Woman, 56, Moves In With A Stranger For $2,000 A Month To Afford Her Dream City

Lara Lehman, 56, moved into a Los Angeles single-family home with a roommate she'd never met, splitting rent at $2,000 a month, according to Business Insider. A Midwesterner by upbringing, Lehman had lived in LA for four years two decades ago on a short-term university teaching job and never stopped wanting to return.

Family obligations pulled her back to her Missouri hometown, but last year her local teaching assignment ended, her parents were settled into the care they needed, and her senior dog passed away. With nothing left tying her down, Lehman decided to move back to LA and pursue a freelance writing career, even though her bank account couldn't support the city on its own.

To fund the move, she sold her furniture, her car and her home. She then found a roommate through an online post and split a single-family home rental with her. Lehman says the arrangement isn't permanent, but it has let her save money while living in the city she wanted, and her roommate has become a genuine friend.