Verdict: Rent (for now. I think.)

So I had another talk with the BF about potentially buying a place together. I told him I didn’t think I was financially ready to buy. I don’t have my EF set up, and I also don’t have a down payment available since my parents pretty much told me flat out they couldn’t loan me any money. Plus, I’m not sure if I’m willing to buy property with someone at the moment. I’ve always said that the first time I buy property (condo), I’m going to do it myself. And the BF really doesn’t want to live in a condo because he wants a garage to store his motorcycle and tools and stuff. Basically what it comes down to is that we want different things in a property. I’m not willing to sacrifice location, and he’s not willing to sacrifice things like a garage and a backyard.

We still have to talk about it in a little more detail, but we agreed that I’ll to try and find us an apartment or basement suite for under $800/month out on the peninsula close to my work. It will be hard to find something in that price range, but I’m not really that pressed for time since we have until November to move out. The only thing I’m worried about is not being able to find a place in the fall once all the college kids come back for school in September and take up all the apartments.

Anyway, in exchange for the long commute (45 min each way), I agreed to pay for the BF’s bus pass which is $60/month (he bikes to work right now because we live in town), as well as for internet which is $41/month ($30 for the first 6 months) … and I think that’s reasonable because the $500/month we’ve been paying in rent for the past year or so, I’m actually only paying $150 of that amount since I was in school and trying to pay off my debts.

I personally think everything should be split 50/50, and things like bus passes and parking spots, etc … those should be paid by the person who’s going to use them. However, compromise is the name of the game. The BF does not want to live out on the peninsula because it really is quite a commute into downtown, and it’s away from all of our friends and family, and basically any sort of entertainment … but with my job being out there, I really REALLY don’t want to rent a place in town … so an extra $100/month for the convenient location is worth it in my opinion.

But then again, it’ll be really inconvenient living all the way out there and having to come into town all the time for hockey or soccer, or basically whenever we want to do anything. The BF has a truck that I pay 25% of the gas for right now … we could use that to go into town, but it’s not exactly the most fuel efficient thing on the road. So maybe living in town is the answer … and maybe I buy a car or a faster scooter or something for the commute. But then I get stuck with that stupid long commute again, and I’ve already been doing it for 8 months. And I really don’t want to buy a car or another scooter.

Or maybe we meet in the middle and find an apartment where we’d both have the same distance to commute to work. That way we’d be a little closer to town. I don’t know.

What do you think?