whoreticultureIs it better to rent a cheap/shitty place, or rent something suitable that you struggle to afford?
My situation:
current place: ($1530) -1:15 drive from work
- small building, linear studio apartment shape, maybe 30x9 feet? small kitchen/bath
- rural, 20 min drive from city, hour walk to nearest town
- finished interior, but mice/rat problem
- landlord kinda weirdly tracking my movements, she doesn’t want me working from home too many ways a week
cheaper place: ($600) -50 min from work -standalone MIL in a shared house, bath/kitchen in main house, 9x9 feet
- more suburban, roads might be too dangerous to be walkable but if not, maybe 15 min walk to town -unfinished interior… no idea if there is a mice/rat problem but the kitchen area is separate.
- got along well with potential housemates
I make $3780/mo after taxes, budget now feels tight, but not sure if the extra $1000 a month would be worth a smaller/unfinished space. I feel it might be worth it because I could save/invest extra money, or use extra money to make the rental nicer.
Sharing bathroom and kitchen can be a hassle, but it’s much easier now than later (if you ever decide to start a family.)