The author has to put off having an empty nest since her two sons still live with her.
Courtesy of Kimberly Witt
My 21-year-old son recently accompanied me to the grocery store. Our list wasn't lengthy. We needed a few items for a cookout with neighbors: hot dogs, brats, buns, some fresh produce, and chicken.On these shared trips, the two of us have taken to playing a "Price is Right"-inspired guessing game. Who can correctly estimate the final total without going over? He's uncannily good at this game, beating me nearly every time, often guessing within a dollar."I think $80.78," he whispered as the Aldi checker stacked our items in the basket. "And I'll say $77.35," I responded."$92.17," our checker stated. He won our game, but the victory was bittersweet because of the cost."I'm never going to be able to move out," my son lamented, a hint of a joke in his voice as we packed up our groceries. But we both knew there was some seriousness to his plea.My two adult sons moved back in to save money on housingMy 21-year-old just moved back into his childhood bedroom in May after being out on his own. He'd been subleasing a shared apartment and managing his other social expenses, but ultimately decided he didn't want to pay rent. While my husband and I prioritize tuition for our two young adult sons, we don't have the disposable income to cover all their living expenses. Unwilling to accrue debt just to live near campus, he chose to come home.He isn't the only one under our roof making that calculation. His older brother opted to attend a nearby college specifically to save on housing, so now we have both sons living at home for the foreseeable future.
