Advice from 18+

[dennis08]

I am 17 and if you are over 18 could you give me some good advice on what to do if you live on your own.

What is it like and what expenses do you pay and so on? I am going to do my best to leave when I turn 18 and nobody has ever given me any help other than get a good job which is not going to happen right away for a while.

[brooke]

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

[dennis08]

Nah brook I’m not moving out right now. I don’t even know how to cook yet What I meant was when I turn 18 I want to move out as soon as possible and then prepare for the future even if I have to balance a job with school.

[help4me]

a general standard I go by where I live (in the midwest) is your average household functions fairly well on $2000 a month.

[dennis08]

Originally Posted by help4me

a general standard I go by where I live (in the midwest) is your average household functions fairly well on $2000 a month.

Sounds good since I know a few ways to make more than that when I do move out. Some jobs here pay surprisingly well but they come with dangers such as robbery.
24,000 a year is loose change though. But if your starting out its not bad.

[ericwordelman]

robbery doesn't sound to pleasing...

[brooke]

Dennis
Are you having problems at home? Why are you in such a hurry to get out? I have an 18 year old son and yes, he's an adult, but really 18 is just an arbitrary number. He's still a kid in a lot of ways (a really good kid, I'm not saying he's immature for his age). He goes to college but still lives at home. I think it's ideal for his age because he gets to live for free and focus all his energy on school.
I'm just wondering why you are wanting to jump out of the nest, even at the risk of having to get a job where you would be at risk of being robbed?
Brooke

[dennis08]

Well brooke living with my grandparents and my mom can get frustrating. Anything they do is irritating and my grandparents are control freaks which makes me angry and snap at people

[Livgivare]

When you move out you need to have a whole kitchen suplies series and a few cookbooks if you are going to cut down on costs. And to not know how to cook is going to be expensive due to take outs and resturants. So think about this for a while.

Don't get a job just anywere, if you are likely to get robbed each day or each week you will loose alot of money. Try to find a job that is a bit more plesant. You will only make your family angry and sad and seems like this is the last thing you need in your situation. To move out you need to do it the right way. Otherwise I think it will only get worse. I am not saying that boys that are 18 shall stay home and be a part of the family just because they are immature.

What you need to think about is what do you do at home that are about cleaning up, cooking food and all the rest the normal mother does. Can you fix anything broken?

I find this knowing to do house work is even a bigger part then income to take in, when you move out. And the kitchen supplies are really expensive if you don't have any at start. I guess that in Sweden it costs arround 3000 € to move out and about 250 - 500 € of kitchen supplies. Funitures and such is expensive. So the first sum to pay is high and you got to know where to find those money. And if you buy an appartment it is higher. Sure you can get any place to start with. But this first sum of money is really high at times.

This is the practical stuff you need to know and to count in. I know (I got my kitchen supplies every birthday and christmas from the day I was born to the day I turned 18 and I am so very happy to have got it before I moved out, because when I look at the prizes for just the tiny things I get shocked, I rather live with old fasioned stuff then the cost of buying a new kitchen) because I moved out 3 years ago and I was 22 at the time. So take it from me.

Love Leelene

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Hey, Dennis. My biggest piece of advice would be to try to cut down the need to travel as much as possible. By this I mean, try to work and live in the same area. It also helps if there is a grocer and maybe a laundry nearby. This way you can avoid having to get a car and pay for insurance, registration, gas and maintenance. Walking, biking or public trasportation will certainly save you a great deal and leave you with more money for all of the other necessities.

Rent
Utilities (cable, internet, phone, electricity, water, etc.) Some of these are not necessary. Start with the basics and add the luxuries once you've lived on your own for a couple of months if you can afford it.
Transportation
Groceries/Household Items


A good way to budget is the 60% solution where you keep your monthly expenses to 60% of your gross (the monthly expenses include taxes and all the things above...any expense that you have every month). The other 40% gets divided into the following categories: 10% retirement (it's never too early), 10% short term savings (for a vacation or new furniture also emergency fund), 10% long term savings (car, house downpayment) and 10%for entertainment/fun. If you follow this ratio and do not add anything to your monthly expenses that puts you over 60%, you will always have enough and will be saving too. Then, those little irregular expenses or emergencies won't blow your budget.

Learn to cook
Learn to do laundry
Get a library card (you can check out books, movies and cds for free as well as use the internet)
Familiarize yourself with public transportation

Take this time to learn what you need to and plan. Start looking at prices to rent apartments/houses or even rooms. Look at getting one or two roommates to share the costs (make sure you have discussed what everyone will be responsible for so that everyone knows where they stand...this will lessen disagreements).

Good luck!

[NotesMaeve]

You've gotten a lot of good advice.

I just recently moved to a town where I knew NO ONE. Not a single person. What I've learned:

1) Take the opportunity to eat healthily and inexpensively. Farmers' markets and buying on sale is best. Living alone made vegetarianism easy. It gave me a chance to find healthy foods I enjoyed eating, as opposed to eating white bread because my ex refused wheat or eating my parents' white turkey swedish meatballs that were healthy, but tasted awful.

2) Develop a fitness routine. This is so much easier for me living alone. After work I can throw on my gear, go running, and blow off steam. Developing this routine really cuts down on that sense of ennui you can get living alone.

3) Socialize. Go to new places. Hang. Tell people you're new. You will be surprised how easy it is to make friends. Don't be offput if you run into an unfriendly dive or two.

[Buddy]

Learn how to balance a checkbook. Get an IRA and fully fund it every year. Get a 401K from your employer. Plan for the long term. Don't spend as much as you make. Brush your teeth and change your underwear.

[dennis08]

LOL buddy thanks Ill remember that. How does a 401k work anywho?

[Erki]

Only advice I can give is: make a lot of very good friends. 401k, pension funds and paperwork don't care about you(r self). Good friends do(at least in theory).