1) Get a Roommate

When I was 22, I bought my first home after I graduated from college. I thought that buying a home right away was the smartest thing I could do with the money I had saved up. I quickly realized that I completely underestimated the cost of true home ownership. Almost immediately, the home needed repairs and the bills started to pile up.

My quick solution: Get a roommate .

With a new roommate, I calculated that I’d be able to pull in an extra $400/month. This would help me pay my bills and alleviate some of the stress that came from home ownership.

When it was all said and done, this was one of the best home ownership decisions I ever made. Not only did getting a roommate help monetarily, my first roommate is one of my best friends today. We had a blast living together. We would go out on the town, be each other’s wingman and make some great memories.

Today, I am still close friends with the majority of the 11 roommates (just counted that in my head – wow, that’s a lot of people!) that lived with me over those 5 years.

My new roommates today, Zoey (4) and Calvin (2), don’t pay any rent … freeloaders!

Freeloading Roommates in 2017

How do I find a roommate?

Here are a few top ranked roommate resources to consider:

Craigslist: Free and familiar if you use it for its thousand other services. Go with your gut though. If the new roommate you’re considering seems unreliable, then they probably are. Do your vetting and you’ll meet some great potential roommates on Craigslist. I did.

Roommates. com: This was my favorite service bar none. This service helped me get some life long friends. There is a monthly fee, but it’s definitely worth it.

Roomie Match: This one is a newer service that helps weed out the spam accounts that sometimes appear on Craigslist.

DC here. While our roommate has a separate space and separate entrance so technically is a renter and we are their landlord, we have found success simply by posting on Facebook to our friends that we are looking for someone to rent from us. This works just as well for roommates and you may be surprised who responds.

I also second Andy’s suggestion of Craigslist. My sister has found roommates on Craigslist and some have become her best friends!