I am planning on moving out right after high school is over...at least within the first year...and I am wanting to know what to expect...
I plan to save all the money I can and get a job the rest of my high school career. After that I am planning on renting an apartment with my boyfriend while he goes to college. I will probably get a fulltime job and he'll probably get a part time while he's going to college.
How much should we make a month? What should I expect?
(And as a note, we both have cars paid off...except the loans just have to be paid off)
You need something to eat on, something to sit on and something to lay on...oh and...well...something to "wipe" on. Everything else is decorative and you can pick up cheaply at flea markets and yard sales when you get out of school, after you've moved in, while it's still summer and lots of those sales are going on.
I'm with the other poster though, go to school too. Many people work both full-time AND attend school. I know you're thinking this won't happen to me, and you could be right, but what if you're wrong? What if 2 years after you and he move in together, you go your separate ways? You've just spent 2 years putting him through school. Where do you start now? Who's going to put YOU through school? And your cars may be paid off, but have a backup plan. If one starts having major problems, you may be facing a car payment before you finish your school plans. At LEAST get in school part-time. But do NOT put it off. It gets harder every year that you wait.
I'm also with the poster...birth control. But don't just think a pill solves everything. Double up on it. Better safe than sorry. Bad enough putting your education on hold. Worse once you have a child and it goes on near permanent hold and now you have another mouth to feed besides.
It depends on your location...and I agree with midwife..use b/c and take some college classes. Full time with just a high school degree wont pay much.
Rent
Utilities (phone/heat/electricity/cable/internet)
Health insurance
Car insurance
Car loans
Gas and maintenance
Renters insurance
Groceries
Clothing (what kind of work do you expect to do? will you need to dress for it?)
Tuition
Books
Laundry
TAXES
Set up costs : first/last months rent plus security deposit
kitchen
furniture
linens
Look at the paper where he plans on going to school, get an idea of rent and look through the want ads to see what kinds of jobs are available and what kinds of salaries are offered.
Ennay; that is a GREAT list, the only thing is that some power companies require a deposit for first timers, then after a year it is applied to the bill or refunded. Also, if the apt has a gas stove or furnace, you'll have both power and gas which could mean two deposits. You can always call the power/gas comanies to find out their policy. Restaurants are sometimes a good way to go as the scheduling can be very flexible, of course a "9-5 job" with weekends off and going to school at night works too.
Also when I was very young I went to thrift stores in the "rich" neighborhoods. Some very nice clothes, I even bought somethings that still had price tags on them for VERY little . . .
and I agree with the others, if you want to work full time, fine, but you need to get started on your education also, even if it's 1 or 2 classes a semester, and birth control . . . OH YES, and no exceptions . . .
All good advice. As far as numbers goes... hubby and I started out with almost nothing to begin with... so we had to save for the deposit of the apartment complex as well as money to buy all the crap we needed to run a household. We had $2500.00 saved up and this was enough for us to get almost everything we needed.
They say that you should have about 1/3 of your income going to rent... so I suggest you keep that in mind and less if you can while you're looking for a place. I am definitely in agreement that you should consider taking some classes too. I put it off, and here I am 7.5 years later, working full time, no education behind my back... just something to think about. Another thing to think about is that you may want to reconsider moving in together just in general.
Another thing that wasn't mentioned was to sit down and discuss things like budget, who is going to pay what bills, are you going to have separate or joint checking and savings accounts, who is in charge of what household chores, etc. Seems minimal, but it is vital both to succeeding on being on your own... and not killing each other a month after you move in together.
Good luck! and don't forget all those crazy items you take for granted like the can opener and the dust pan.
To set a budget and see what you'll need to live on, you check on line budget calculators to see all the categories you should consider. By making some calls, you should be able to determine approximate costs for housing, transportation,utilities, food. You should also be able to determine your projected income by checking labor market information for your area. Fill in the budget form and you'll know whether it's possible for you to do what you are planning to do.
I wouldn't think it wise to just move right in with a boyfriend. I'm not against living with boyfriends by any means.... just that going right from parents home to living with a boyfriend doesn't really allow for any independence. Others here give good advice, but the reality is that its all about what you are willing to sacrifice. It doesn't matter if you have a budget if you don't follow it. Make sure you have your financial priorities in line before you embark on maintaining a household.... if you don't, it will be a hard lesson learned.
You noted you had a 3.9 GPA in another post of yours, so I don't understand why you won't be going to college as well. With grades like that, you can easily qualify for some scholarships (and probably need-based grants too if you're going to declare yourself independent from your folks). And it's easy to supplement the rest with a part-time job or a student loan (the *best* loan you'll ever take in your lifetime, studies consistently showed college graduates make earn more throughout their life.)
I also agree with the advice of not moving straight from your parents to your b/f. If you are going to college, that means you'll be living at a dorm or an apartment with roommates, which gives you time to figure out how to do things independently as well as establishing/developing interpersonal skills, all the while figuring out on your own what you wanna do (w/o being the pressures of living with someone you're emotionally tied with.)
Well...the circumstances changed a bit. I am thinking that I am going to move in with my boyfriend and his parents...that way there is no hanky panky, and I can see what I am able to do without staying home with my mom anymore. I can probably check into college near his home, find a part time job, and not have to take on all the responsibilities at the same time.
This time last year I moved to the city with my bf to start uni. We paid for everything ourselves, (we saved up). i study full time and work part time, bf studys and works parttime. We get by alright, it can be a little tight sometimes. I was lucky, I was given a $3000 scholarship, which paid for things like the fridge and washing machine.
I know everyone has mentioned birth control, it is important, but there can still be some hanky panky! even if you have to be quiet about it IMO :P
Good luck, it can be challenging, and you will find out that each of you were raised a little differently and there will have to be compromises because of that...eg there was an argument over what kind of tool to use when cleaning the dishes!! Scourer or pot scubber? *Sigh* But trust me, it will work out in the end, especially if you two are prepared to work at it.
I would like to ask, and I don't mean ANYTHING disrespectful about this-but why would living with HIS mom be any more independent than living with your own???
If you value your relationship with your boyfriend...the last thing you want to do is move in with his immediate family. Ask all of the married women here, and see how many would be able to handle living with their mother in law 24 hours a day...it isn't good for the relationship.
My advice? Stay home and go to college. You can always be independent in a couple of years. My husband and one sister in law have college educations, and their other sister does not. My husband is an engineer, and his sister #1 is a manager for a popular retail business in town. Both did not have to attend the full 4 year colleges-SIL went for a 2 year degree, and my husband went for a 2 year associates degree, and went a third year for his bachelors.
SIL makes enough to live comfortably on her own, and my husband makes enough for us to have 2 vehicles, a new 4 bedroom house, and enough to feed and clothe 3 children. I work, but I don't *have* to if I don't want to.
The other SIL? She was living in a small, older 2 bedroom apartment with her boyfriend, trying to make ends meet. Her grandparents bought her vehicle. She became pregnant, her and the bf broke up, and now she lives back with her parents and the new baby...and has used Medicaid, WIC (for free formula, etc. for the baby) and such to help. She works in a factory second shift...and is just a couple years shy of turning 30.
Go to school FIRST...if you are in a hurry to be independent, look into 1 and 2 year college programs, and REALLY buckle down. There are short programs to getr associate degrees, becoming a nurse/LPN...lots of things. Once you are "out there" on your own, it is much harder to get a college education-because you don't have as much time (because you have to work to pay bills/eat) and the real world gets in the way.
I also agree with doubling up on the birth control. Saber, my 5 month old, was a birth control baby. When they say all methods are 99% effective (not 100%), they MEAN it.
Also-when you are on your own, ennay gave a wonderful list of expenses. I am going to add a few more:
Let's say that you are scraping by, making enough for rent, basic food needs, all of your insurance and utilities...then you get a flat tire on the way to work. You put on the spare...but now in the next 24 hours or so, you have to go in and get a new tire put on your car. Where is that money going to come from? A few days later, the battery in your car goes dead. You have to have a new battery to get to work tomorrow. Every so many miles you are going to have to figure in oil changes on your vehicle.
It is also holiday time, and you have to buy gifts (even if they are small) for your family. You also get sick, and go to the doctor. You miss two days of work, so you get a smaller check this week. You have insurance, but you still have to pay a $20 copay at the office, and your prescription costs $17. This is all happening in the SAME MONTH.
This is "life". Do you have enough money to cover it? You can go over a plan of how much gas, food, clothing, utilities, rent, and everything else is going to cost...and maybe you can make enough. BUT-unexpected things happen, and you have to make enough to cover those things as well. Some enexpected things can cost $5.00...but others can cost $500. You never know.
It is best now to think about school, and making sure that you are educated enough to make enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. I cannot stress this enough. You don't want to go through life, especially with your excellent grades-to worry about how you are going to pay this bill, or eating peanut butter sandwiches on generic bread all week because you had to get your car fixed.
It just isn't worth it to do that, for the immediate satisfaction of moving out right after school.
I did the whole live with the in-laws for over a year and I almost came to blows with the MIL. Not a good deal. With a 3.9 you should be able to go to school for FREE! How were your ACT and SAT scores? I would suggest going to school full time and living in a dorm on your own. Nothing like being on your own to help you realize just how much you can accomplish on your own. I wouldn't trade my days of living in Melrose Hall eating Ramen Noodles and cream of wheat - spring break at my roommates home, all night cramming for Econ finals, team projects, etc. for anything. I learned so much about who I was and what I wanted out of life. I think every young person should experience college before the babies come, the responsibility load gets heavier, etc.
I love my MIL but couldn't imagine living in the same house as her.
Regarding school and needing to get away:
In high school, I was having major issues with my stepfather. All I wanted to do was get away and I did. I applied for every scholarship possible, I took out student loans and supported myself through 5 years of college. The last 3 years of college, I even lived on campus through the summer. I was glad to gain my independance and I learned a lot that helped me after college.
What to expect when first moving out
