In 2020, Vionna Wai, 30, and her partner, Chucky Hui, 29, moved into a two-family home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with his moms and dads.
The couple pays $1,600 a month to reside in the one-bedroom, one-bath house on the 2nd flooring, while Wai’s in-laws pay the remainder of the $3,500 month-to-month lease and reside on the very first flooring, according to files examined by CNBC Make It.
While their living plan may be familiar to some– 16% of U.S. millennials coped with their moms and dads in 2022, according to Axios– what sets Wai, a building engineer, and Hui, a UX designer, apart are the 150 houseplants and 2 felines, Mi and Ding, they relocated with.
“When I look at my houseplants, I really am living in the moment. I don’t think about like my stress or worries about work or anything like that,” Wai informs CNBC MakeIt “I’m just focusing on taking care of my plants and making sure they’re happy and that for me is very calming.”
Wai states looking after her plants is a type of self care.
MickeyTodiwala Photo by CNBC Make It
Wai’s plant collection may be frustrating for some, however she does not believe 150 plants is extreme.
“I’m just a homebody that wants to stay at home all day to play with my cats and plants,” Wai states. “Once I go to work, it’s all fast-paced… but when I come home, it’s a complete switch. I’m in my own element and everything’s just very calming and lively.”
Wai states there is really really little upkeep– she invests about 30 minutes a week watering them and does some insect control in between seasons.
“They just need water, sun, and some love,” Wai states. “It’s really not that hard to take care of them but I think people fail to see them as living things sometimes. How much love you put into that plant it’ll give back to you.”
The just location that Wai and her partner do not have any plants at all remains in their bed room.
MickeyTodiwala Photo by CNBC Make It
One of the most pricey plants in Wai’s collection is a Phildendrom Florida Beauty she purchased for $350 throughout the pandemic. Wai and her buddy divided the expense with the strategy of propagating the plant. While the price may have frightened some away, Wai states it was 100% worth it.
“It gave me so much joy.”
Though Wai confesses she was frightened it would pass away on her: “Part of the journey is nursing it back to health and being able to share with friends.”
Wai and Hui have actually a designated corner where Mi and Ding hang out around cat-friendly plants.
MickeyTodiwala Photo by CNBC Make It
Because numerous plants can be hazardous to felines, the couple has a location they call “the cat jungle corner” that houses their pet-friendly plants. Mi is 10, while Ding is 5.
“I’ve learned to train my cats to coexist with my plants,” Wai states.
The couple likewise makes certain to utilize feline repellant on the plants and keeps the hazardous ones out of Mi and Ding’s reach.
The just location that Wai and her partner do not have any plants at all remains in their bed room.
The couple is presently leasing and ensured to keep their plant established renter-friendly.
MickeyTodiwala Photo by CNBC Make It
Because the couple is presently leasing, they ensured to keep their plant established renter-friendly however ultimately, Wai confesses that she would enjoy to have a greenhouse.
“I always have this dream of moving to Japan and just living in the countryside with the rice paddies on the side and just, you know, a greenhouse and just have that calm, like country life,” she states.
Want to make money beyond your day task? Sign up for CNBC’s brand-new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn more about typical passive earnings streams, suggestions to get going and real-life success stories. Register today and conserve 50% with discount rate code EARLYBIRD.
Plus, register for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get suggestions and techniques for success at work, with cash and in life.
