/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.119342]

OK guys, now I don't know how DIY related this is but I thought this is the best place to ask. How did you move out and get your own place? Do you recommend roommates, what's the bare minimum I need to be making every month to live comfortably. I'm not trying to move out of my parents house if it means living like a bum.
Any key tips, advice would be very helpful.
Any kind of information at all, seriously

[Anonymous No.119347]

the answer depends entirely on where you live. go to Craigslist if it's available in your area and check rent rates. make a list of all of your expenses: rent, utilities, cable, internet, food, etc. overestimate because you're likely gonna be wrong. try to make more than that by as much as possible.

roommates suck, but they help with the cost of living. I don't have one, but one of my checks is enough to cover all expenses. not sure whether this helps or not, but whatevs.

[Trying to move out No.119350]

>>119347
Well I've done the whole expense report thing. I know how much I need to work to "cover it" and my best friend has been wanting to move out for a while too so he said he's up for getting a place with me. My concern is that I don't want to be living like shit. As far as food goes we can order from his parents pizza place in bulk, making it ridiculously cheap. And we were even thinking food stamps if it's going to get too difficult. Were trying to do it on our own, no help from parents. ( not that I would get any). He could but he's always been pretty independent. Right now I'm in school so if I take up the amount of hours needed to do it I feel like I would be exhausted. So My question is I guess a more exact number of what is realistically affordable for 2 guys at 20 years old to handle. I've sold weed before but I'd rather not get back into that. I have everything I could possibly want for my room already at my house. Would you say the freedom is worth the struggle?

[Trying to move out No.119352]

Also how much money should I have set aside to guarantee I have a place to stay for a while in case I lose my job? How much should I save up before going for it?
I have a car that my parents let me drive, I pay for insurance and take care of it including gas, but should I just get my own car first?

[Trying to move out No.119353]

Also any type of odd jobs I could do that people don't normally think of to cover expenses that wouldn't wreck me but could still bring in a little extra cash for expenses.

[Anonymous No.119357]

looks like my message was lost.

I was in new york and made about 4k a month with a roommate. and was still broke as Hell.

in Georgia, I made about 2k and lived like a king.

in Colorado I make just a bit more than that and live comfortably.

the key thing is where you live. a safe bet is if you make double your expenses you're good. I've heard people recommend having 6 months of expenses saved up, but I think that's overkill.

no one can answer this question for you since it really does vary based on where you live. I thought living away from home was worth it. being able to bring a lady friend home without having to worry about mom or dad is a fucking boss feeling.

[Anonymous No.119358]

I shared apartments and basements for years. Its awesome if the people you live with are bros; really shitty otherwise. For a summer I lived in a house with some middle aged men who were there because their wives left them and took the house; most depressing time ever. Its also best if your landlord isn't living in the apartment; it creates a situation where one person has more power instead of everyone just being equals.

The rent has been from $400 to $600 per month. I live in Vancouver which is the most expensive place in Canada.

I recently got my own apartment. Its $900 per month, including power and internet. I'm missing the company of roommates sometimes, but I needed more space for my DIY projects.

[Anonymous No.119366]

>>119357

to add to this, roommates can be awesome or horrible. having someone with you while you figure this out might help a lot. or you two might just fuel each other's stupidity and amplify the damage you two can do. also, make sure this is someone you want to move in with. moving in with someone almost always changes the relationship: either you two will love each other by the end of it, or you'll want to kill that son of a whore for some annoying little thing he does that gets on your nerves.

[Anonymous No.119371]

>>119352
Most people indicate 6 months worth of expenses as a proper emergency fund. It's not just for covering your ass during periods of unemployment, but also for taking care of other emergencies such as car repairs.

[Anonymous No.119377]

>what's the bare minimum I need to be making every month to live comfortably
Typically it is estimated that rent and utilities should be no more than 1/3 of your monthly income. If it is, then you are probably going to find yourself living month to month.

Your emergency savings should be 6 months worth of living expenses. Note that this is outside of your regular and retirement savings. The 6 month figure comes from the idea that if you've lost your job or have been hurt and cannot work, 6 months worth of breathing room is usually enough time to heal and find work.

If you don't have a budget and savings plan, you need to start now, before you move out. Knowing how much you have and tracking how much you spend will allow you to determine how much rent you can afford.

Frankly, with your current arrangement, I would stay with your parents and get a job with the goal of building savings. The idea is that when you complete school, you will have enough savings that you can hit the ground running.

The thing is, it is easy to become lax about this when you aren't paying rent. It's easy to say fuck it, I spend so much time at school, I don't want to work, or hey, I'll get fast food instead of packing lunch, but you may not realize how little money you are left over with.

Try the budget exercise and directly track how much you spend. Save your receipts - the amount you spend per week might surprise you.

[Anonymous No.119380]

>>119352
The car thing would depend on your parents, really. There's nothing wrong with the car being in your parents' name UNLESS they're somehow crazy or controlling and would take it back from under you on a whim. In fact, if you can work out something to get them to insure it, it would be cheaper because of your age.

[Anonymous No.119388]

>>119380
>There's nothing wrong with the car being in your parents' name

i dis agree....if they are homeowners and he kills someone their home is now subject to lein

[Anonymous No.119390]

Long story short it takes quite a bit of money to live a normal life on your own. Even with a roommate it can cost quite a bit with little room for error like a deadbeat roommate missing payments, losing a job, or emergencies.

If you move outside dense areas like cities you can save money. Also different parts of the country are significantly cheaper than others. But if you're asking the question then it's pretty safe to say that it's still going to be pretty damn expensive for you. Don't worry it is for most of us.

I lived on my own for about 10 years then had to move in back with mom and dad after losing work. I'm 30 now and no signs of moving out again. I'm a manager and only get 10 bucks an hour. Even full time living in Portland isn't enough to live and pay student loans. I mean I could pull it off, especially if I had a roommate but the time it would take to pay off loans will jump from 3-4 years up to idk like 15 years and again there would be a slim margin of error for deadbeat roommates or emergencies.

There's always the military.