Considering Housing Options: Save Money or Splurge?

[dimensionless]

I'm looking at housing options. I'm thinking, while I can afford to get a nice place, I could save around 20-30% on rent by getting a not so nice place. Even a not so nice place would still be better than any of the rooms I had during school.

I'm just mulling this over and considering how many times per month I'd be able to eat at Olive Garden if I go with a cheap place. I could also pour more money into retirement and get a nicer car.

 

[Danger]

Personally, I see no reason to pay for more accommodation than you need. If a fridge and stove are enough, then just get a basement room or something. Toss some padding on the floor, and you have a bed. If you plan to entertain guests, then you'll want to get some nice chairs and a table. Really, it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Just make sure that you don't go over your budget.

 

[Moonbear]

Indeed, the only thing important is that it's liveable for you. As Danger pointed out, you might want something different if it's just a place to hang your hat and fall asleep at the end of the day than if you plan to have a lot of people visiting where you need space to accommodate them comfortably.

The good thing about renting is you're never locked in for long...a year at the most. If you decide you can't stand the place, you can move again. Especially if you only plan to use the place as a stepping stone while saving up for a more permanent home, the less you pay and more you can save, the better.

 

[dimensionless]

If I pay more, then I get extra accommodation and that might make life more pleasant. For example, rooms that come with private bathrooms cost a bit more, but there will not be anyone trying to shower when you're trying to brush your teeth before going to bed.

 

[gravenewworld]

If you do decide to go with a crappy place just make sure you still have a decent landlord. Having to deal with plumbing, heating, water problems is a huge pain in the buttocks, especially if you have a deadbeat landlord.

 

[lisab]

Renting a room is less than ideal. I did it pretty much all the way through college, because it was the cheapest possible way to live.

I was certainly exposed to people whom I would not have associated with otherwise. Sometimes those people became close friends, almost like family. Sometimes, not so much.

In one situation, the family that owned the house had a 20-something-old son who had been in and out of hospitalization, due to schizophrenia. To make a long, sad story short, the son burned the house to the ground. Luckily no one was home at the time, but I was left destitute, along with the other four students that were renting rooms there.

It was a good way to live when I was in my late teens and twenties. Exposure to different lifestyles is good for someone that age. But I wouldn't do it again - I'm too set in my ways.

Wow...do you really like the Olive Garden that much ?