<prompt> Human: Im a low 30s IT guy making about 45K, I have about 10K in debt remaining right now mostly due to a sudden breakup and having to find a place asap. I live in the center part of my city major metro in Texas which is fairly expensive and have a decent commute to work around 30 minutes. My lease will be up in a few more months and I am debating moving close to work... I understand that this is likely a better financial choice as the area around work is cheaper and I would have a shorter commute AND I would save on vehicle costs... but the counter issue is that I go out at least 4 nights a week into town to go to bars, have dates, hang out with friends, etc... I would have to drive much further to get to these places if I moved close to work as it is mostly an industrial sector and suburbs. I feel like I would pretty much break even on my commute time because of this. Does anyone have any advice on this? Also, either way, would I be foolish to start looking at a house? I would definitely not have the 20 to put down though anytime soon.  <response>: The biggest thing I can offer is that typically traffic and travel times are the worst for the work commute. I live in Houston, and my wife works downtown, some days her drive might end up being over 60 minutes, most 30-40. However if we make the same drive on a Saturday night, it is 18-20 minutes.Id live close to work, or split the difference. 