Open Thread: Parental Assistance

From Billfold commenter Christy:

Today’s post about the 31-year-old who lives at home gave me the idea that we should have an open thread about how much help we take or took from our parents, or how much we help our parents instead. I’ll volunteer to go first!

I’m 26 and a government employee making around $70K per year living near D.C. Right now, the only help I’m taking from my parents is that I’m on my mom’s cell phone plan (and I don’t kick in any money), and I’m on the family EZ Pass. I don’t feel like a mooch until I remember the $2,000 loan my dad gave me for grad school that I promised to repay but haven’t started yet. (I do intend to pay it back — I mostly haven’t started because he hasn’t pestered me about it and I know he’s not hurting for the money. I intend to give him the full balance as a check when I turn 30.)

I used to get more help. My dad paid $40,000 towards college (in addition to the grad school loan), and my mom paid my rent in college and let me live with her initially for free, and then for $200/month for one and a half years during grad school. My dad has paid for my UHaul for each of my three post-grad school moves. I was on my dad’s insurance until my 26th birthday.

Either parent would let me live at home again, but both would require a timeline and my mother would charge rent. I would only move back if I absolutely had to, which I probably won’t, given that I have an emergency fund.

My mom might need to live with a kid in her retirement, and while I’d prefer she lived with my brother, she could live with me and my partner if she wanted. She’s pretty good at financial planning, though, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

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