Well, no, not exactly. If you&#x27;re living at home, your parents are paying for your housing. It&#x27;s money that is already getting spent. If you have to live in the dorms, your parents don&#x27;t get a break on their mortgage or rent because you moved out. If your parents are helping you out, they now have their own rent to pay, plus a new rent for you, where before they essentially got &quot;your&quot; rent &quot;for free&quot;.<p>Similarly, adding one person to the home grocery bill was not anywhere near as expensive as the meal plan. Most universities run their cafeterias as profit centers. You&#x27;re paying restaurant prices. Cheap restaurant prices, typically, but still more than cooking at home.