decisions, decisions

Lots of choices to make in the next couple of weeks!  Do I stay or go?  What novel for NaNoWriMo?  Save or spend?  Vacation dates for next year?  House or apartment?

There is so much to consider.  In my current situation, the money I spend on lodging is so very little that I am in a position to save lots of money and pay off some bills.  If I could pay off certain ones, I would be in excellent financial shape in about a year and would have LOTS of options about where to move.  Or I could take a place I've just found right now that is cheap but just as small as my current place, not save any money at all, not pay off any bills, and end up in the same place I'm in right now, just with a little different geography.

Granted, this would be an "on my own" situation rather than a "with my parents" one, which is where I am now.  But still, it's a converted garage in someone's back yard, so I'm not sure it's much better.  The rent is fairly cheap, but it isn't much closer to work, so it wouldn't help with that.  It is, however, about two blocks from the theatre, so that would be good.

I don't know.  Tonight I'm going to make a savings/payoff plan to see what I can do in a year and maybe I can use that to decide what to do.  The funny thing is, when I approached the subject with my parents, they both said they thought I should wait.  They say they are concerned with the economy, but I think they just like having me around.  We are so much like roommates now - we all get along really well and do lots of things together.  I know it's a little strange, but I actually really like living there.  It beats going home to an empty garage apartment, anyway.  (At least, I feel like it does.)  What's annoying is that people judge me for still living with them, like I haven't grown up or anything.  But that's not true at all.  I do the same things I would do if I were living with a roommate.  I'm extremely independent and they are very respectful of my life, my privacy and my decisions, as I am respectful of theirs.  This societal pressure that you have to move away from home at a certain age makes me a little crazy.  Obviously, it's good to get out on your own, but having been out on my own before, I can honestly say I have grown up just fine.  And just because I can't afford a decent place by myself doesn't mean I'm in some way deficient as a person.  But still, every time the subject comes up, I feel strange - not because I think it's bad to still live at home, but because other people do.  I wish I didn't care what other people thought about me.  It would make everything so much easier.

So yeah, lots of thinking to do.