<prompt> Human: Hello PF Community!Im at a major cross roads in life at the moment at could use the advice of this group. The gist of things are that Ill be taking a job after I graduate in May at a company close enough for me to continue to live with my father but the commute might be a headache.My relationship with my father is great, we get along and coexist in the same household very well. With my career path figured out, my father has been trying to convince me that living at home would provide me a financial leg-up and allow me to achieve my FIRE goals much earlier. Ive run the numbers in a spreadsheet here and would appreciate any insight from those of you that are much more experienced with me.Heres a general overview of my situation. Age 22 Male Graduating in May 2018 w a degree in mechanical engineering Ive been living at home throughout college allowing me to graduate with zero student loan debt My car, a 2010 Subaru Impreza, is paid off, in good condition, and under extended warranty. It gets 25mpg on average. Job offer at large semiconductor firm in the Portland Oregon area, 65000yr, 28 miles from home The commute from my Fathers house ranges from 35 minutes w no traffic to 1.5-2 hours w Heavy Traffic. Ive been interning at this company for the last year. I generally like to leave the house around 5:15 and show up to work by 6:00am. This allows me to leave work by 2:30pm and beat traffic. This wont always happen as Ill sometimes have to stay later in order to make deadlines.My ThoughtsAt this point, considering the financial advantage I have to gain by living at home a few years after I graduate appears tremendous. Im hoping to eventually purchase a multi-family property so that I can rent out the other units and drastically reduce my rent. Some people call this house hacking. The issue is the homes around here are ridiculously expensive 300-500k for a duplex, 500-800k for a triplex, and 1million for a quad meaning that it would take me a while to save for a downpayment even with an FHA loan.FIRE is one of my primary goals and living at home would allow me to max out my 401k, Roth IRA, Employer HSA, and Employer ESPP. My plan would be to to use the money Id make from cashing out the ESPP as my downpayment fund. I think the expenses I listed in the linked spreadsheet are accurateconservative however the commuting costs have me worried. Ill likely be able to shift my work schedule to avoid traffic and I may even be able to swing telecommuting once or twice a week however if I follow the IRS recommendation of 0.54 per mile I should be saving 600 a month for car maintenance alone! That number sounds ridiculous to me, somebody please explain to me why the 300month I have budgeted is only half the recommended value.Alternative - Renting An ApartmentDue to the apparent high costs of commuting I wrote up a second possible budget under the assumption that I rent an apartment close to work. I know the price listed is expensive 1700month but I would find a roommate and its the only apartment complex that fits the bill for what I want. Im a generally frugal guy but my home is one thing that I hope to never have to compromise on.To be honest, this living situation is preferable over living at home. Its 3 miles from work and surrounded by restaurants, shops, and bars. However it goes against the grain of my FIRE instinct. Living here I would only be able to manage making the minimum employer match to my 401k while still maximizing my ESPP, ROTH, and HSA. Id like to live this close to work, especially in the hip district that the apartment is in but Im afraid these short term pleasures might significantly push back my FIRE date. Please let me know your thoughts.  <response>: Find a nice small apartment and start living your life!. Honestly sounds like you are smart good with your money and headed in the right direction. 