Sunday, December 4, 2011

To move or not to move?

I'm trying to decide if I should move out this next semester. I have two options right now, an apartment in my brothers ward which is about $310/month and an apartment much closer to campus, in a ward where I know no one which is $240/month. Kind of a big price difference. But living in Dan's ward would be so fun! I could hang out with him all the time. But $70 is a lot. Here are the pros and cons of moving out/living at home:

Pros:
  • Living in an apartment is so much more social than living at home
  • I'll meet a bunch more people
  • I'll go on dates a lot more (I'm still debating weather I feel this is a pro or a con...)
  • I'm much closer to campus, making it easier to study on campus and make it to reviews, study groups, etc. 
  • It will force me to be social (since I haven't been willing to make much of an effort lately)
  • I'll learn better how to take care of myself and become a little more independent
  • I exercise much more consistently when I am not living at home
  • I think it would really help me figure out myself a little more.
Cons:
  • It costs a lot of money (living at home is free)
  • I feel much more out of the loop when I'm not living at home--my relationship with my younger sisters is definitely not as strong when I'm not at home
  • I don't talk to my family, especially my parents, as much
  • I'm super scared about moving into an apartment with complete strangers in a ward where I know no one. 
  • I don't have access to a car (this isn't such a big deal, only when I have clinical at 6 in the morning)
  • When I lived away from home last winter I had a super emotional semester. A lot of it had to do with relationships, but I think a lot of it had to do with me being so self-conscious all the time, so unsure of myself, and so worried what people thought of me. All the time. So, being forced to be social is both a pro and a con. I feel like I've learned a lot more about myself, become a lot more comfortable with who I am, so hopefully it wouldn't be such a difficult experience. 
  • I would have to buy my own food and cook for myself=much less healthy food, even more money I would have to spend, and having to manage my time so I actually eat meals.
  • I'll be spending money that I would be saving up for my mission. 
Anyway, I'm still deciding. I keep wanting to move out but then I get scared.  And logically, living at home makes much more sense. I don't know, I'll keep thinking. What do you think? Any suggestions?

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