By Pierson VanGorp
Living at home compared to getting a dorm or apartment in college is not very common nowadays, but many Grand Rapids Community College students, including myself, can relate. Many GRCC students decide to go to college to save costs for the future, which includes deciding to live at home compared to getting an apartment.
Leutrim Sahitolli, a 19-year-old Business major at GRCC, agrees there are many benefits to living at home compared to an apartment or dorm.
“As much as I’d like freedom, I don’t mind living with my family at all,” Sahitolli said. “I love my family and it is always great to be around them.”
As Sahitolli mentioned, one benefit of living at home is continuing to connect with your family and learn how they live before moving out on your own. There are other benefits as well, like saving money, getting a nice meal cooked for you, the satisfaction of helping your parents and the cozy feeling of being at home.
Ervin Musinovic, a 22-year-old business major at GRCC, noted that one of the main reasons he still lives at home is to help out his parents.
“Honestly, I still enjoy living at home just so I’m able to take care of my parents and make sure they’re always doing well,” Musinovic said. “I love putting a smile on their faces and checking in on them as much as possible. They treated me with so much care throughout my childhood so the least I could do is return the favor in the final years of living with them.”
Not only does helping your family out feel rewarding, but those who live at home can save money and have more to spend on items that aren’t groceries or rent.
“I enjoy living at home because my family and I have great chemistry and they have taught me to be smart with my money,” Sahitolli said. “I am not bound by any bills or payments outside of college, allowing me to save money for the future.”
Musinovic agrees with Sahitolli and also mentions he has purchased some items he might not have been able to if he lived away from home.
“Living at home has allowed me to be intelligent with my money but also spend it on things that I truly wanted,” Musinovic said. “I recently bought one of my dream cars with some of the money I saved up and I definitely would not have been able to do that if I hadn’t lived with my family. Now I’m on the cycle of saving my money up so I can buy my family and I a trip to Paris.”
According to Point2homes’s recent data from July of 2023, the average apartment rent per month in Grand Rapids is $1,437. The trend line shows that rent is slightly increasing per month as it was under $1,200 as of January 2021. Fortunately, the average rent price in Grand Rapids is slightly under the average apartment rent in the United States.
Mohamed Tamour, a 19-year-old student-athlete for GRCC soccer, lives by himself in an apartment. He notes that paying bills on his own is tough but likes the responsibility it entails.
“Of course, it is the bills and expenses I have to pay for which allows me to be more mature and responsible,” Tamour said. “It is hard when you are alone (like myself) and only got yourself so nobody is coming to save you and you have to learn to be responsible and think ahead in every situation.”
The data from Point2homes also shows that the cheapest apartments in the area rented by about 15 percent of the population start at $700- $1,000 per month. Likewise, a majority of the people in Grand Rapids are paying in the range of $1,000- $1,500 per month.
Nearly 50% of the renter-occupied apartments in Grand Rapids are in the age range of 15-34 years which is the common age of a GRCC student. About 60% of the people renting apartments in Grand Rapids are non-family households, which means they are either living on their own or with other roommates.
Tamour acknowledges that living without a family figure can be tough but there are positives and negatives to his situation.
“There is a good and bad side to living by myself,” Tamour said. “I feel more independent but sometimes I feel lonely wishing I had a family member to be there with me. However, I’m used to being alone so don’t mind it.”
According to the data, 84% of renter-occupied housing units are accompanied by someone who has earned their high school graduation or is in the process of earning their bachelor’s degree.
Another aspect that can add on to people’s monthly bills is groceries. Tamour noted that it is one of the most expensive things he has to pay for.
“The price of groceries depends on each month and what I’m craving but I don’t cook a lot so it costs a lot of money,” Tamour said. “I can’t put an exact number on how much it costs but it does cost a lot which makes me have an allowance for groceries every month.”
With living alone, there can be many benefits compared to living with your family. One of those is privacy while also being more independent as an adult.
Tamour says that he is familiar with being on his own and enjoys privacy throughout his day.
“I am happy about living on my own and I also know how to live on my own and survive,” Tamour said. “I’ve been on my own since I was 10 and I had a foster family to take care of me during part of that process but I also went through all the phases of being alone. I like to have my own time and have privacy which allows me to focus on my school work while training as an athlete at GRCC.”
Not only does living on your own allow for more privacy, but you can have visitors on your own time without having to get permission from family members.
Both Tamour and Sahitolli say they wouldn’t change where they live and the qualities of how they live.
“I wouldn’t change the situation I’m in at the moment because I’m used to being independent and I believe it sets me up to be successful in the future,” Tamour said. “Obviously, I miss my family but there is a point in a person’s life where they have to survive on their own.”
Sahitolli believes that living at home is one of the smartest decisions he’s made and would do it over again if he had to.
“I’m okay with living at home for as long as I have,” Sahitolli said. “I don’t regret making this decision and if I had to I’d do it again. I enjoy being around my family and friends for essentially free which allows me to be smart with my money and helps me prepare for a day when I do have to live on my own.”
