(Guest post written by my buddy Royce Heath)

When I moved here my parents helped me buy a house so I wouldn’t have to blow so much money on rent, that was super nice of them. They even made me get a Louisiana ADT home security system because they were worried about me being a single girl in a big house by myself but I thought that was overkill, that is, until I got broken into. Thankfully I wasn’t at home (I was at the library studying for the BAR) but when the police called to tell me my alarm had been tripped I felt totally violated. I have since gotten a roommate and that makes me feel safer and we’ve got a big old dog who also keeps me calm. I never knew living alone would be such a hair raiser but at the end of the day I prefer this to living at my parents’ house, bar none. I like my independence and being able to come and go as I please and I’m old enough it makes sense to give up apartment living. I even saved money on my home with an FHA loan.