Why Living With Your Parents in Your 20s Really Isn’t So Bad

While we are in our twenties, living with our parents is probably not our first choice. We’re feeling independent and some of us might have already lived on our own before. We want to keep moving forward and we certainly don’t want to feel like we’re going backwards. We’re finding our own way through life and we want to do it by our own rules.

Unfortunately, getting a good job right after college can be difficult and sometimes the best financial option is to move back home with the parents. This is what I did and I am happy with my decision.

I know not everyone has the luxury of the option to move back home and I consider it a privilege to live with my parents while figuring out what is in store for my future.

Here are some awesome perks that I find amazing about living with your parents:

You save money.

This is the obvious one, of course. When you don’t have to pay rent, you can save up money to move out to a place of your own. Rent is expensive and going rent-free for awhile is one of the most outstanding reasons to live at home, unless of course, your parents make you pay rent (which they are totally entitled to ask for). In which case, let’s move on to the second reason.

You get “free meals.”

Not only do you get free, home-cooked meals from your parents, but you don’t have to make it. There is something so beautiful about coming home to the smell of food cooking and knowing that you aren’t the one who has to slave away in the kitchen. That was one of my least favorite things about moving out for college, because I am not a good cook. Cooking is time-consuming and for me, disastrous.

You have time.

While I am job hunting, I feel really grateful that I have my parents’ place to crash at, because it gives me some much needed time to find a job that I want. When we are desperate to live on our own, we’ll accept almost any job that comes our way to make ends meet. While I make sure to be realistic while job hunting, I also want to make sure that I apply to the ones that require my experience. Finding the right fit can take some time. It can also take time to save up when you do land the job.

You get quality time with your parents.

Some people might not like their parents as much as I do, but I love spending time with my family. Whether it’s watching Gilmore Girls with my mom or taking walks with my dad, it’s fun spending quality time that I know I won’t have with them as much when I move away.

Not only are they great to hang out with, but they provide wisdom and knowledge about stuff that we probably don’t have yet. For example, my dad is always sure to remind me about taking my car in for an oil change. They are there to support you and hold you accountable to make better decisions.

You get quality time with hometown friends.

If your parents are still living where you grew up, chances are you have at least a few hometown friends that are still around too. Moving away means getting a fresh start, but it also typically means leaving amazing friends behind. Sure you might have hit up the cool local spots a mundane amount of times, but with good friends, it’s always a good time.

You get free cable and wifi.

I never thought about how awesome free cable was until I was on my own and paying for half of the bills. It’s not cheap, but wifi is such a necessity. Can you imagine going without Netflix? The struggle would be so real.

Basically unlimited groceries.

I still look at the fully stocked fridge and think, “there’s nothing to eat” so not much has changed. But, it’s nice to know that there are grocery runs each week and all I have to do is write what I want on a list. And boom, the magic grocery fairies have refilled the refrigerator.

You have more space.

I couldn’t afford to live in a place with as much space as my parents house. And here I have my own room and bathroom that I don’t have to share. Having had to share both in the past, I find that it is way underrated. I can take up as much space in the bathroom with all the hair products I want without any complaints and that is awesome, my friends.

So while it may not be our first choice to live with our parents, because we want our own space and to live by our own rules, let’s remind ourselves that we’ll get there eventually and in the meantime, it really isn’t half bad.

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