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What was it like living on your own for the first time?
Got any advice for a 20 year old about to fend for herself out there in the real world? Faith has brought together two girlfriends; she has a boyfriend who is super nice but makes a sheisty living..my boyfriend and I know moving in together is way too big of a commitment to take on as of yet. Rose and I agreed on an affordable apartment. Boys can't always be trusted, but I'm a little more nervous about us girls meeting our payments on barista paycheques!
Bills are fucking frightening because we're totally doing this on our own financially..not particularly a choice since I'm taking time off uni. I'd saved up enough for down payment for first and last rent. I have 2 jobs and work full time but I've never had to budget before in my life!
On the brighter side, I am a pretty mean cook! And I'm excited to design our apartment, however humble:)
What was your first time being financially independent like? What was the best and worst part about it?
Bills are fucking frightening because we're totally doing this on our own financially..not particularly a choice since I'm taking time off uni. I'd saved up enough for down payment for first and last rent. I have 2 jobs and work full time but I've never had to budget before in my life!
On the brighter side, I am a pretty mean cook! And I'm excited to design our apartment, however humble:)
What was your first time being financially independent like? What was the best and worst part about it?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Chanel on -
Develop excellent money managing skills.
Leave a light on when your gone
Be aware of where you live. If you're in a new area..go on a ride a long with the police & get educated on your neighborhood.
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Permalink Reply by Martin S on -
The biggest surprise to me was just how much everything costs. I went in with a budget that I thought was very doable, and just got killed. So much stuff that you dont even think about paying for when you were living at home. Who budgets for toilet paper, dish soap, and a million other things that need to be bought or replaced?
Seriously, make the most honest budget you can and just expect another 30-40% to vanish somewhere.
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Permalink Reply by Patrick on -
Two tips:
1. I live in a house with two girls and we agreed to buy centrally used items (TP, Paper Towels, Dishwasher Soap, etc.) I go to Costco and buy it in bulk and charge my roomies at the end of the month. I noticed in college and other living situations there's hoarding of these kinds of things. I'm all for harmonious living.
2. When it comes to utilities I have done it two ways: in the last house I lived in we each took one utility and we were in charge of paying it and soliciting money from others. What was good about that was that nobody was totally responsibility free. What I do now is I volunteered to become the utlities master- and I have them all under my name. While it is risky I trust my roommates and it's great that along with the community goods- I send out one e-mail with all the charges and they cut me one check.
I also wrote a blog post about some financial things I learned when I started living on my own:
http://bit.ly/bSNGYM
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Permalink Reply by Mindy on -
In college, I had an apartment but I wasn't really financially independent. When I graduated and moved 600 miles away, I had no choice but to be, and splitting the bills between my boyfriend and I was no issue.
Then we broke up and I got my own place all alone. That brought along new challenges of being completely and totally responsible for every penny of every bill. I quickly grabbed myself a blank notebook, wrote down each bill and its due date, and continually kept track of my finances. It helped a great deal because I could look at that book and know approximately how much money I absolutely had to make each month. Sometimes that meant picking up an extra shift or two, other times it meant foregoing dinners with friends for Ramen noodles. But it helped so much in the long run.
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Permalink Reply by Jessi B. on -
I moved out 2 days after I graduated high school and never looked back! My first week in my own apartment was pure bliss for me. I loved (and still do love) being in charge of my own life. When you can wake up and look around and see that your created your new life for yourself, THAT is pure happiness. My number one piece of financial advice is: start saving your money now, even if it is just five dollars a week, get into the habit asap, and keep it. If you get used to living paycheck to paycheck it is really hard to break the cycle, I speak from experience. You should look at savings as a necessity and you should put something away before spending money on discretionary stuff. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on -
There is already some great advice here, so maybe someone's already covered this, but I would recommend sitting down and writing out what you think your expenses will be each month in advance and then write down what you actually spend in the first month and comparing it based on that. You'll quickly figure out what you can realistically spend and where.
I loved taking control and responsibility for my life for the first time. I hope it's as fun for you. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Callan on -
I'm twenty and have lived on my own for about two years. Well, with roommates.
My partner and I just moved into our first place as a couple (though we have lived together with family for 5 months) and it is so totally different (responsibility-wise) than having roomies!
Yes. Things cost a LOT. We were lucky enough to have family donate a large amount of hand-me-downs and new things that we have almost everything. I bought our dining table and two chairs at Target on clearance for $25 altogether. Our couch is a daybed w/a trundle I bought on Craigslist for $40 and we have decorated it with about a thousand and two pillows. It is the comfiest (not to mention super adorable) couch! It also provides a guest bed for my family/friends who may visit us from Portland (400 miles away).
My tips:
-Shop clearance. You'll need some a paper towel rack at some point, so get the one that's marked down to $3 rather then the $15 one you'll find in three months.
-Craigslist it UP! You can find everything from rugs and beds (maybe slightly sketchy) to dining chairs and pots n pans and mostly, really cheap.
-Target carries a brand called RE, which is sort of aimed at kids our age. It is all super cheap and not bad for what you pay.
-Get a plunger before you need one. Yucky.
-Don't buy something JUST BECAUSE it is well priced. Make sure you need it.
-Get a Costco membership. Split shared items' costs with your roomie. This saves a TON of money!
The best part about moving out is the peace and quiet (or the option of being loud!). The worst is when that monthly bill comes and your bank account cries out all of its precious savings.
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