I'm an only child. Buying a house with my mom felt like the smartest way to prepare for both our futures.

Owning a house with my mom hasn't been easy, but it's been a great way to prepare for the future.

Kate Donati Last year, my mom and I bought a house together, despite not being the most natural of roommates.

I never imagined owning a home at 28, but splitting the bills has made it cheaper than I imagined.

The living situation has been a great way to prepare for both of our futures.

As an only child , an occasional weekend slumber party was the longest I'd had to share a bedroom or bathroom — or anything, really — until I was a freshman in college.

So last year, when my 62-year-old mom proposed putting her house on the market and us buying a place together, I was incredulous — I had no idea how that arrangement would work for us.

Even though we'd had nearly 20 years of cohabitation experience while I was growing up, it was hard to picture us as natural roommates.

Needless to say, our decision to move in together was not without its challenges, but it was the smartest choice we've made for both of our futures.

Living together keeps things affordable for both of us I never thought I'd own a home at 28 years old.

Kate Donati Pooling our resources to buy this house and split the bills has proven to be a highly prudent financial decision for both of us.

As a 28-year-old, I harbored no fantasies that I'd be able to afford even a small condo or townhouse on my own within the next 10 years.

Now that I share a 1,500-square-foot house with my mom, I pay less in monthly rent toward our mortgage than I did in my previous, 900-square-foot apartment.

My mom gets to pay a lot less, too, which affords us an even greater opportunity to tailor the house to our needs.

She's already added her work studio, and I'm designing a garden .