With DTM I can write angry letters I never send. And with DTM I don’t have to look him in the eye, make nice, and get even angrier because he doesn’t know and doesn’t care about what hurt me. DTM gives me the space to work it out without getting any angrier.
And so it is that LC and I have stopped communicating. Is it a permanent ban on our friendship? I don’t know. But apparently it’s going to last until I’m good and done with it. Because the other way really just wasn’t working out so well.
At least I got my stuff out of his apartment before this happened.
I recently met a woman on craigslist. I know, I know, I’ve long said that online dating sucks. (It does.) But craigslist dating is different. The focus is on the event or experience, rather than making sure checkboxes align. I.e. instead of looking for a soul mate, you simply look for a fun date.
She was a single mom in my area, cute and athletic. I’m a single dad, smart and fit. She insisted she’d rather meet than chat forever. Fine with me! I’d love a sexy and fun date with her. But I wanted to at least talk on the phone first. I gave her my cell number, she called me, and we had great flirty chemistry.
“When are you free?” I asked.
“Not until next week,” she said.
We worked through our custody schedules and found a Thursday night that worked for both of us, and penciled each other in.
Now then – why not make actual plans on this first phone call? It’s a gut check, really. You hang up, think about it for a day or a weekend, and if you still have the urge and gumption to meet, you follow through.
The weekend came and went. I had my kids, and was busy as hell. It never entered my mind that I should call her. Come Monday, I realized we probably should have made plans already. I’m guessing there’s a dating rule that says “Don’t go out on Thursday night unless he calls the weekend before.” (Not that I care about rules, but some people do.)
I called and got voicemail. No problem, I left a message. Hi, how was your weekend, look forward to Thursday, give me a call, let’s make a plan, etc.
I didn’t hear back until the next night. She sent me a text that was somewhat vague: sure, let’s meet Thursday.
I texted right back and suggested a bar where we could meet for a late evening drink.
A few hours later (WTF! I just texted her. It takes her hours to respond?), she texted me back with her own suggestion to meet at the bar of an expensive restaurant in the early evening.
Sounds like she wants dinner, not drinks.
Truth be told, I’m now feeling nervous about the whole thing. This woman told me she got over 100 responses to her ad. She has no shortage of suitors. That she is texting me, and taking her sweet time between communications, and suggesting such an expensive place, makes me think she’s just fishing around for her best option. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman turned a simple craigslist meet and greet into an expensive meal.
And that’s the thing. This is a different woman. Maybe she really just likes the drinks at that place. Who knows? If she’d sent sexy texts, at least I’d know her intent.
Oh, how I pine for a rotary phone on my kitchen counter! No voicemail. No texting. Just conversation.
In the meantime, all I have to go on is my gut. And the advice of my readers…
Why I Would Choose Married Life Over Single Life Any Day
Why I Would Choose Married Life Over Single Life Any Day
Présentation
There are a thousand different opinions on rings which symbolize marriage. Some people put a lot of weight behind the meaning of a ring, while others think nothing of it at all. I recently read an article about the engagement ring titled, “Why Engagement Rings are a Joke.”
The article, which you can read here, goes on to mock some of the marketing pitches which put so much emphasis on the ring and its correlation to love. While I agree the marketing tactics can take an over-the-top approach to try and convince a person to buy the biggest, baddest diamond there is, I don’t think they are a joke.
I actually think the engagement ring is the foundation of your marriage. Without a good engagement ring, the wedding ring, and all else that follow may not even happen. Or if they do happen, it may not be what you expected.
Let me explain my take on rings. I believe there are 7 rings of marriage, but not everyone is familiar with them, and not everyone gets to wear all 7 marriage rings. The 7 rings of marriage are not actual, physical rings. They are different stages in marriage.
The stages (rings) start from engagement and go through a stage in marriage that only few reach. Here is the list of rings:
Whether you are engaged, a newlywed, or a marriage vet your marriage is at one of those stages right now. And each ring, or stage doesn’t have a timetable.
But back to the engagement ring, and why I say it is the foundation of your marriage. There is a passage in the Bible which provides a great backdrop for foundations, which the engagement ring is.
The passage talks about a wise man and a foolish man who both build houses. The wise man builds his house on a rock (maybe a diamond *wink*), and the foolish man builds his house on sand. Of course when storms (tough times) came the wise man’s house stood, while the foolish man’s house fell.
Much like the foundation each man built his house on, your engagement ring is the foundation you build your marriage on. You can build on a rock (so many diamond ring companies should be calling me for advertising right now), or sand.
When you build on a rock, you set your marriage up to experience all 7 rings of marriage. When you build on sand, you may never experience another marriage ring. To build on a rock, to have the best engagement ring there are 5 things you should do.
Don’t move in together
Many people debate this, but moving in together is bad for your marriage. Marriage is about commitment, and being selfless. Many couples state they move in to save on rent. Hmm, that has nothing to do with commitment or being selfless. It has to do with what benefits me right now. Taking that mentality into marriage is a recipe for disaster.
Go through pre-marital counseling
Don't leave your marriage to chance. Pre-marital counseling will dig deep into your relationship prior to marriage, and help you uncover potential challenges. We didn't know anything about pre-marital counseling before getting married, but were fortunate enough to go through marriage courses within a year of getting married which served as our pre-marital counseling and saved our marriage. I encourage you to not wait, but get guidance, plan, and learn from those who have seen a lot more than you.
Men: Get her father’s blessing
This is something I didn't do that I really wish I had. Her father approved, and we have a great relationship. But to have her father's blessing before marriage would mean a lot, and would also set an example to share with my kids later when they get married. I want to have a relationship with my future son-in-law and for him to ask for my blessing.
Ladies: Meet his mother
When you meet his mother you will have a very good idea of his view on women. And if his mother is married you may also learn what he expects of you in your marriage. And depending upon the relationship you have with his mother she may share some things about him which you may not have learned, until later (while wearing the DiscoveRING ).
Open up your (financial) books
Whether you like it or not, money will play a big part in your relationship. Don't be in denial. Your views on money and your spouse's views on money will come to light at some point. Before marriage is best. This is the time to share your financial history, credit reports, and personal financial goals. This will help you create family finance goals and discuss how you will achieve them. Hopefully this includes shared bank accounts.
A "pre-nuptial" agreement
Although it is not what you think, this "prenup" was one of the most important pieces of our foundation. We made an agreement, and I think any couple who cannot agree to this should not get married. We agreed to never talk about, joke about, mention, or consider divorce. No matter what! We backed ourselves in a corner, and the only way out was to make our marriage work. It is working, we are happy, and we have worn many of the 7 rings of marriage.
Marriage dos and donts
In addition to our "prenup" I mentioned in the previous slide, we also agreed to certain things we wouldn't do. Most involved our communication, and how we would handle heated situations. No name calling, no leaving the home, no cursing, no yelling. Now, I am not going to lie, we have violated some of them before, but quickly reconciled. This creates a safe place where both people know, no matter how deep a matter gets, they are still safe with one another, even in disagreement.
Talk about kids
Not everyone wants kids. And not everyone agrees on how to raise kids. These are important conversations which can help later in your marriage when you decide to have kids, or kids "just happen." During these conversations you can determine your parenting styles, and what you agree will be most effective in being great parents.
Agree to leave and cleave""
One big challenge in marriage is past relationships and past ideals. When you get married, your spouse is your new number one. And the way you used to do things doesn't have to be the way you do things now. This could be as simple as the brand of products you use, to holiday traditions, to whether being in communication with an ex is in play or not. No matter what your past life was like, agree to do things in the future based on what you both agree upon.
Choose your values, choose "who you will serve"
A powerful passage from the Bible comes from the book of Joshua. Joshua basically tells everyone else "I don't know about you, but me and my house will follow the principles of God." You have to do the same. My wife and I base our marriage on the biblical principles of marriage we have learned through counseling, bible study, and others who follow the same principles. It has been the true foundation and rock for our marriage, and I believe it will be for your marriage too when you choose this path.
