Please help experienced: With my current income, does it sound smart to rent a room with some housemates?

[♥]

I'm 25 years old & due to the economy I've never been able to live away from home. My parents are strict & it sucks at times. I've been here 25 years & getting sick and tired of them judging & worrying about what I'm up to.when I'm out. If I am out past 11pm, my parents criticize me. They judge who I hang out with, who I date & what I post on my facebook. I am quite responsible, don't go to parties every weekend or drink often. I attended local community college & I am a dental assistant working 36 hours a week. My income after taxes is $1,600 a month. Like most people, I do have a couple monthly bills. I'm looking into finding a place closer to work (about 40 minutes from my parents house). Unfortunately, with high rent prices around here it would be downright stupid to rent something in the $700-850 range (typical for a studio or 1 bed). After groceries, gas & other living expenses I'd have NO room for emergencies Etc. SO I'm looking into renting a room with a few housemates.. Is this a good or bad idea? The rent would be around $450-550 (one I'm interested in is $550 including ALL utilities + cable tv). This way I would be able to squirrel away at least some money & not deplete EVERYTHING in order to have freedom/privacy etc. Input? Thoughts? I know there could be some annoyances with renting a room..but for my sanity & freedom it could be worth it? THANK YOU for input! :o)

[Fred F]

Before you make any perminate move- try it out to see how it all works out.

Some people can live together very well- others can't. You never know for sure.

[Brandon Millard]

Do it! Worst case you move back home! Freedom is worth pb&j sandwiches for dinner every night

[Rachel]

Go for it. The general budgeting guideline is to not spend over 1/3 of your take-home pay on housing. So, in your case, don't rent anything over roughly $530 or so per month (give or take a few bucks, of course). I've lived both alone and with roommates and there are pros and cons to each. Living alone is nice, but it costs so much more money. I'd go for the apartment; just make sure they're people who are responsible and that you can live with for at least a year.

[sophieb]

for your income you could rent "here" a room for $300-450 (for each 2 people renting a condo), but believe me, it's nicer to be around parents. See, the idea is to earn more money. Figure out a way to do that.