Hi lexy99,

You’re not alone out there, I’m 27 and am still living at home while in the process of finishing my bachelors degree. Not an ideal situation for me, I unfortunately didn’t take school seriously when I was younger and I’m having to make up for lost time now, and with the added bonus of having to sacrifice any semblance of what used to be my social life along with it. I’ve had several opportunities to move out but had I taken any one of them I would be right back where I am now and it didn’t make sense to me to take that jump not being a hundred percent sure about not having to move back. Long story short I worked for a government subcontractor and was laid off around the time of the US government shutdown a few years ago and while I was eventually offered the job back after the next contract negotiation was over I didn’t want to be stuck in that cycle of uncertainty any longer so I decided to finally finish my degree instead. I get it though, I had a lot of those same fears that you listed when I came close to signing a one year lease. I was even in an ideal situation where a friend of mine who I also worked with was in the same position as me – mid 20ies and still at home – and we got along really well and were really excited about getting a place together. Ultimately I ended up deciding not to sign the lease because I was scared of the uncertainty of my job (we were listed as temps for our first year until the new contracts were signed – a cute way of them being able to let us go and then hire us back so they didn’t have to fork over benefits without all the extra red tape) which proved to be a legitimate concern as everybody on my team was let go what would have been 7 months into the lease.

I’m a terrible obesser/worrier as well – especially in regards to money – and when it comes to having to support yourself that can be daunting. It can also be really empowering as well and I think you will find when you settle into a routine and budget and realize you can do it – you will overcome those fears and be stronger for it. I love my family, I really do, I have awesome parents and I’m glad to be able to spend more time with them that other children probably won’t get because in the end family is more important than any job or position. Even with acknowledging all of that and realizing it wouldn’t be possible for me to do this without their help – I don’t want to be here deep down and it sucks being stuck in this situation even though I know it’s a blessing and I should be grateful. In regards to your worries have you thought about maybe trying to get a roommate? That would help with both the financial and loneliness aspects. If you’re not comfortable with that getting a pet can be a huge help to feeling lonely in a new place. I guess the homesick aspect never factored in for me because the place I was going to move to was no more than 15 minutes away from my parent’s house but you can make time to hang out with them on a weekly basis. I’m no finance guru by any means but remeber that you are in an advantageous situation, you don’t have to take the first half-decent apartment that comes along. I would recommend using that stability in having a place to stay to the fullest and take your time finding the best place and situation possible. I think renting is a much better idea to start as it’s good practice without as much of a risk and situations can change greatly from year to year – is there a reason you wanted to buy a house right now other than not being tied into a lease? Depending on where you live it could be cheaper to buy a home but I would wait to do so if you aren’t absolutely sure where you are is where you want to be for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, I hope things work out for you and know that you are definitely not in that situation alone.

Best wishes