Moving out, and starting my life.. Help?

Question

I am 18 i havent lived with my parents since i was 15. I live with my boyfriend and his mother. We are both 18 now and we are planning to move out. It is very very scary but also exciting I work a part time job I make about 800 a month and my boyfriend makes about 400 a month. His mother is pushing that we move out by january 31 i feel its unrealistic to move out and get a place that quick. But it is her house and until I am out i must abide by her rules. What things might i need to do to get started. I am finishing my last year in highschool and so is my boyfriend. We have transportation of our own. Also rent around where i live is about 500 and some bills paid. What things have you personally done that has helped in the long run with finacial problems. Also do you think we make enough to provide for both of us?
Thank you

Answer 1

Your income appears to necessitate you seeking public housing until you both can work full time. Public housing and other welfare assistance programs were designed to help on a temporary basis and that is exactly what your situation calls for. Assuming your incomes will double when you can work full time those $500 a month apartments and a "regular" life will be within reach.

In the mean time say bye bye to your cell phones and cable television as they are luxuries you no longer can afford. The worst thing you can do when you are first starting out is to fall into debt, so save every penny for the times when you fall ill and can't work. You must have some savings to buffer you from hard ...er.. times.

Answer 2

I don't know if the money you quote is what you take home or not, your rent should not be more than 35% of what you take home at the MOST. That means for you two, rent of $420. I am worried even at that. How much is your gas? Auto insurance? Will you need to buy furniture and kitchen stuff? Groceries? Clothes and fun?

I don't think you can do it myself. Can his mom let you stay there at least until you finish high school and work full time?

I made $1000 month years ago and paid $300 in rent. Utilities except phone included. (I took home about $800). I had no car. I struggled mightily to make it on that. Bus fare, groceries, clothes. This was over 20 years ago, everything costs a LOT more now.

Good luck!

Answer 3

You can't afford $500 a month for rent and to keep a car. You probably don't have furniture, dishes, shower curtain, pots and pans or other things to set up housekeeping.
Find a furnished room so you don't need to buy everything at once. Then sell the car making sure your new place is on a bus line or walking distance to school and work.
Then when you finish high school and are working full time start buying blankets, dishes and other things for your first unfurnished apartment. You will need a lot of money to get a real apartment, security deposit, rent, utility deposits then to buy the things you need to keep house. You will also need to pay your own medical insurance if you don't have it at work. Birth control is worth the money the things you can't afford before you get on your feet is babies and credit. A car is too expensive to keep even if paid for because insurance is expensive and you need gas and oil and might get tickets.
You will also need food, cleaning supplies, grooming supplies, hair cuts. Make a budget and see what you can afford and what you can't.

Answer 4

You need to realize that your life is likely to last longer than the next 30 days. Lives are meant to last another 80 years or so. To be prepared for the long haul, one of you needs to get a really good job and the other needs to enroll in college as soon as possible. About five years from now when the college grad gets a job, then the other partner needs to start college. Without a specific plan, you could be in for some serious financial problems. Low income and the stress of growing debt has probably killed more marriages than anything else. Make a success plan and stick to it no matter what. Learn to save 10% of every paycheck by putting it into long term financial instruments like stocks or mutual funds. More money can make more happiness. Education is the key to this doorway.

Answer 5

A good rule of thumb is your rent shouldn't be more than 25 to 30 % of your income.
Sometimes you can find people who rent out a room over the garage. Or a small cabin, a studio apartment. However, high school is hardly enough education. Do you have a vocational school you can go to that will further your education. Sometimes the government will give you a student loan while you go to school.
Perhaps he should think about getting training to be a welder or truck driver, most vocational schools have help in that area.
It is short term but trains you for a job.
Maybe to hurry the process you could take a GED and get a high school equilency test then get into real training for a job.
High school hardly trains you for a job.

Answer 6

first thing you gotta do is get a better job. Hit up all the restaurants and become a waitress to pay the bills. You should make at least 1600 per month as a waitress, maybe even more if you are very friendly. Also if you get into trouble with money you can usually get some leftover food from the restaurant. Maybe you two could rent a room in a house with roommates to cut costs.

Answer 7

My honest opinion is that you two are too young to be in this situation and the odds against you are high. However, I would sit down with your boyfriend and determine what type of career one or both of you want. Then one of you help the other person out while the other works full time (maybe even 2-3 jobs) to pay the bills.

I wish you the best of luck.

Regards

Answer 8

First thing to do is to save money and not go in debt.

Can you move back with your family and he just stay with his family until you graduate at least. You might survive on that much money but why live in poverty *if* you have any other options ?

Yuu say you have transportation, if you make 1200 between you and take out rent, food, car insurance, gas, utilities, you got almost nothing.

Good luck whatever you do !

Answer 9

CONGRATS on growing up kiddo. Not an easy thing to do. You seem very mature for your age.
I think with what YOU make you can afford to live out on your own. Don't get any pets. That will suck your income big time if you care for them properly and no children either.
If you put your money together and sit down and talk out and make a list of things that you NEED to pay you may actually come out ahead.
NOW to get you ahead...I can offer advise on where to get cool things for your apt.
www.Freecycle.org
Then go to your city and register.
How is works is first you make and OFFER:
anything will do. Books, magazines, clothing, soap, vhs movies...etc...
THEN after you have made an offer to GIVE something away, YOU ask for things as WANTED:
Furniture for my first apt.
Or you can be more specific and ask for Loveseat, BED, coffee tables etc...
It is a great place to get rid of things and also get things.
I've gotten rid of things on Freecycle for years.

At any rate....good luck to & your b/f and God Bless.

Answer 10

Between your job, yours and his, keep your search for housing inside a 5-mile radius (or less). The farther you have to drive from work and home, the more gas money you have to spend every week. The drive to and from work will also cut into your free time; like resting and relaxing at home. You two must have done or said something to really upset his mom. I'd try to appologize, offer to start paying rent, and start going to college or vocational training school. I employ a lot of illegal aliens; illegals are the future of low-skilled jobs. If you don't continue your education and instead enter the blue-collar labor force, you're going to find yourself working side by side with illegals. Hiring illegals is allowed by the law.

The Feds passed the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986 to supposedly stop the practice of hiring illegals. The law was just the opposite; it contained loopholes to give employers immunity from criminal prosecution for hiring illegals. Job applicants are required to furnish documents to prove their right to work in the US; but it DID NOT require employers to verify / authenticate these. This means FAKE social security cards, FAKE birth certificates, and FAKE identification cards are allowable forms of documents. So long as employers have these on file, employers like me CAN NOT be prosecuted for hiring illegals.