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I left home early, at age 17 and have been on my own since. I learned very early that living with friends and others was certainly not what movies and tv show it to be, and by age 20, I’d adopted a no roommate policy that lasted until I was married. I was criticized for it all through college, ie: “You’re wasting your money living alone and paying for rent on a place that you’re never at,” but I never gave in and this policy extended to girlfriends - who always wanted to live together, but I refused saying “Sorry. If you want to live together, we need to get married.” Needless to say, I actually lost girlfriends because of this policy, but I didn’t care. I was a bachelor and there was no need to be experiencing the benefits of being married with anyone who didn’t want to marry me. Cohabitating and sharing your expenses, idiosyncrasies, personal space, and lives are benefits to being married and are not to be “given out” or “leased” to just anybody. Especially someone who “needs” that kind of first hand info to decide if you’re worth marrying or not. Same goes for roommates; you share more than you realize, and real life living situations are not like those darlings in Miami, the Golden Girls. 1) the real world is not an episode of Friends or The Big Bang Theory. People can be: nasty, evil, and straight up dangerous; male or female. Your home is your sanctuary and saving money, etc, is not worth compromising your safety, your wits, and your health. It’s just not worth it and can cost you more than an apartment if you’re not careful. For example: Courts ain’t cheap! And neither are lawyers. 2) choose a home you can afford and suits your needs. Not a place you can’t afford and is selected simply to impress others. Start small and grow. 3) trust nobody/don’t hold anything past anyone. Even in my home: over the years, movies, books, and even jewelry were stolen from me, by so called FRIENDS. The show is interesting and validates my stance on allowing strangers to enter your world via your home’s front door. It also goes with what I’ve been saying for almost 2 decades now: “Craigslist is a haven for creeps.”