Fireball Express wrote: The problem w/ having roommates is that they can be Deadbeats. Know who you are choosing as a roommate. You don't want to have to pick up his slack in the expenses. So don't choose your buddy who has always asked you to borrow money. Sure he's fun but you'll be paying for it. Make sure he can afford his end.
Good advice....I got stuck in this situation my second year of college...and from experience, a deadbeat roomate is a lot easier to get than get rid of...
As has already been mentioned...make a budget and stick to it..that is another difficult thing to day...it is easy to write out a budget...but very difficult to stick to...but on your income you will have to...
Good luck with the move....
When I first moved out I got a big place with my cousin who had a good job at the time. It was BIG and nice and cost $1,200/month in Montreal the land of cheap rent. That was a lot for a first year university boy - but splitting it was workable for me.
Anyways I couldn't live with my cousin. It was terrible and I had to kick him out 3 months later. When he moved out my aunt put her arm around me and said that she warned me that her son was a loser (cool aunt, bad mother). So I was stuck paying $1,200 month for the rest of the year Good thing that my parents helped me out.
I'm in my final year of college, and will be heading out on my own as well in May. I've been "on my own" physically since I was 18, but with some financial support from the 'rents. In May, I'll be living with a roommate, and this is the way I think you should go - one person to defray the cost of everything. Our apartment is a 2 bedroom, kind of small, and 1000 a month (500 each) and that's an absolute steal where I come from. Good luck, I'm going to need it too!
i moved out on my own about 4 months after graduating from high school...... i loved every minute of it..... but i do know several people who could not handle living alone and had to move back in with their family...... i was lucky and was able to find a small trailer to buy and then found me a small piece of land to rent from a friends daddy that had had a trailer on it in the past so it was already to be set up.......
making it on your own all depends on you...... i would recommend starting off small as mad said with a 6 month lease... no need in signing anything bigger than that just in case u cant hack it..... i would also start small with the "necessities" as well,,, such as phone, cable, food, internet access......... get what u absolutely must have.... such as in my case, i went for cable to watch ball games, passed on the phone,,,, and for food i learned how to cook.... knowing how to cook is also a must, learn how to fry the little things first such as smoked sausage or bologna or chicken strips before moving onto porkchops or hamburger steak.... cooking on the grill is a helpful tool as well.....
anyways just remember to take it step by step,,,you will find it is easier than u think it would be, if you go small and then after time add other things u need.......
The other option is not move out until you have enough money to buy a small home or condo...better then renting. My apartment rent was 1100 a month and my mortgage is now 1400 a month, not that big a difference when you think about how you are pissing away one and the other you will get back plus some.
BigMusky wrote:The other option is not move out until you have enough money to buy a small home or condo...better then renting. My apartment rent was 1100 a month and my mortgage is now 1400 a month, not that big a difference when you think about how you are pissing away one and the other you will get back plus some.
That's the simplest way of looking at it. However, you still have property taxes (Long Island taxes are as high as some people's mortgages in other states. ) , homeowner's insurance, and not to mention a myriad of other expenses that homeowners incur. It may be a little more costly than it intially appears.
If you are going to go that route I suggest buying a 2 family house or one where you can finish the basement as a rentable apartment. A little extra cash flow helps with the expenses.
that is very true fireball....I forgot that he does not have all the crap you need just to keep the place looking nice. Almost take that stuff for granted after a while. My taxes though are escrowed into that payment...and insurance is not that bad. I had renters before. If you get a townhouse though, it is like an aparment you own. Just a thought.
Some things to remember
Your poker winnings probably won't count towards income as far as the APt. complex goes, A lot of places require that you make 3x rent w/ the paycheck stubs to prove it. Other things to consider when looking at apartments, I always try to get a top floor apt.! It sucks having a party going on above your head Be verrrrrrrrry
careful when selecting a room-mate, there is nothing worse than a dead-beat room-mate!!!
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Good thing that my parents helped me out.
