Living Situations.

Okay guys, I made a decision to possibly move out by myself or with my gf/ roomate. Just letting you know why I'm making this thread. This thread will have nothing to do with my personal life, it just got me thinking how all the other forumer's here live. Do you live with your parents, dorm at college, on your own, or with roomates? Are you homeless and sleep in a library? Let us know what you do and how you do it!

As of right now I think I live in such a stupid expensive area. I live right next to New York, it's a 15 minute drive away. Housing over here is stupid expensive. Basically, I am paying oh so much right now to live near a city that I go to maybe once or twice a year for Knicks games. Everything is more expensive in my area, EVERYTHING. Car insurance, rent, electricity, heat, etc.. Everything cost more. My job pays 8.75$ an hour so I'm struggling terribly to live comfortable here, and in order for me to make enough money I don't have much time for other things besides work. I made up my mind, and I want to move somewhere with cheaper housing and I don't mind any enviroment. I'm looking at places like Kansas, South and North Carolina, A whole bunch of those small midwest states. Just wondering how you guys live.

I moved out on my own at 18, then moved back home at 20 before moving out again at 21. Right now my mum and brother are staying at my house until they find somewhere else to live, it's pretty difficult but I couldn't just tell them to go live in a car or whatever. I spend a lot of money, I can't save for shit and once I decide I want something or if I'm going out I have no regard for money or expense at all. Sometimes it means struggling to pay the rent or whatever but I'm pretty much a live for the moment sort of person so I don't particularly care. The biggest price increase I've noticed since I first moved out is definitely groceries. I used to be able to live off like $30 a week (for food) 6 years ago, now I'm struggling with a food budget of $60 a week. Admittedly my spending habits cause problems there because like if I need new toothpaste and shampoo I'll usually end up coming out with a new toothbrush, body gel, deoderant, razors etc. That sort of thing really adds up. I'm just lucky I'm single at the moment, when I've got a girlfriend I basically find myself bordering on homeless because that's where all of my money goes.

Living with my wife in El Paso, TX. It's supposed to be a duplex, but it's really more of a small house, we have two floors and no neighbor living downstairs or upstairs. Makes a big fucking difference after living in apartments for so many years...
We moved a bunch of times in the last few years (Albuquerque, NM; Los Angeles, CA), but El Paso feels like home to me so we moved back here. LA was especially tough.
I've been living on my own since I was 17, was an exchange student in the US at 20 and left to the US for good when I was 23.

Guillaume, what country are you originally from??

And Jae, a girlfriend wouldn't make things easier? If I move together with my girlfriend (which I'm not to sure on doing.) We are basically gonna be roomates.

Also how much do you guys earn/ pay for rent? Do you pay for other things like internet, cell phone, cable, electricty, car insurance?

And Jae, a girlfriend wouldn't make things easier?

Hell fucking no. If I've got a girlfriend suddenly I'm spending all my money on going out with her, paying for her meals and whatever else, paying for transport, having to buy birthday/christmas/valentines day/easter etc presents. Then there's the "lets have a weekend away" which roughly translated means "I want to stay in a really nice hotel in the most expensive part of the state. Make this happen".

Also how much do you guys earn/ pay for rent? Do you pay for other things like internet, cell phone, cable, electricty, car insurance?

Rent $1,000 a month, internet $80, phone $90, electricity no idea, groceries $200-240. The rent is being split 3 ways at the moment which is helpful, I was struggling a bit before they moved in. It's increased from $680 p/m to $1,000 in a year and a half.

Guillaume, what country are you originally from??

I'm French. Been living in the US for about 6 years overall.

It's increased from $680 p/m to $1,000 in a year and a half.

The hell? Rent goes up for stupid reasons, but that much? Mine has gone up $25 in three years and now I'm at market rate so it won't go up for two years.

Sorry that was a typo, it was $780 to $1,000. I had a party and one of the neighbours complained to the body corporate, straight away I had an inspection then my rent was increased from $780 to $850. Then six months later it went from $850 to $944 and another six months after that $944 to $1,000. They say it's the standard rate for my area and the type of house I live in.

I'm at market rate so it won't go up for two years.

Same reason why my douchebag landlord can't raise the rent...for now.

And Jae, a girlfriend wouldn't make things easier? If I move together with my girlfriend (which I'm not to sure on doing.) We are basically gonna be roomates.

Dude...living with a g/f as a convenience is possibly the worst thing you could ever do. Random roommates are better because you dont end up hating each other by the end. There's no debate of friendship with random people so no give/take gets imbalanced with roomies.

Unless you are about to propose, like I was, then dont do it. Hell, dont do it unless you can pay for everything yourself anyway.


It's shitty to think about, but you really need to protect your own ass when you "go out into the world".

Doobie, if there's any advice that you need to take seriously in the history of your stay here in the forums, they are the ones posted above. I shite you not.

number of places i've lived that my parents werent involved in-3
Number of friends i had to live with-3
Number of friends i still have of those 3-1
(she was the girlfriend of my exroommate)
I'm serious if you have any hope of keeping this girl as a friend...until you're sure there's going to be a ring on that finger...dont live with her

I'm serious if you have any hope of keeping this girl as a friend...until you're sure there's going to be a ring on that finger...dont live with her

Agreed on this.
I Take words like that very seriously.

Hell fucking no. If I've got a girlfriend suddenly I'm spending all my money on going out with her, paying for her meals and whatever else, paying for transport, having to buy birthday/christmas/valentines day/easter etc presents. Then there's the "lets have a weekend away" which roughly translated means "I want to stay in a really nice hotel in the most expensive part of the state. Make this happen".

Epic fail.
Find a girl who doesn't require you to spend a lot of money on her!

I live at home, waiting til im out of uni to move out

Find a girl who doesn't require you to spend a lot of money on her!

I'm not gonna cruise Centrelink for chicks.

FInd a cougar. She might pay for your rent or something.

She'll do.

Right now still college dorm room (double-single) within a 4-person suite, although during the summer I lived with one of my bros in an off-campus apartment along with another girl and guy. Was pretty nice to live in an apartment and have a kitchen to cook and etc. Plus the guy who lived there owned a 60 something inch HDTV which made everything a bit better.

Find a girl who doesn't require you to spend a lot of money on her!

I'm not gonna cruise Centrelink for chicks.

I'm dead from this one lol

Then there's the "lets have a weekend away" which roughly translated means "I want to stay in a really nice hotel in the most expensive part of the state. Make this happen".

Can't be more true