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You hit the nail on the head, but I'll add a few thoughts of my own. I'm 22 years old, I graduated with an engineering degree this may and started working 5 we

You hit the nail on the head, but I'll add a few thoughts of my own. I'm 22 years old, I graduated with an engineering degree this may and started working 5 weeks ago at a full-time job. The job required me to move out on my own. My girlfriend (of 5 years) and I decided to do it together so she moved as well and she's looking for a job. We pay all of our own bills. I have an older brother (26) who also has a technical degree and is full time employed, but both he and his girlfriend still live at home and are "planning" on moving out soon. Financially they are in a much better position. They make roughly comparable salaries as we do, but their expenses are basically only for health care, their cars, their cell phones, and any discretionary spending. The parents pay for a roof, food, utilities etc. They can save up their cash and are trying to move directly from living at home to buying their own place so they skip the renting waste of money (please don't get into that firestorm here, I've heard all the arguments, suffice to say they're saving money by not renting right now). In contrast, I'm paying absolutely everything. We have roughly $1800 a month in rent and bills that they don't have. It sure isn't as expensive as living in NYC but thats 22 grand a year that we're not putting in the bank that we would have if we could have found a job near home and lived with our parents. So financially, moving home after college makes a lot of sense. Especially if you have loans. If I were living at home I'd be putting that 22 grand a year into starting my own company instead of paying a landlord and some utility companies. On the other hand, we're getting an experience they're not. I go home and my brother is considering buying some fancy ass car, meanwhile my girlfriend and I are juggling bills and debt to make ends meet (that first month when you have to pay all your bills but haven't actually gotten a full months of pay SUCKS). It is nerve racking and I feel like we're "maturing" because of it. In the end will it pay off for us? I doubt it will financially but it might in other ways. But if you look at our friends, maybe 5 or 6 out of 20 that just graduated moved out and the rest went home. It is by far the norm to move home after college now. (Also your quote about the 20 year olds driving nuclear bombers struck me. I showed up for work (engineer at a military contracter) and suddenly I'm surrounded by a bunch of teenagers in uniform running all of the multi-million dollar weapon systems we make and I got a "they're just kids!" emotion that makes me feel really damn old. )

nkassis 16y ago
I've had both experiences. I worked full time from my sophomore year until now. I graduated last august and moved back to Canada with my wife. We can't afford anything right now so my dad was nice enough to let us live whit him. Before graduation I was able to pay everything plus the apartment with student loans and my job. Now that the loans need to be payed and my wife can't work for immigration reason language reason she is still in school. I don't feel bad about it, it's just the only solution at the moment. Loans are getting paid and our car will be paid soon so it's only a matter of time before were on our own again.
SkyMarshal 16y ago
>They can save up their cash and are trying to move directly from living at home to buying their own place so they skip the renting waste of money (please don't get into that firestorm here, I've heard all the arguments, suffice to say they're saving money by not renting right now). It's interesting that you feel the need to defend this, whereas in places outside the mainstream US culture, like Hawaii, it's the norm. Children are more likely to live at home through and after college until they've saved enough for a down payment on a home or apartment, and then move out. Financially it's smart, it keeps families together longer, parents get to bond with their children as young adults, share life lessons the kids may not have appreciated at an earlier age, and other good things. But for some reason it's all taboo in mainstream American culture.
- crystalis 16y ago
  He's not defending saving money by living in an owned house, he's deflecting discussions on buying instead of "throwing away" rent money.
  - krschultz 16y ago
    You're both right. Where I live, I probably wouldn't buy. The town is dependent on exactly three businesses for jobs. There are 30,000 jobs from those 3 businesses, but that is it. One company moving out (already threatened this year) or one canceled government contract (already threatened this year) and boom the housuing market is dead. I wouldn't tie myself in a house here for any reason, so I get there are reasons why renting is preferable. But renting also feels like such an incredible waste of money. Unfortunately, a lot of people who are anti-buying jump all over threads that even mention the conventional wisdom that buying is preferable to renting. Like everything in the real world, the answer is always "it depends". That said, I feel like there is a negative stigma attached to living at home after college for everyone except those in the 22-27 crowd. I know when I was 17 I thought, I wouldn't be caught dead living at home after college. Now that I'm staring the bills down, I totally get it. I'm sure a lot of older adults are saying "how can these kids still live at home, they're 24!", but the economics of it make a lot of sense, and if your parents aren't a hassle why not?

nkassis 16y ago

I've had both experiences. I worked full time from my sophomore year until now. I graduated last august and moved back to Canada with my wife. We can't afford anything right now so my dad was nice enough to let us live whit him. Before graduation I was able to pay everything plus the apartment with student loans and my job. Now that the loans need to be payed and my wife can't work for immigration reason language reason she is still in school. I don't feel bad about it, it's just the only solution at the moment. Loans are getting paid and our car will be paid soon so it's only a matter of time before were on our own again.

SkyMarshal 16y ago

>They can save up their cash and are trying to move directly from living at home to buying their own place so they skip the renting waste of money (please don't get into that firestorm here, I've heard all the arguments, suffice to say they're saving money by not renting right now). It's interesting that you feel the need to defend this, whereas in places outside the mainstream US culture, like Hawaii, it's the norm. Children are more likely to live at home through and after college until they've saved enough for a down payment on a home or apartment, and then move out. Financially it's smart, it keeps families together longer, parents get to bond with their children as young adults, share life lessons the kids may not have appreciated at an earlier age, and other good things. But for some reason it's all taboo in mainstream American culture.

crystalis 16y ago
He's not defending saving money by living in an owned house, he's deflecting discussions on buying instead of "throwing away" rent money.
- krschultz 16y ago
  You're both right. Where I live, I probably wouldn't buy. The town is dependent on exactly three businesses for jobs. There are 30,000 jobs from those 3 businesses, but that is it. One company moving out (already threatened this year) or one canceled government contract (already threatened this year) and boom the housuing market is dead. I wouldn't tie myself in a house here for any reason, so I get there are reasons why renting is preferable. But renting also feels like such an incredible waste of money. Unfortunately, a lot of people who are anti-buying jump all over threads that even mention the conventional wisdom that buying is preferable to renting. Like everything in the real world, the answer is always "it depends". That said, I feel like there is a negative stigma attached to living at home after college for everyone except those in the 22-27 crowd. I know when I was 17 I thought, I wouldn't be caught dead living at home after college. Now that I'm staring the bills down, I totally get it. I'm sure a lot of older adults are saying "how can these kids still live at home, they're 24!", but the economics of it make a lot of sense, and if your parents aren't a hassle why not?