I moved in with my aunt after quitting my COO job and giving up my dream apartment. My peace is worth more to me than money.

My aunt is my best friend — I think we make the 30+ year age gap in our friendship work because she’s young at heart, and I have the hobbies and some of the same physical limitations as someone older. We lived together for five years before I moved to Toronto in 2020.

She’s nearing retirement, which will cut her monthly income by about 50%. It was stressing her out.

In addition to my rent, I used to pay about $250 a week for food delivery, $150 a month for cleaning, and roughly $160 a month for Uber rides to and from my aunt’s place, which totaled about $2,985 for my basic monthly expenses.

I pay my aunt $500 to rent a room in her condo in the suburbs of Montreal

I also pay our collective grocery and utility bills for another $800 a month, which is about $1,300 all-in. I save $1,685 monthly, which goes straight into my savings account.

My aunt makes an extra $500, and her monthly expenses have been reduced by about $400 because I’m taking on the utilities. This is almost enough to replace the income she’s going to lose.

We also have a barter system — she cooks and does my laundry, but when we have big expenses, I handle them. I bought a couch when I moved in, and I’m replacing our hot water tank as soon as it’s due for renewal. I hate cooking and laundry, and she gets stressed by these big one-time expenses, so we feel good about the exchange.

I don’t regret my choice to move in with her at all, and I have no plans to leave

During the pandemic, my friend group spread across the country, so being completely by myself could be lonely at times.

Living with my aunt helps combat that loneliness and keeps my mental health in a good place. I feel much better about paying rent to my aunt than to a landlord, and it allows us both to put money aside for the future.

Want to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com