<prompt> Human: Hey PF,Ive been mentally and physically drained by my living situation for several months, and I really need to find a way to move out. I am 27 years old and currently live with my 83 year old grandmother. I am living with her rent-free, but am paying the price in other ways: I have a two hour commute to work each way so four hours a day total between car and train. I have also fallen into depression from living in a small room in a dark house filled with cigarette smoke she smokes with no privacy and constant criticism from my grandmother. Between the stress of the commute and the lack of peace at home, I had reached my breaking point several months ago, and have been trying to find ways out of my current living situation.Unfortunately, it seems like many of my efforts to move out have been blocked by one force or another. Most of my friends are married or engaged, or are not looking to move right now, which leaves me with the option of finding a roommate or renting a studio. Last November, I found a two-bedroom apartment with another girl off of Craigslist, but I was in a bad car accident four days before I was supposed to sign the lease, and had to pull out of the deal so that I could recover from some injuries and plan for the expense of buying a new car. I started looking for places again in February, and have met with several potential roommates since then, ALL of whom were too crazy or weird to actually consider living with I have stories, but thats another post.Since my efforts to find a roommate havent yielded any results, I would really like to afford to rent a studio on a monthly basis. However, the least expensive studios Ive seen in this area run for 1,100month this is Westchester, NY, so rent prices run about the same as the NYC boroughs outside of Manhattan. I was hoping to find a cheap studio for around 800 but these seem impossible to come by. If you can help me to put my budget into perspective and offer any feedback or suggestions on whatever I need to do in order to support myself, I would be really grateful!Heres a rundown:Annual salary before taxes: 44,300Monthly income after taxes: 2,680month Current expenses per month: 1,724Student Loans: 550 Chipping away at 80K of student loans for MA BA degrees. I wish I had more financial smarts when I took out my student loans but its too late for that now so I have to repair the damage.Car Payment: 114Car Insurance: 70 420 every six months, but I set it aside monthlyGas: 290 This is what I am currently paying, but Im hoping that by moving an hours drive south, I can cut my gas expenditure down to about 100monthGym Membership: 100 I can justify this because its a highly discounted Crossfit membership, I go 4-5 times a week and it is a huge part of my social life FoodEntertainmentPurchases: 500Monthly Savings: 100This leaves me with about 950month to spend on rent, utilities, and any other expenses I may incur along the line.SavingsSavings Account: 6,000 Amount saved since my accident in November, which left me broke. I figure I should always plan to save 3K for an Emergency Fund. 2500 will go into a deposit for the apartment, leaving me with a 500 buffer for any other expensesOther financial matters to consider:Retirement: I am extremely lucky in that my employer contributes into a 401a for me 17.5 of my salary is 7,752 - this is what they put into my 401a in addition to paying me my salary, and I do not have to contribute anything unless I elect to do so. Train Pass: Currently free because my dad works for Metro North. I will have to pay whenever they stop taking my train pass, which could be at any time. This would leave me with a new expense of 250month. Train Parking: Currently free because I park at the gym next to the train station. If I left the gym, I would have to pay for parking, about 80month.Phone: Thankfully paid for by mom at the moment since we share a plan, and I will take over paying for it when contract ends next year. Im not sure how much it will be, but I dont plan on spending more than 100month.Thanks so much for your suggestions and advice, Reddit!TL;DR - I need to move out and find a way to stretch my budget so I can afford to rent a small studio.  <response>: How does food and entertainment cost you 500 a month? You need to cut that down. 