By: Serach Nissim

Two women have figured out a way to share a small Manhattan studio apartment –without having to ever cohabitate.

As reported by the NY Post, Daisy Okas and her roommate have been sharing the same Murray Hill studio since January and sharing the total rent of $3,500 per month. They have worked out a system, however, so that they each stay in the apartment on different nights of the month and never at the same time, said Okas, 51. Last year, Okas accepted a marketing job at a Midtown East financial services company which required her to be in the office three work days a week. The problem was that the commute was too far from her as she was living with her boyfriend in Danbury, Conn. Rental prices in Manhattan are too high for her to splurge on a place of her own, and the idea of dragging a suitcase to different hotels each time didn’t appeal to her either.

Lucky for her, she found an acquaintance who only wanted to stay in Manhattan up to 10 nights a month — nights which Okas wouldn’t be there. So, together they rented a fourth-floor walkup apartment, each paying $1,750 a month, plus shared utilities.

Okas stays in the apartment Monday and Tuesday nights weekly and her roomie, 50, who asked not to be named publicly, stays at the pad every other Wednesday through Sunday nights, as per the Post. “We have a calendar on the wall, but she is very predictable so there haven’t been any surprises,” Okas said. “She has the times arranged for her ex-husband to be with the kids so it’s set in stone.” On “off-days”, when not in Manhattan, Okas’ roommate goes back to her Westchester home, where her three children reside.

The apartment they rented came fully furnished with plenty of closet space. The only thing missing was a dining table. Okas purchased a small table and one chair, pots and pans to share, a few plants and an electric tea kettle. The roommate brought in a coffee maker and a video game console, which Okas says she doesn’t use. They each use their own sheets and towels, they each have their own closet space to keep their clothing and belongings in the apartment, and each do their own laundry. The roommates do share some simple staples like toilet paper and paper towels, as well as perishables such as eggs, butter and yogurt. “It’s not my home,” Okas told the Post. “It’s like a hotel room. I just like to have a place to keep the basics — work clothes, toiletries.”

It works for them and they are each responsible to clean up after their stays. Each woman strips her bed sheets, tidies up and refills necessities, to make it easier for her in-coming roommate. “We both live here but we never concurrently overlap,” Okas said.