Hey everybody,
Well I'm thinking of moving out to an apartement that my godbrother suggested me to his friend and girlfriend.
The appartement is a condo style place, I get a room for myself, plenty of closet space and I find it big and comfortable enought. It's a few walks from the bus station, in front of a shopping centre, in front of a Loblaw grocery store and there's two bus next to the appartement where I can take it to go to school right away. In the morning, I don't need to walk 10-15 min to a bus station and I don't need to take two buses to go to school in the afternoon. The only downfall is that I have to work to be able to pay the rent, food, utilities and all my personal needs. Not to forget cooking for myself... Which I suck at it but the people who I am going to live with will teach me how to cook.
Here what the monthly cost for different things will be:
Rent/utilities/cable/internet: 350$
Phone bill: 45$
Bus card:45$
Food: 100$
Total: 540$
Monthly needs:
Skin product: 24.45$
Laser treatment: 40$
cosmetic/other: 30$
Total: 94.45$
Total: 634.45$
My dad is going to give me the monthly allowance (200$) and he will pay my school fees and books)
Reduce 200$ from the total: 434.45$
I earn close to 690$ per month at Tim Hortons so I will get to save 1/3. Although I have to be prepare for any hidden fee such as entertainement. The appartement will include a swimming pool and a gym to work out. All I have to pay is the key to enter there and I can bring a friend or two to workout.
Another disavantage is that I won't get to save for my Japan trip as fast as I would like. Also, I will have to get serious about saving. Since living with my parents, all over the limit purchase are forgivable since... Well I don't have to pay for anything.
My dad was seriously not supportive of me moving because he thinks I won't be able to concentrate on my studies and all that. He won't help me in anything at all and I have to convince him to give me the allowance and pay for my books. I just asked him if he could bring me to places where I can buy furnitures. He thought I was going to take care of anything. Can't I have any guidance DAD?!!
The reasons why I want to move are plenty. There are times this house gets violent and it's usually in school times. It makes me stress because of problems at home and I can't concentrate well in school. Moving out into a new environnement will make me more responsible and I will learn how to cook, clean and everything. Most of all, it will open my eyes to the real world. My parents overprotect me because they've heard all kind of horror stories but I wanna prove to them that I can be on my own and that I will take precaution in things. It seems that this family especially in all side of my family tries to lead me into the right path. What right path?! If you guys try to overprotect me then I will be friken miserable in my life. I know that my decisions may not be the best all the time but I will learn from my mistakes and I will grow.
Anyways,if I got to my final decision then I will start moving on August 1st. By then, I will get to save as much as possible before that date, hopefully ^.^
Thinking of moving out
May 31st, 2008 at 01:35 am
May 31st, 2008 at 01:21 pm 1212240075
Living at home is the cheapest/easiest form of living... in a couple of years time when you are out on your own you may wish you were back at home again !!
Living with friends will be fun & cool but will be expensive... you havn't factored in entertainment in your budget... when I first left home this was my BIGGEST expense... young people living together means
partying and spending on partying.
I think it is likely your studying will suffer as you will have less time (cooking and cleaning for yourself) and more distractions (people coming and going).
The best way to save for your travels is to live at home... there is no way you can save as much out on your own...
Finally, the violence thing sounds very ominous and worrying. This is not acceptable and I hope you realise this. Can you speak to a counsellor in your college about it so you can devise a plan to deal with/eliminate it ??
You are over 18 so the decision is yours... I know whatever you decide will be fine in the long-run coz u have youth on your side...
Have fun & be safe :-)
May 31st, 2008 at 01:24 pm 1212240246
May 31st, 2008 at 09:58 pm 1212271083
Of course, I had less help from my parents, but it was still doable. IT took extreme frugal-ness. But it was also the best financial learning experience I have ever had.
I think what I gave up was a large amount of carefree-ness. But my parents were the kind I LOVE in adulthood but I Was miserable living with them. Very strict. I had had enough, and figured I was taking care of myself anyway (but for the roof over my head) and I rather be out on my own. I can't imagined if I had stayed home another few years. I might have gone crazy.
Things like traveling the world certainly weren't in the cards for me. So it is something I would think hard about. Then again, with your parents helps maybe you can have your cake and eat it too.
I think most people would say I worked too hard in college, but I had a fair amount of fun and certainly no regrets. For one, I never took summer school. I would often spend weekends with my friends at their party schools and live vicariously through them. So I like to think I found some sort of balance. I also feel like I started out on such strong financial footing out of school (used to living on so little, it was easy to save once I got a degree) - I like to think that I will have more money to splurge and travel the world as an adult. So in some sense it kind of works out.
I figured you'd get a lot of comments of "don't do it" so I had to throw in a positive experience from someone who has sort of been there. It certainly wasn't easy - I have to be honest there - but it made me a very strong person. For that I will never regret it.
Good Luck, whatever you decide!
June 1st, 2008 at 06:16 am 1212300994
It's not easy. You will be on a budget and most of your friends won't so it makes for double temptation and stress. But if the choice is between violence and having to say "can't - I can't afford it", saying can't afford it is far less stressful and is a very valuable skill for later life.
I suspect somehow that you are an "old soul". If you are, living on your own even at a young age is reasonable - you're remembering what you did in your past when in fact life was tougher.