Where to live?

From the comfortable living of back home with the family to being shoved out into the real world with bills and rent can be quite the shock on the wallet. Most of us never realize just how expensive it is to live, even when living very frugally.

The easiest way to save money is to not live on campus if possible.

According to their website, at the University of Notre Dame, housing costs $10,604.00 for the "single room" (you live in one room alone) with meal plan of 14 meals per week plus $330.00 per semester. This works out to an average of $1214.88 a month for 9 months.


And this is your room:


Cozy, ain't it?

The difference between a 1 bedroom on and off campus are huge. Keep in mind that a 1 bedroom off-campus also comes with a kitchen, private bathroom, and usually a living and/or dining room.

According to collegeprowler.com, the average rent per month is about $525 for a 1 bedroom near campus. That leaves between 600-700 dollars a month extra for food, utilities, and misc. expenses.

Lets say, theoretically, your utilities are about $200 a month for internet, water, trash, gas, electric, tv, etc. That is a pretty high number for the average student, especially considering most apartment complexes that cater to college students often include one or two utilities in the cost of the rent. That still leaves 400-500 bucks a month for food and whatever else you want.

I don't know about you, but I could eat like a queen for 400 bucks a month.


Some say they worry about being isolated when living off campus... but it really isn't that bad. You still meet many people from your different classes, and the older you are, the more likely those students will also be living off campus. You also will have many more freedoms and much more privacy living off campus.