Dennis-
A lot of the your expenses will depend on where you live (cost of living varies from place to place). But in general you can plan that you will need to pay:
Rent (obviously, cheaper if you can find some roommates to live with)
Utilities (gas, water, trash, sewer, phone) Also included in this would be cable and internet but those are really optional
Groceries
Transportation... (car payment, auto insurance, gas OR public transportation costs) this varies greatly with where you live (ie in NYC you could get around well without a car, but in some other places you definitely need one)
Those are really the basics... there are other things that you can add on depending on your situation (ie school expenses, gym membership, entertainment money, etc)
I am tired right now, please, if anybody sees that I forgot something important please jump in!
Dennis, are you just thinking about moving out and preparing for the future or is this something that is coming soon? I think 17 is pretty young to go out there on your own.
Brooke
|