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Living on my own/ how to do so as a young adult??????
So I’m 17 years old, I’ll be 18 in September, I am a senior in high school. I need advice on how to live on my own, what I will need, what I need to do and how to approach it all. My parents will not allow me to get a car, phone, or license as long as I live under their roof. I do not have a lot of money or anywhere near a lot. I have approximately 75$ in my checking acc and 60$ in my savings. I owe my step father 210$ for a military camp they sent me too. I do have a decent paying job but I am on edge with them due to my mom not liking driving me back and forth. I need to know what I will need, what I need to do, how to approach getting that stuff and finishing high school. I’m honestly lost and I hope someone can assist me and point me in the correct direction.
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You didn't state what the amount of pay is from your decent paying job. Total income after taxes is what any adults no matter their age, needs to know to work from there. As for a place to live, the cheapest that will allow you to support yourself and all your needs and still maybe a tight financial situation, is the best bet even if you don't necessarily like it. Living on your own is for later when you can afford to pay a whole apt. rent on your own. For now, try to find just a room to rent in someones home. People with homes near the community colleges or university, especially older financially tight people will rent out an unused bedroom. YOu'd want to choose a female rather than a male who may bring on unwanted advances. If you know a friend going away to college out of state, talk to her parents and see if they would like a little extra money, not a full apt rent but something they feel is reasonable to you to stay there in the bedroom of their daughter who is away. My daughter simply wanted freedom to get out of our home as soon as she could so she asked her church pastor, a different church than we attended if he could help her find someone she could get a room with. They announced it one Sunday and a lady said she could live with her for no more than paying a little for water and electricity. She had a barista job that wasn't paying much so she couldn't afford a place on her own. While there, she checked with friends her age to see if others wanted to get into an apartment together. Eventually a few were ready and it was 3 or 4 of them in an apartment together. While that may not sound ideal, it is a good way to afford paying your part on rent without it taking up most your paycheck. If you can find others who desperately want their independance as much as you and you know they work hard and don't skip out on work or spend their Depending on if you're a girl or boy, four of each split between two bedrooms which if too small required bundbeds, then so be it. Its not the way you will live for the rest of your life but its a start. Be humble and start with 2nd hand items to supply and furnish the place. If not from a store, there are also now free sites on the internet like Freecycle in many cities. However don't go alone to pick up an item, don't ask the parents for help, find others willing to help you get items and go along. Phone can be the month to month kind you pay. There are plenty that are only 30 a month. Food: its more expensive to eat out or buy convenience pre cooked foods or meals from the store. Try to learn how to cook from scratch and your food money will stretch further. For example, learning to cook beans from dry rather than canned. I was impressed as a 19 yr old visiting a friend who told me she spent her day off cooking like three different meals in big enough portions so instead of having to do so nightly, she could pull one out of the fridge and the others were frozen in little containers in the freezer and were just a short time with the microwave to a hot meat when you are so busy you feel like you have no time to cook. You need to learn also to budget and know what is in your bank account and reserve amounts needed for upcoming bills. Commmunity colleges now hold classes that teach young people how to be adults including the how to cook part. I highly recommend asking if your local college does that, what is covered in the course and how much it costs and plan to save up to attend it after work or during the day depending on when its offered and hours you work.
If there is bus transportation to where you work, don't go for a car right away, even if you pay for own driving lessons and get your own license. Get the license but buy a bus pass which is cheaper in the long run than upkeep and gas and monthly payment for a car of your own. Don't buy new unless you can afford it because that is one more monthly payment that takes a chunk out of out the budget. Check around for a friend who knows cars well or better yet, his dad is a mechanic and ask if he will go used car shopping when you are ready. YOu'd have to save up. Maybe still will need small payments but I know, the older a car, the more something can need to be replaced. I met a guy who was in such a tight spot. Couldnt afford a mechanic. He talked to a local college where there was a mechanic training class. They need cars to work on for training purposes and the teacher will make sure its done properly and the work is thus free which is the most expensive part. You buy the parts they say are needed. If you have to save up for the parts, then if already used to taking a bus, its no big thing to do that for a while til the car is fixed. we have an older vehicle and used to not have AAA until we had a problem that needed it towed and that experience made us save up and pay for the year of membership. We are on our second year. Its good because there are 3 free tows for a card holder each year and that saves money in the long run if all you can afford is a much older car as is our case, like the close to or over 20 years old.
Clothes and personal care items: I buy most my clothing from second hand stores. For a good example, I buy name brand pants and jeans because the cut and fit is the only one that works for me. I buy Gloria Vanderbilt used. Can't afford it new but I am picky and maybe if they don't have the right color or what I want I go back in two weeks to find what I want. Buy only your underwear, socks and shoes new. You don't have to look frumpy. I am older but I don't dress like I am. I get compliments all the time on my clothes and they are used or off a discount rack for 50% or more off. Do the math before you even try it on. half price of original 60 dollar pants is 30 which I still can't afford. Not all good sounding deals are good. Some personal care items can be real good from your local dollar store as well as paper towels, and kleenex, even basic over the counter medicines. I might not buy the perfumes there because they smell like something several years old from grandmas bedroom, but toothbrushes, pain killers, cold medicine, etc. can be found there, all $1. as well as some foods. We only buy our milk there now as we don't need much and its one buck for each quart. If the quality of what you need can't be found at dollar stores or second hand, check around to see who's got the best price and figure out tax and save up for that amount if you don't have it at the time. Waiting til next paycheck instead of putting stuff on a credit card is better. It is too tempting to put things on it cus you want something instantly. It should be for emergency use. I once had to replace a tire and wouldn't have money until next paycheck and lived where there was no bus service all the way to work. So I put the tire on my credit card and paid off the tire on the credit card as soon as I got the bill. So you see the importance of keeping track of what upcoming payments you need to make.
TV and internet: We don't have internet but have laptops. It is cheaper to go somewhere with internet service, even the local library. I use starbucks sometimes and I see lots of college age coming in with tablets or small lap tops to do whatever they need with the internet. If there are 3 or 4 people sharing it, you might get that for the house. My daughter for example on TV's, has a fairly modern TV but did not pay for cable to get all the channels. She has netflix to watch on her computer and for treats rents recent movies to play on a disc player she has. Thats it. And that saves a lot of money. So you dont get to watch all the newest shows. But I get to watch good ones years later on netflix and binge watch!
Electric bill is something hard when in an apartment. If shared, it can still be a big chunk. SO keep in mind that ground floor places will cost more to heat. The apartments 2nd or 3rd story benefit from the fact that heat rises. So those apartments end up partially or almost all the way heated by their downstairs neighbors. I have been in many friends upstairs apartments that they had the thermostat low or not all at all and it was cozy. Let me know if there is something I haven't mentioned that you want ideas on.
I don't understand why you aren't allowed something like a phone if you pay for your own service and phone. But soon you wil have your own things and own place. For any decisions you need to make after out on your own, try to meet other older adults like your parents age, whom you admire and respect so you can use them as sounding boards to get a different viewpoint and know if you still want to go one way or change your mind. Information is power. Until you so, writing here again as you have questions is a good way to go. The more perspectives the better as I may not think of something or know of something.
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