To Move, or Not To Move

I'm running out of time to make a decision about this.

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that my friends M and R had made an offer for me to live with them when they move. Some more details:

They're willing to let me pay only $150.00 in rent in exchange for helping with chores around the house and occasionally taking care of the baby, as well as truck services and some other things. The problem is my budget. It looks something like this:

• $100 to credit card
• $100 to Care Credit
• $100 to my parents
• $50 for insurance
• $60 for gas

That's a total of $410 out of the $696 I get every month, which means only $286 is left over. If I pay them $150, that means I've got a total of $136 for a month's worth of food. This is not enough. I've come up with a few ways I can eke out a few extra dollars:

• Pay only $75 to my credit card ($25 more)
• Pay only $75 to my parents ($25 more)
• There will be a minor raise on my Social Security this coming year. There will be, however, an accompanying raise on my Medicare deduction.

With those first two things, if my parents will consent, that raises my food and entertainment budget to $186. Also, my mom has offered to help me with groceries in some capacity...like buying my meat for me at the base, where it's cheaper. With that budget I might even be able to afford to save a few dollars every month.

The downside to this budget is, of course, there's absolutely no security if something goes wrong. If the truck breaks down, or I have medical expenses I haven't foreseen, or my computer dies, or the cat has to go to the vet...I'm dead in the water. One could make the argument that I'm dead in the water whether I'm here or there, though, so I'm not sure what that really means.

Pros and Cons!

Pros:

• I'd be out on my own.
• I'd be with friends.
• It would be a new experience.

Cons:

• I'd have to learn very quickly to be more responsible with my money.
• I'd also have to be responsible with the "job" of cleaning and general household duties.
• If this doesn't work out, I could well lose my friends.
• This budget is TIGHT. No room for error.
• I'm giving up a certain quality of life that I have with my parents.
• If I get seriously depressed or manic there's a possibility I'd fall through on my obligations.

If I could be assured that a) I could come back home if things didn't work out and b) that M and R wouldn't be permanently angry with me for backing out of things, I think I would feel comfortable about making the decision to go.

I think I really do want to go, but I'm so crippled by the uncertainties. And there are an awful lot of them. Do I want to do this? CAN I do this? I wish more people read this so I could get some kind of feedback on my nonsensical attempt to organize my thoughts. There are an awful lot of cons up there, but the pros are pretty heavy. It really WOULD be nice to be on my own, especially if my roommates are people I already trust and like. I don't know what to do.

Ugh.