Katharina Buczek
This 28-year-old woman has been dating her boyfriend, Mark, who is 30, for just over a year. And while she doesn’t think it’s totally necessary to live together before getting engaged, her boyfriend thinks it’s a crucial next step.
That’s why they recently started apartment hunting together.
Right now, Mark lives in a studio and spends about $1,800 each month on rent. At the same time, she lives in a two-bedroom that also has a tiny office. So, her rent is a whopping $4,000.
According to her, Mark does have a decent job and never has any issues paying his bills. In fact, he tends to have some funds left over after everything is said and done. But increasing his rent too much would just not be feasible.
She, on the other hand, earns approximately five times more than her boyfriend does. So, she could pay much more in rent than she currently does.
“But I’m more interested in saving and eventually leaving this area, opening my own practice, and buying a home,” she said.
And recently, after Mark scheduled a bunch of apartment showings, it became clear that they had two very different perspectives on how to combine their finances to live together.
Her boyfriend was apparently very excited about the whole idea of moving in together, so she let him take the lead when it came to scheduling the showings.
She also assumed that they would look at apartments that are similar in size and cost to her current apartment since Mark would want to keep his bills either the same or less than what he’s paying right now.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
