The Millennials Living at Home Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Millennials can’t do anything without there being some sort of stigma attached—they’ve been accused ofkilling everythingfromchain restaurantstodoorbells，尽管无数研究证明那是not necessarily the case.

So of course, taking into consideration that a number of millennials live at home with their parents, many people jump to the conclusion that it’s because they’re lazy and not ready to face adulthood — a conclusion that’s as unfair as it is inaccurate.

Before you buy into the stereotypes, consider this:millennials want to be homeowners, and saving up for that — especially on an entry level salary — while also paying rent is no easy feat, even if you live in a city that’s known for having more affordable rent prices. And once you also factor in student debt, you piece together the picture that it can be a massive challenge for millennials to set money aside to for a down payment these days.

According toZillow, the median price of homes sold in the US is $225,262 and the median rent is $1,600. One year of rent at that price is $19,200, nearly half of a 20 percent down payment on the median home price, and a sizable chunk of change thatcouldbe put towards a down payment if it weren’t being direct debited to a landlord. Along withfirst time homebuyer assistance programs还有其他减少的首付选择，一两年住在家里，可以很好地转化为千禧一代购买他们的第一个房屋。

Most parents seem to understand this, too—since the majority (64 percent, according to a2017 Bank of America report) don’t actually charge their adult children living at home for rent or monthly bills to live with them.

A recent article fromUSA Todayreached out to a few millennials (ranging in age from 23 to 34) who shared their personal experiences living at home and saving up. Twenty-three-year-old Katie Powers, for example, moved back home rent-free after graduating in 2016, and in about a year was able to save up $25,000—and that’s on a salary of $32,000, with help from a part-time job, too. She told USA Today that she planned to stay at home for another year to reach $50,000 so she would have enough for a 20 percent down payment on a home in the $200,000 to 250,000 range. (You can read more about her story—and the others profiled—这里).

So, maybe it’s not what you’ve been led to believe after all — millennials aren’t living at home because they’re lazy, they’re doing it because it makes a ton of financial sense.