I am absolutely so very lucky that I am able to live at home and save money while I start my way into the world. My parents always said that they would charge me a few hundred in rent - which I always expected & have offered - but since I’m making like no $$, they haven’t expected or asked for anything. I pitch in with groceries, cleaning, cooking, help my father with paperwork - the normal things that are expected of me and perhaps a bit more. My parents want me to save everything since I’m going to be living in Spain next year (!!).
I do pay for:
gas (admittedly, I share my parents’ car with my 19 yo brother who is currently in college so that’s my parents’ expense [it’s paid off but my dad does maintenance & pays for insurance])
my own groceries + toiletries, groceries as needed for the whole family (my dad always overbuys groceries though!)
my own health insurance
my student loan
my cell phone bill
& of course, anything that I want.
My parents are so generous and have offered to buy me my plane ticket to Spain, anything else I need for that, etc. Well, it’s mostly my mother but still, I am very grateful. She even wants to take me shopping after I lost 50ish pounds recently! I feel bad about that but I know it brings her joy to do so and I know she wants me to start dressing better! I’d wear the same things over and over again until they fell off me or were really worn if left to my own devices.
If I had a higher paying job (I’m thinking of going back to school post Spain but idk…), my parents would definitely expect me to pay rent, have my own car, etc. I think a lot of this depends on circumstances, parents’ own situation, etc. I think they’re happy I’m still living with them & are in the position to help me. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be able to survive on my own without getting a job in a completely different field and/or moving out of my city (rent for the cheapest studio is like $900/$1000). I would make it work if needed but idk…I’m just very lucky.