I liked my new apartment, except the landmine I tripped on.

My bedroom overlooked the street, right off the highway into the roundabout. And every day, independent of when I went to sleep, I would wake up around 5 or 6 AM. I was getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep most days.

2 weeks in, I had had enough. I tried earplugs, and a white noise machine. Yet I could still hear the street, haunting me, taunting me.

Luckily, I found out the lease had a 30-day “satisfaction guarantee.” I could move out within the first 30 days, and I would only have to pay the 1 month of rent.

Hard choices, easy life. Though it required lots of time and effort in the moment, to improve my future sleep, I frantically searched for a quieter unit.¹ Though my new unit costs noticeably more per month, I have stayed in budget and bettered my sleep.