Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ok, I can get that. In your situation, you made it work living on your own. I probably couldn't have done it without roommates, though I think I would have tried if needed.
Given the choice between staying at home, or having roommates (based on my budget), I'd take the roommates every time
That said, I mostly had good roommates - I'm sure that makes a big difference. I lived with friends (or they lived with me). People that were already good friends from the start. That helped a lot.
Other way around for me
Also, I roomed with 2 of my best HS friends, and they were clean-cut, well-to-do guys. The whole roomie thing just wasn't for me.
Not if you live in any decent city. A one bedroom, a low end one, is $1200-1500 plus utilities. Heck, if you want a decent place, you'll probably be paying $800-1000 to live with roommates.
What is a decent city? I lived in the 7th largest city and paid $650 a month for a 2-bedroom townhome with a backyard in a quiet neighborhood. Of course, that wasn't an easy find. However, I could have found something similar very quickly in the $800-900 price range. I currently live in a 2-bedroom in the Austin metro area that is almost $1,000 a month, and I thought that was expensive. The cost of living in Texas is low, even in the large cities and metros.
Why do people keep generalizing a generation? I am a millenial and have never put a generation into a category. This is ridiculous and ignorant. And if you're a millneial generalizing yourself that's even worse.
My kids are millennials and are investing, not working paycheck to paycheck.
But your post raises a question. Have you found a job yet?
Good for you but we can't have everybody investing and not working paycheck to paycheck. That's why all the jobs have gone overseas and there aren't enough skilled jobs because we don't produce skilled work anymore. Every kid wants to be a millionaire and profit through IPOs or hire a bunch of immigrants to produce a niche product.
This country will go down hill if we no longer become innovators and creative leads. We are already going down that path and sadly the future will be grim, no jobs for most and only the privileged will be better off and then the government will have to tax the rich even harder than today.
If you're single with no kids, I sure as hell HOPE you can afford an apartment and Starbucks every morning.
That's roughly what, $36k/year? A single, young person should be able to afford a decent 1 bedroom AND a decent car at that wage.
Not realistically. Sure, the math adds up, but you'll have no savings accumulating. What if your car breaks down and the repair costs $2000? And are you not putting money into an IRA? If you have student loans to pay, are you factoring in the interest, which for most recent grads is well above $1000 per year?
Not realistically. Sure, the math adds up, but you'll have no savings accumulating. What if your car breaks down and the repair costs $2000? And are you not putting money into an IRA? If you have student loans to pay, are you factoring in the interest, which for most recent grads is well above $1000 per year?
Realistically? Yes. I did it. And it wasn't very difficult.
Rent was $750/month.
Car was paid off. I do repairs myself, so aside from tires/alignments, I never really paid over $100 for any repair.
I was easily able to save up. After about four years, I had enough to put down for a house.
Once I got engaged, got children, and started to have people to take care of, things changed.
Good for you but we can't have everybody investing and not working paycheck to paycheck. That's why all the jobs have gone overseas and there aren't enough skilled jobs because we don't produce skilled work anymore. Every kid wants to be a millionaire and profit through IPOs or hire a bunch of immigrants to produce a niche product.
This country will go down hill if we no longer become innovators and creative leads. We are already going down that path and sadly the future will be grim, no jobs for most and only the privileged will be better off and then the government will have to tax the rich even harder than today.
Did you miss my point? It was that generalizing the way the OP did is nonsense.
30 years ago it wouldn't be that uncommon to find kids going door to door to shovel for cash. Now the kids don't need it because entertainment is so free these days. You'll find 60+ year olds having to buy and use snowblowers by themselves.
Oh my God -say it isn't so! People who are 60+ actually have to do their own snowblowing??!! ALONE?!
I'm sorry, this just made me laugh. I know people who are approaching 70 who, within the past year, have gone skydiving, hiked the Himilayas and ran marathons. One is planning on walking the Camino de Santiago this year. All 500 miles of it.
I know the point you were trying to make but snowblowing isn't very taxing compared to shoveling, and today's 60 year olds can be pretty active people.
One problem I've dealt with myself, and that I see in my peers, is overconfidence in their future employability. It leads to rash decisions. They know that living paycheck-to-paycheck and/or taking on debt is a bad idea, but they think it's ok for the time being because "After I go back to school for that Masters degree, I'll be making $90k/yr and be able to pay off my debts and save", or, my personal favorite, "The economy sucks right now," the belief that the tough job market for college grads is a temporary problem.
The writing is on the wall: things won't get better. Make the most of your job situation and start saving money. Live with your parents if you're able to. At $17/hr you can't afford your own apartment and Starbucks every morning. Spend all your free time building a portfolio or learning new skills. Every hour you spend goofing off is an hour that a Chinese or Indian kid spent learning the latest tech skill so that he'll have a better chance at coming here as a guest worker. It's either he or you that is going to fill that job opening at Amazon.
It's time to get serious, folks! No more living in denial!
I had my own apartment on $15/hour. Saved a bit as well, although not much. I never had to dip into my bonus income though. I often stopped and got coffee on my way to work. $17/hr is about $35k/yr. That's really not bad money at all in 90% of the country, especially if you're single and not trying to support a family on it. Really, it sounds more like you have a problem with your earnings not matching what you think you're worth and are lashing out than anything else. I lived pretty well on $15/hour.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
