At 56, I moved into a single-family home with a woman I'd never met. The setup helps me afford my dream city.

I never thought I'd live with a stranger at my age, but the experience has been great. Lara Lehman I dreamed of living in Los Angeles , but I wasn't in a financial position to rent a spot of my own. After finding a post online, I moved into a single-family home with a roommate for $2,000 a month. Although this setup isn't forever, I've saved money — and my roommate has become a good friend. Twenty years ago, I accepted a short-term teaching job at a university in Los Angeles. As a born-and-raised Midwesterner, I hadn't considered West Coast living , but I was open to the experience. Though I was there for only four years, I grew to love LA: the natural abundance of wildly diverse landscapes, the creativity of the entertainment industry, and, of course, the fantastic weather.