I'm 18, moving out, and need advice before I tell my parents

cmonskinnylovee

yeah... never assume your roommates will be responsible. Too many bad experiences with bad checks and people eating my food I guess.

my roommates have had to support themselves their entire lives, I think I can trust them actually.

They're family life really is horrible, that's why I'm helping them out by moving in with them

ohskinnyme

I moved out at 17. Maybe it's a bigger deal in the States than in the UK but most people I know move out of the family home at 17/18. Are you really considered a dependent until 24 in some states? That's unbelievable. the US is such a funny little place.

cmonskinnylovee

I moved out at 17. Maybe it's a bigger deal in the States than in the UK but most people I know move out of the family home at 17/18. Are you really considered a dependent until 24 in some states? That's unbelievable. the US is such a funny little place.

Right? It's ridiculous that I'll be considered dependent if I'm living on my own, paying for my own school and bills, and feeding myself.

I hate the government so much sometimes.

ninerbuff

It's good you want to move out, but I will give you good advice on "room mates". There will be times where you will disagree and in some cases this can cause friction enough for one or more to move out. If all 3 of you are on the lease, then all 3 are responsible, but if for some reason you can't make the rent, your credit will suffer. And believe me today, you DON'T want to have any credit issues. It will make things so much harder in the long run. I would urge you to really look at your income. If you don't have 3x the amount of income as your rent, you may run into trouble when "things" just come up out of nowhere.

cmonskinnylovee

Also, I am going to save EVERY PENNY I can until I move out. I am a BIG saver haha

Iamfit4life

Heres my advice....

Stay at home with mom and dad while you go to college. I know they have rules and you want to be independent and that can be a drag. But living on your own gets expensive. Even if you have it all figured out on paper - theres always stuff that pops up that isnt accounted for. In my experience, it seems that most people who got apartments during college ended up dropping out and not going back until later. (ME!) Is living on campus on option? Dont be in such a rush to grow up. You have the rest of your life to pay bills and clean house.

THIS!! I think it's much more accepted nowdays. I think a lot of people are now actually living with them until they get in serious relationships or even married.
I've seen entire communities work that way.

cmonskinnylovee

It's good you want to move out, but I will give you good advice on "room mates". There will be times where you will disagree and in some cases this can cause friction enough for one or more to move out. If all 3 of you are on the lease, then all 3 are responsible, but if for some reason you can't make the rent, your credit will suffer. And believe me today, you DON'T want to have any credit issues. It will make things so much harder in the long run. I would urge you to really look at your income. If you don't have 3x the amount of income as your rent, you may run into trouble when "things" just come up out of nowhere.

I'm going to get a second job, and I plan on selling a lot of my old things in order to save up more money.

I finished paying my first semester of school two or three days ago actually, and I've only been in school for three weeks, haha. I am very responsible, and I believe my room mates are as well. They've supported themselves for most of their life, because their family is, well, less than desirable.

cmonskinnylovee

It's good you want to move out, but I will give you good advice on "room mates". There will be times where you will disagree and in some cases this can cause friction enough for one or more to move out. If all 3 of you are on the lease, then all 3 are responsible, but if for some reason you can't make the rent, your credit will suffer. And believe me today, you DON'T want to have any credit issues. It will make things so much harder in the long run. I would urge you to really look at your income. If you don't have 3x the amount of income as your rent, you may run into trouble when "things" just come up out of nowhere.

I'm going to get a second job, and I plan on selling a lot of my old things in order to save up more money.

I finished paying my first semester of school two or three days ago actually, and I've only been in school for three weeks, haha. I am very responsible, and I believe my room mates are as well. They've supported themselves for most of their life, because their family is, well, less than desirable.

ninerbuff

THIS!! I think it's much more accepted nowdays. I think a lot of people are now actually living with them until they get in serious relationships or even married.
I've seen entire communities work that way.

Yeah I stayed at home till I was 23. Not uncommon for an Asian family.

TheMaidOfAstolat

It will get crazy expensive! Trust me! Stay till you are 20 or can truly afford it. Save all the money you can right now. Pile it away...with this economy stay where you are even if it's not the best situation. I'm 26, divorced, and have a 7 year old...I'm living with the ex in-laws and I can tell you...I wish I had saved more money. My house is about to be in forclosure and while I am lucky enough to not have any debt other than the house my credit is still ruined. You are young and faily naive (which is where I was 7 years ago)...give it time. Why are you wanting to be out of your parents house? I was pregnant and getting married...which was not the plan I had intended. I wanted to be in college and eventually get my masters before even meeting a decent man...and then adopt. Be carefull...the real world has some major complications which you may not be ready for.

veganbaum

Some things to consider:
1. Living with friends, no matter how well you think you know them, is vastly different from living with family. Habits might be there that you don't know about that will annoy the heck out of you. You never know if one of them could be irresponsible and miss the rent or other bills.
2. You say rent, heat/gas (I'm assuming these are the same thing), water. What about electric bill?
3. Food - you're assuming sharing food expenses. First off, you should all come to an agreement about that -will you be planning meals together? It might be best to each have your own food, only sharing meals here and there, rather than counting on sharing equally. And $150 a month for three people sounds a little low, though it's possible to shop on a budget that's only about $37 a week for food for three people.

You may pay for miscellaneous expenses for yourself, but you're not paying for rent or food with your parents. When you live on your own, unforeseen expenses can come up, and roommates can sometimes be unpredictable. My advice - unless you are in an unbearable family situation, I would strongly suggest staying at home while you're in school. Even if you could get financial aid in the form of grants and loans, why saddle yourself with loans if you don't have to? Are you going on to university after community college? Loans rack up, and then there's interest - as soon as you're out of school you'll be saddled with a loan payment that you could have avoided by living with your parents while you finish your education. Should you decide to do it, your parents might point out some of these things to you, but in the end can't technically stop you and have probably been thinking about what you plan on doing since you are 18.

xBeautifulBreakdown

If you think you can swing it financially you should do it. I signed my first lease the day I turned 18. A piece of advice though, DONT put your name on the lease as a lease holder put yourself down as a tenant only. Roommates SUCK. people you think would NEVER screw you over almost always do and if things get ugly and you want to leave you can talk to the landlord and get your name taken off of the lease much easier as a tenant. If you put your name down as the primary lease holder YOU are financially responsible when others dont pay rent or pay late or even walk out on you, YOU are responsible for damages, and if you find that you aren't able to make it work financially you will either have an eviction on your credit OR be held responsible for paying the rent for the remainder of the lease term. I have had plenty of roommates that I trusted that screwed me over, so definitely consider these things before signing the lease

tigersword

Car insurance sounds incredibly cheap for an 18 year old. Is that your own policy? Is the cell phone your own, or part of a family plan? Car insurance would probably go up if you move out of your parents' house, just something to think about.

The car insurance is under me and my dad's name, and it's just liability insurance. I don't think my dad will kick me off the plan as long as i pay for it haha.

Cell phone is part of a family, but I'm changing to cricket wireless as soon as my contract expires, and that's $35 a month

Car insurance is based on where the car is kept. If you move out, it's illegal to stay on your parents' car insurance policy, as the insurance rates are calculated based on many factors, including number of people in the household, where the car is garaged, how many vehicles are in the household, etc, the actual city or town you live in, etc. You move out, you'll have to get your own plan. When I was 18 and got my own insurance, it was over $200 a month, and that for my state minimums. Again, just food for thought.

Also, $150 a month for food? I spend that in a week, and that's with just myself, my wife, and my 3 year old daughter. I think your estimates are incredibly low.

Iamfit4life

THIS!! I think it's much more accepted nowdays. I think a lot of people are now actually living with them until they get in serious relationships or even married.
I've seen entire communities work that way.

Yeah I stayed at home till I was 23. Not uncommon for an Asian family.

Personally in this economy I just think it's sensible.

dmpizza

It is reasonable if you stay focused on your education.
Your parents should be OK with it. Just tell them soon.

ninerbuff

I'm going to get a second job, and I plan on selling a lot of my old things in order to save up more money.

I finished paying my first semester of school two or three days ago actually, and I've only been in school for three weeks, haha. I am very responsible, and I believe my room mates are as well. They've supported themselves for most of their life, because their family is, well, less than desirable.

I'm not doubting your intentions nor the quality of your room mates. I just know from experience that living with friends is DIFFERENT than hanging out with them. Little things you may dislike can definitely come out if there's an argument over something dumb.
I moved in my first apartment with a good friend. He was a great guy, but ALWAYS stayed up late and drank with friends. Even with my doors closed I could hear them. We talked about it and he promised to keep it down, but it was his friends that were the loud ones. I told him that I can't sleep and have been dozing at work because of lack of sleep. He got defensive and stated that he shouldn't have to change his fun because I'm bothered by it. Needless to say, I moved out once the lease was up and we're not friends anymore.
Just a heads up. You're young and I know you want to believe that only the best things will happen because of this. But you also need to look at "what if" it didn't work out. Precaution isn't a bad thing.

red01angel

Everyone here has some really good points.

I don't doubt that you're responsible and could probably handle it, BUT

You WILL encounter unexpected expenses, as well as ones that fluctuate (like electric bills. Mine in January is -$60, while I just got my August one and it was just over $200.) Also, gas (it's only going to go up) and things like that.

Will you be contractually locked into a specific rate per month for rent and all other extras (cable/satellite, phone, internet)? If not, your landlord can (and will) raise your rent unexpectedly, as can your cable/satellite provider.

Will you be staying in all the time? Will you be able to afford doing anything besides sitting in your apartment? Do you like going to the movies or out to dinner with friends? That's an added expense too.
Netflix is a great way to save money and stay entertained, but even that has a price.

Also, a 2nd job is great for income....not great for grades. What's going to be your priority? Many people I know who had 2 jobs in college ended up flunking out because they simply couldn't do school while trying to stay on top of their bills.

My advice would be to stick it out with your parents for at least year, and save EVERY PENNY YOU CAN. Then after you have enough money in savings to live for 4-6 months with no extra income, go ahead and move out.

Most importantly, DO NOT RELY ON LOANS. You have to pay them back at some point, and you can't escape from under student debt regardless of how many times you declare bankruptcy. I know more than a few people who are getting Ph.D.s simply because they can't afford to even pay the interest on their student loan financed undergraduate educations.

ninerbuff

If you think you can swing it financially you should do it. I signed my first lease the day I turned 18. A piece of advice though, DONT put your name on the lease as a lease holder put yourself down as a tenant only. Roommates SUCK. people you think would NEVER screw you over almost always do and if things get ugly and you want to leave you can talk to the landlord and get your name taken off of the lease much easier as a tenant. If you put your name down as the primary lease holder YOU are financially responsible when others dont pay rent or pay late or even walk out on you, YOU are responsible for damages, and if you find that you aren't able to make it work financially you will either have an eviction on your credit OR be held responsible for paying the rent for the remainder of the lease term. I have had plenty of roommates that I trusted that screwed me over, so definitely consider these things before signing the lease

This.

crazyeaCHANGED

All I can say as someone who moved out at 18, is please think about it. Its 100% easier to accomplish your goals in life if you have supportive parents.

Speaking for myself, it was a hard lesson to learn for someone who thought they knew it all and didnt want to listen and follow simple rules any longer. The going was tough. I went hungry a lot, got into financial difficulty, etc. I just wasnt ready. Not saying your are at all, but I was a dumb know it all kid.

I have a daughter who is almost 15 now, and I'm sure she has similar thoughts and I tell her and my sons all the time. Stay as long as you like, make something of yourself, and succeed. Dont make the mistakes I did.

I wish you the best of luck!

veganbaum

Second job while in school? I understand you wanting to help your friends, but your future is just as important. I just think that you shouldn't make things harder for yourself than they need to be. Just try to think long term for yourself. As someone mentioned, with the economy you never know what might happen with your job, and your credit is another thing to think about. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.