so i need a bit of help..

[kacation_man]

although i think the answer is obvious im going to present my issue and the two options i have just to get other peoples opinion.

im 18 and have been trying to save up to move out of my parents house for a few months... me and a friend of mine who are going to be getting the apartment together, we both work part time at our local Toys R Us. we make an average of about $350-400 a week, however as of lately its been quite a bit less then that, closer to $250-300 with all the time lost to seasonal workers.

as of lately I've been having some doubts as to whether or not we can afford this, im almost certain we can not, and if we could it would be scraping bottom of the barrel.

rent would be about $900 a month for the two bed room apartment, this does not include utilities, electric, and cable and such.. just rent.. all that included im guessing some where between $1100-1350 a month.

after security deposits and such our move in price is just under $1300.. we've been saving for almost 3 months now and despite our best efforts to not spend money at every chance ( and i think we've actually been pretty good at it ), we still dont even have enough yet to simply have the keys handed over.

after car insurance, cell phone bills, food, and other necessities, i really dont think we'll have enough

we get paid bi-weekly so if we do make the max of $400 a week ( Toys R Us will not give us over time and cap our hours out a State or Fed max, which ever is lower ) with that said at our pay $400 is about hte max we can both make a week ( give or take a few $20's )

so

$400
x 4weeks ( 2 of my checks and 2 of his )
____
$1600

$1600
-$1300
______
$300

and assuming half of what is left is mine, and the other half is his that leaves me $150

my phone bill is about $75 a month

$150
- $75
____
$75

and right now im not even sure what my car insurance would be due to it being under my dads name to keep it as low as possible, but if i move out i have to get it under my name and being 18 it wont be cheap. some how after gas this wont even be a remote possibility.

so with insurance unknown just factoring in gas to make my argument we'll assume i use about $30-40 of gas a month because my car doesnt need much and gas prices are way down and i have no idea if they will go up, i usually put about $10 of gas in a week.

$75
-$35
____
$40

this pretty much leaves me with close to nothing at the end of the month.. and this is almost assuming i make the most money possible at my job every month.

so i have 2 options.

1: i can try and move out and live month by month lucky to make rent.

or option two:

2: Stay at home for a while, live here for free or dirt cheap with free internet access and food, go back to school and get some sort of education, and buy a new graphics card and some christmas presents.. and save up to go to quake con next year.

this friend of mine wont be happy with me i think if i choose option 2 because hes been looking forward to moving out for a long time.. but financially i dont think its a wise decision right now with the economy as bad as it is.. we might be able to do it with second jobs however it wont be easy getting a second job with the holidays now coming close to ending and again the economy and all..

I'd really like to go back to school for something, what yet im not sure.. I'd like to learn programming honestly. and if i move out im almost positive it wont happen because I'll be to buys trying to make rent and ends meet.

sorry to bore you with such a long post.. but it would be nice for some feed back..

what do you guys think?

 

[Reginald]

I have no idea how money works in the US, but I looked at moving out/in with a couple of friends this year but we all agreed it wasn't financially viable.

Best wait a bit.

 

[Pesmerga]

I moved out into a house with 2 other guys (so rent and utils are split up 3 ways) and I pay about $450 a month for rent, electric, gas, insurance, food, and other vitals.

The total house rent is only $700, and it's a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 1 garage and it's pretty nice. But frankly, I won't regret moving into a dorm or back with my parents by the time the lease is up. It was a nice experience and I know now that I can definitely live on my own if I need to, but money is tight and the future is unsure- it's best to stick with people who are financially sound and get your education out of the way.

If you and your friend are set on moving out, I would totally recommend it. Find a third roommate and get something small, clean, and cheap.

 

[JFry]

Sounds like you already know the answer. If the moons align and the tide is right you might be able to swing it. Unfortunately, life has a way of throwing unexpected expenses at you all the time. What if your car breaks down or you get laid off? Surprise trip to the hospital, speeding ticket, or somebody's birthday? The list goes on and on.

Not to mention your relationship with your friend has a high chance of going down the tubes in these situations. You might get along great now but what about when he's late paying his half of the rent (effectively trashing YOUR credit, depending on how you do the lease). It might not seem like a big deal now but after six months of him leaving dirty dishes everywhere ( or him bugging you about yours, depending on your personality type) it will begin to grate on you. Working with him makes it even worse. Constantly seeing the same person can get on anyone's nerves even if you guys get along great normally.

It's pretty obvious to see where I stand on this issue. I'm not saying it can't work, but it will be hard and require sacrifice if you go thru with it. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Just curious tho, where are you from? $900 a month seems awfully steep.

 

[Pesmerga]

Oh yes, relationships with people you move in with always seem to change, even if no one does anything particularly wrong or annoying.

 

[kacation_man]

Sounds like you already know the answer. If the moons align and the tide is right you might be able to swing it. Unfortunately, life has a way of throwing unexpected expenses at you all the time. What if your car breaks down or you get laid off? Surprise trip to the hospital, speeding ticket, or somebody's birthday? The list goes on and on.

Not to mention your relationship with your friend has a high chance of going down the tubes in these situations. You might get along great now but what about when he's late paying his half of the rent (effectively trashing YOUR credit, depending on how you do the lease). It might not seem like a big deal now but after six months of him leaving dirty dishes everywhere ( or him bugging you about yours, depending on your personality type) it will begin to grate on you. Working with him makes it even worse. Constantly seeing the same person can get on anyone's nerves even if you guys get along great normally.

It's pretty obvious to see where I stand on this issue. I'm not saying it can't work, but it will be hard and require sacrifice if you go thru with it. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Just curious tho, where are you from? $900 a month seems awfully steep.

I live in a part of Arizona thats being newly developed.. out here you can either get a really nice pricey apartment or a really cheap crappy apartment in a part of town your pretty likely to get shot or blown up in.. not many in betweens.

 

[Raziaar]

I live in a part of Arizona thats being newly developed.. out here you can either get a really nice pricey apartment or a really cheap crappy apartment in a part of town your pretty likely to get shot or blown up in.. not many in betweens.

Blown up in? I wasn't aware the United States had rampant problems with domestic terrorism explosions.

 

[kacation_man]

I was over exaggerating, but you never know with this little city some times o.o

 

[hool10]

Ya bro I'm 21 and I'm in the same boat as you. I was getting $600+ a week then they just laid me off right before Thanksgiving. Thankfully I have unemployment insurance money every week now. I just have to apply for 3 jobs every week. Anyways I recently made a thread similar to yours. I mean I just got laid off from the job that I entered after graduating with an Associate Degree in Welding Technology. The only people that aren't getting laid off:

1. Doing something illegal.
2. Have been there forever.
3. Just lucky....for now.

The unemployment office line btw was like a concert line too. No, believe me if I could get a great job, good gf, and live in a place with her that we both liked, it would be a perfect world. I say you just quit you HS job and enter into college. Get an Associate Degree in something because in my experience you are paid beans and it's hard period finding a job when your young, especially graduating grad school. Just ride out the storm bro because right now everything has gone to shit.