Was Blair not wealthy enough to rent her own apartment in Peekskill

[TMC]

After Blair and Jo graduated from Eastland didn't the show instead, come up with increasingly-contrived excuses to explain why two coeds and two teenagers were living with an unrelated female? Blair after-all, was an adult and could have easily afforded her own off-campus apartment.

Blair and Jo were living on campus until Jo lost her housing due to some mishap and insisted on rooming with Blair which was against the rules. They were caught and Blair was kicked out of the dorm, leaving both of them without a place to stay. They ultimately moved in with Mrs. Garrett again, so it would not appear that living on campus was required.

['80sSitcoms]

I would theorize that Blair at first wanted the full "college experience", seeing what it was like living in a dorm and being with "the commoners" as equals.

[80s Dude]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

I would theorize that Blair at first wanted the full "college experience", seeing what it was like living in a dorm and being with "the commoners" as equals.

I went to college with many students from wealthy family and from boarding schools like Eastland and Bates. The students lived in dorms, at least until their junior year.

[hch]

You’re spot on. Blair’s wealth was never the issue; it was the writing's necessity to keep the "Core Four" under one roof that led to those increasingly thin plot devices.

The "Commoner" Experiment
As you noted, Blair initially insisted on living in the dorms at Langley College during Season 5 to prove she could handle the "authentic" student experience—even if she did bring her own designer linens. You're referencing the episode "Brand New World", where Jo loses her scholarship/housing, and Blair’s attempt to sneak her into the room gets them both evicted.

Why Blair Didn't Move Out
While Blair could have easily bought a penthouse in Peekskill, the show used several "contrived" reasons to keep her with the group:

The "Edna’s Edibles" Financial Tie: When Mrs. Garrett opened the shop, the girls became her employees and "partners." Blair often used her business degree as an excuse to stay and "manage" the investment.

Emotional Dependency: Despite her "rich girl" facade, the show frequently hinted that Blair was lonely. Her parents' multiple divorces made the "found family" at Edna's Edibles her only stable home.

The "Living for the Plot" Trap: By the time they transitioned to Over Our Heads in Season 7, the writers stopped trying to explain the logistics. The girls were simply a "brand," and the show couldn't function if Blair was living a solo socialite life in a private apartment.

The Ultimate Contrivance
The height of this absurdity occurred in the series finale, "The Beginning of the End/Beginning of the Beginning", where Blair—instead of moving on to a law career—literally buys Eastland Academy just to stay in the same environment she had been in since 1979.