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" As the due date for our housing deposit neared, I had more and more pressure to make a decision. This decision wasn&amp;#039;t just me being torn between two things I really wanted; it came down to a lot of math, and thorough thinking through. Did I want the responsibility of renting my own house off campus next year? Do I want to trade in living in a dorm\u2014where all the utilities are taken care of and I have unlimited access to a buffet dining hall\u2014for having to pay monthly rent, utilities, groceries, and other expenses? Typing that all out is scary, and that&amp;#039;s the exact argument my mom and grandma used to try and sway my decision. However, I&amp;#039;ve figured out through MUCH thought that getting an off campus apartment will actually be more beneficial to me. The idea started when my roommate thought she was transferring schools, and my two coworkers were looking for another roommate. We searched and searched and finally found a house right for us as far as we&amp;#039;re financially concerned. Heat is even included in the rent, so we have one less thing we have to worry about! How am I going to afford all of this? After talking to my financial aid advisor, and learning that my aid wouldn&amp;#039;t change just because I wasn&amp;#039;t dorming, I realized my refund check will be a very generous amount. Our refund checks are sent out at the beginning of each semester, so the money from there will be a huge help with my rent. Plus, I work 30 hours every week\u2014close to double that in the summer when I have two jobs\u2014so with a little money-management and saving, I should be just fine. My future roommates and I have also discussed certain things we&amp;#039;re going to do to help us save money on utilities and groceries. We&amp;#039;ve figured out our furniture situation, and our move in date is set for June 1! I&amp;#039;m super excited to gain even more independence and responsibility\u2014not to mention how excited I am to finally live with my cat again! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/school/advice/a20454/afford-living-off-campus/>