Written by Savannah Nybo

Growing Up

Moving into a new home as a little kid is exciting. It's a brand-new adventure with a new home
and a new room. I remember trying to claim the master bedroom. That didn't work; my parents
shot that idea down really quick, but they did let me pick the 2nd biggest bedroom. I remember
the spacious kitchen and choosing a color to paint my room; we spent forever at Lowes picking
out just the right color. It is an excitement you remember just another thing that makes you
excited for adulthood.

You jump ahead a few years, and now you're a senior in high school and you’re that adult you
were so excited to be. It turns out it wasn't quite what you thought it would be. You're ready to
move out and get your own space. As a freshman in college, you now have to decide whether or
not you are going to live in a dorm or off-campus. Living is expensive. "Students at public
schools can expect to pay an average of $8,887, and those at private schools will pay an average
of $10,089 per year for room and board.” If you think that's a big expanse on an already bigger
expense of tuition, your right. Thinking about saving money, you look into off-campus housing.
While in most cases it is cheaper rent rarely it provides the range of services that a school offers.
Living in a dorm eliminates electricity, gas, and water bills, and sometimes even cable and
internet bills. Meaning it can cost just the same as dorm living.

You want to be independent and have a place and space that is yours. Spreading your wings and
leaving the nest. There was a time in your life that growing up is all you want to do. You have a
grand dream of what everything will be like.

For some of us, that dream of moving out is dashed against rocky shores as you research. The
housing market and interest rates are rising. You are reading news articles from KSL saying,
"rising costs are also making affordability difficult for renters as well who struggle to find units
that won't bust their budgets." My aunt pays more on rent than my parents do with their
mortgage. Buying and renting it was all too much I felt "left behind." I felt like a kid again being
told no but not by an adult but by life. Wanting to leave the nest and grow to be independent now
felt more like a cage. As an adult, that excitement is overshadowed by the adult concerns and the
cost of living on my own, something that a young me never thought of.

We all have our own reasons to want to move. It could be as simple as wanting that
independence, going away for college, or as serious as not being in a good home and needing
out. Adults are moving in for jobs. Getting a job that could allow one to rent is not usually in
teen's means. Even if one had the money, finding a place is another hard hurdle. There is just not
enough supply for the demand.
In life, the things that are fought for the hardest are the ones most enjoyed. At this time, it is hard
for everyone who is wanting to rent or buy prices are at all-time highs, and there are not enough
houses for the demand of them. Even with that, I believe all good things come in time.