I accumulated a tremendous amount of student loans while I was in college. Once I graduated, I managed to get a job in my chosen field, but it was entry level and the way was terrible. I had a car payment, health insurance, credit card debt and those loans to pay off. There wasn’t much leftover in the budget for rent. I found a very small, super cheap apartment in close proximity to my job. I hoped to save money by walking to work. The apartment was on the second floor of an old house, and it wasn’t in very good shape. Every time I walked up the stairs, I worried they might collapse. The front door didn’t shut tight, so air leaked in and out around it. The majority of the windows were painted shut and the floor slanted toward the kitchen. The appliances were outdated and a lack of water pressure and insufficient supply of hot water made showers unpleasant. The worst aspect of that apartment was the heating and cooling system. After trying out the air conditioner for a month, I never used it again. It made so much noise and cost such a tremendous amount in electricity bills, it wasn’t worth it. Plus, the smell coming from the vents had me worried about a health risk. With outside temperatures below freezing over a very long winter, I had no choice but to rely on the heater. It couldn’t keep up with demand, and the apartment was always chilly. Despite cleaning the air filter, it spread dust into my breathing air every time it started up. With the cost of my monthly heating bills, I definitely could have afforded a much nicer apartment.