Kind of a sticky situation I have here.
Currently, I am living with two of my friends in a not so desirable situation we're are all living rent free, but sharing utilities in the bottom half a duplex, in a bad part of the city. I have the largest room and have it set up as close to a studio apartment as I could. The entire apartment is only 5 rooms, roughly under 1000 feet total. We do not have a stove or washer and dryer so we resort to a few George Foreman Plug-IN Grills and going to a friends house to do laundry. It's generally a squater's paradise, if you wouldn't mind the neighborhood and the two other roommates living like animals and being uncleanly.
Now on the other hand: My girlfriend just moved into a nice house with 2000sf on two floors, with 2 full bathrooms and has energy efficient front loading washer & dryer, dishwasher and gas stove.
First Floor Has: Living room, Dining room, Sitting room, One of the full bathrooms, 3-season screened in porch, a large walk-in pantry and a large kitchen with appliances.
Second Floor Has: The second full bathroom with energy efficient front loading washer and dryer, and the 3 bedrooms with eaves for storage in each room.
I would be paying somewhere between 70-100 dollars weekly and share of utilities, but we would have so much space for our two Labrador Retrievers, big fenced in back yard and a completely re-done basement where I can have band practice whenever I wanted. She all ready has a roommate since it is a three bedroom house, but they are respectful human beings.
Would the trade off of paying rent for a safe, secure home with luxuries be justifiable instead of a free place where it is pretty uncomfortable.