Anyone feel like they're not "keeping up with the Jonses"?

I loved my campus housing, which was literally smack in the middle of the campus. Upperclassmen housing had a lot of people but also more bathrooms (usually shared among four people). I had some friends that went to NYU, though, and they were in these beautiful downtown apartments that none of us would be able to afford as adults, and I'm sure that was an astronomical room and board cost. I'm kind of glad my on-campus living was a bit more dorm-y.

All of our on campus apartments were built for the 1996 Olympics/Olympic village, so that was pretty cool, too.
 
Why didn't you live somewhere for $400 a month?

I explained my career related social growth in the next post I made. It would not have occurred in a study group.
Because I could "afford" not to. In hindsight it was not the smartest idea but I was young and suddenly had money coming in.
 
The thing is, for those of us who finished college a couple of decades ago, living "college-poor" was still fairly easily possible. Today, even "college-poor" rents are often so high that the changeover after graduation isn't moving out to someplace nicer, but taking over the portion of the rent that your parents were helping you with.

I'm dealing with that reality right now. I helped my DS find a low-cost off-campus place that he couldn't afford on a p/t minimum wage job, so we subsidized. He just graduated and is looking for full-time work. His campus was urban, and he lives nearby (he used a bicycle to commute). In his city, the vast majority of jobs are in more suburban locations, but there are very few bare-bones rentals in the suburbs, the suburban housing stock is larger and newer, with rents that are correspondingly high. If he gets work in the suburbs he will probably end up with a long commute, because the lowest rents out there are about double what his current place costs. (Also, his current place is tiny, which keeps utility costs down as well.) So, even staying put in his run-down, tiny college apartment, his rent is going to go way up, because we'll stop subsidizing it.

PS: To elaborate, his place is 338 sq.ft., off an alley at the back of the building. There is a coin-op w/d in a closet between the two sides of the building, but only 1 set for 10 units. He does have a microwave and a 2-burner stove, no garbage disposal. His furniture is hand-me-down or purchased used from a hotel liquidator. He has basic internet, a wall-mounted A/C unit which also produces heat, and a very narrow stall shower in the bathroom. There is no TV, and the building does not have amenities like a pool or a weight room; he hops on his bike and rides a mile to campus if he wants those. Street parking if you have a car. The rent, which includes all utilities/services other than internet and electric, is about $900/mo. He doesn't live with a roommate because he is on the autism spectrum, and he's never been able to find another male his age that he could deal with living with. He has learned to keep his food costs low, he eats a lot of ramen noodles, and he does not drink any alcohol, or even soft drinks; just water and sometimes milk.
 
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My recent college grads have a much higher standard of living than I did when I graduated in the early 80's. I just don't see it the same as most here seem to. I had roommates, hand me down furniture only, camping for vacation, no tv, etc. I didnt feel deprived, it was just normal when "just starting out." My kids are living the high life comparatively, but seem to he living the current norm amongst their peers.
 

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