Before the end of senior year in high school, you have to make the difficult decision of where you want to go to college. For me, this decision was not so easy. Being the first person in my small family to go to college, I had a lot of weight on my shoulders. Five pounds of worry, ten pounds of what do I even want to go to school for, and fifty pounds of how the heck am I going to afford college. Ugh. But there was a solution: staying home and going to a local college. I did not want to stay in my town for another year. I wanted out, and I wanted out now. However, being so new to the idea of college, I soon started to appreciate the idea of staying home. And, with almost a year of college at home under my belt, I can share a little about what I've learned.

1. You're never really broke

Going to school and working at home goes hand-in-hand. Having your car with you to transport yourself around as needed is a huge benefit. And usually, whenever you're not at school, you're at work. Sure, it doesn't make for the most exciting schedule, but having money is never really a problem.

2. There's always food

You can save a lot of money by eating and making meals at home. The best part is that everyone else in the house has to eat too, so you don't feel so bad eating food that you haven't exactly paid for yourself as long as you're contributing at home in some way. Yay, food!

3. When you have an "adult" question

Entering college is kind of like entering adulthood. You have to do more "adult" things, like paying for certain bills, figuring out how a credit card works, or what to do when your car just stops running in the middle of the street. When you're at home, you have your parents right there for you to ask questions and you can get the full lecture on how something works. You don't have to call them on the phone and say you understand when in actuality you have no idea what they're talking about.

4. Everything is familiar

You grew up at home, so surely you know where everything is. You never have to worry about getting completely lost in a city you're already familiar with, which is a relief.

5. No hauling around

While the majority of your friends have to haul some stuff back and forth from college when they're coming home for winter or spring break, you're already moved in. It saves you a little bit of the stress some might experience while packing their bags.

6. Your bed

One of the best feelings is coming home from a vacation or hotel to your own bed. I assume coming home from your college dorm to your own bed is similar to that feeling. But when you're living at home and going to school, you always get to sleep in your own bed. Every night you can drift away on your wonderful cloud covered in fuzzy blankets galore.

7. Discovering yourself

By being at home and spending time by yourself, you get to figure out a lot about who you are. You discover your own personality and interests on a much deeper level. Also, this can help you flourish in school or maybe even deciding what you intend to do with the rest of your life.

8. Antisocial, and it's okay

When you go to school that's close to home, you don't have to feel so bad for not being super social. You can go to school for what you need, go do whatever else you have to do and then go home after a long day and watch Netflix without being bothered. It's totally okay to have alone time.

9. You probably know everyone

Chances are you already know almost all of the people you're going to school with, or it's easy to learn everyone's name from all your classes within a week because the school and class sizes are so small. So, making new friends is super easy!

10. Never have to miss your pets

Your pets are always waiting for you at home after you get done with work or school. Every night can be cuddle night with your favorite little ball of fun.

11. Comfort is just around the corner

If you ever need a hug, your family is always there to provide. Who doesn't love getting a hug from their favorite sibling?

Although this staying at home and going to college thing isn't for everyone, and not going away to college can seem like you're missing out on a lot of different experiences, try not to ignore the benefits that can come with staying at home and going to college for a couple years.