Erin Willis is a senior journalism major from Ropesville, Texas, who moved out of her childhood home to Lubbock in October. She lives with two roommates in a three-bedroom house that is owned by one of her roommate’s grandparents.
Willis said that she drove around 30 minutes every day to get to school at Texas Tech University when she still lived with her parents. This is one of the reasons she decided to move.
“I got my car paid off, and then I decided that it would be beneficial because living in Ropes, driving 30 miles there and back every day, was kind of a waste of gas,” Willis said. “I was 21, you’re kind of ready to get out from under your parents wing at that point”.
Moving out of your parents’ house for the first time is both exciting and terrifying. Having the freedom to do what you wish is great. Having no money to do anything with said freedom is not great.
Willis went on to explain some of the perks of living on your own. She said that the freedom of not having a curfew and being able to have “get togethers” whenever is very nice. She also said that she enjoys getting to cook and take care of her own house.
Willis also said that she enjoys having roommates, even if they do take advantage of her compulsive cleaning.
“Living with roommates is cool, especially since we’re all the same age, we’ve all been to school or are going to school, so we all kind of know what everybody is going through,” Willis said. “We all cook, we all clean, we all pay bills equally, so it all works out very nicely. My roommates are great!”
Tyrel Ferguson, one of Willis’s roommates, has also enjoyed moving out from under his parents’ roof. He agreed that having roommates is fun, but he still misses his parents.
“My mom and dad can’t tuck me into bed and say, ‘Good night, sweetie!’” Ferguson said. “Also, I have to cook every day. My mom always cooked for me, so that’s been hard. And also, I have bills now.”
Bills were the one negative aspect that both roommates agreed on. Willis said that bills and rent adds up quickly, leaving little money to have fun with.
“You have to grow up really quick,” Willis said. “Save your money, budget your money. Learn how to take care of yourself.”
Even though she really enjoys her new living situation, Willis is glad that she waited to move out of her parents’ house.
She said that she thinks living at home longer helped her to become a better student, since there was someone there reminding her to study. She also said that it helped her to save up money and learn how to budget.
“If I had moved out at 18, I was younger, I wouldn’t have made smart decisions, you know, I was more apt to fail,” Willis said.
Ferguson said that he is very happy to be living in their new home, where he thinks everyone will grow to become great adults.
“I feel like you have more room to grow in your own home. It’s definitely more home-y.”
About Sarah Self-Walbrick
