I met my now wife while she was in a similar situation (recently broken up, moved into an apartment she could barely afford under the pretense that she needed to learn to live alone).

That was close to 10 years ago.

When she talks about that apartment, she’s not regretful, but she wishes she had lived at home for 6 months, saved up money for a down payment, then bought a place of her own. But again, hindsight is 20/20 and you’ve got to do what you think is best for you.