Moving out: Worth it or not?

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I am trying to move out for my senior year and have discovered many hidden expenses and unforeseeable budget crunchers. One surprise expense is damage, to your person, car, home or other property. If you aren’t careful, you can go over your budget and end up not having enough income to pay for all your expenses.

In my search for an apartment I have visited several different places. Some have ended up being in high crime neighborhoods and some have had more hidden fees than they advertise. You have to be extremely careful when choosing a new place to live and take into consideration your neighbors and utility costs.

Living on your own for the first time is a big adjustment. You have all new responsibilities and opportunities.

Paying rent is not the only expense you have when you begin living on your own. For example, you have to pay for life, auto and home insurance. You also have to pay for utilities such as electricity, water and trash.

In addition to monetary stress, there is also the stress of being without parents and living with other teenagers. When you move out on your own, you no longer have your parents there all the time to comfort you and pick you up when you fall down. It is a big adjustment emotionally. Also, most kids don’t get along perfectly with their siblings, so chances are that there will be arguments with roommates which may lead to further disagreements.

If I end up at my current first choice apartment with two additional roommates and a dog, my overall expenses will end up at about $824 per month. I have also been considering a nicer apartment that is just over my budget range; however, if I end up there, my overall expenses will be about $930 per month.

Given this information and the fact that my job pays only $8.00 per hour, I would have to work a minimum of 26 hours per week at the less expensive apartment and a minimum of 30 hours per week at the more expensive apartment. However, when being realistic, and knowing my shopping addiction, I would have to work about 30 hours a week to live in the less expensive apartment and about 32 hours a week to live in the more expensive apartment.

When I sat down and really thought about moving out, I realized that there was no way I could do that to my little sister. She would be devastated, even though she would never admit it.

Before you take the jump and move out on your own, you must consider how your actions will affect the other people in your life and then determine if moving out is the best choice or if there is a better alternative.

In addition to the ridiculous workload necessary to move out, I would have to continue to go to school; however, I would only have to go for half days because I only need 4 more credits to graduate. With such a heavy schedule it will be very difficult to have time to myself and to spend time with my friends (and dog).

Therefore, although moving out is possible, the end result may not be worth the struggle it would take to live semi-comfortably.

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