So, I’ll be graduating in July of 2006 from PTI with a associates degree in Network Administration and Computer Forensic’s. I’ve been living with my parents mostly and paying off my school loan 300-400 dollars a month at a time. I’ve paid off about 8,000 so far. As I will be graduating, I will be turning 21 in June. My questions are, should I continue to mooch off my parents and put some money towards them for food, water, cable, etc, and just save up some money and then move out in a year? Or should I move out after I find a full time job after my internship at the Science Center, still paying for school, and having stupid shit like rent, food, etc. I really dont like to mooch off them as they have done alot for me to help me get where I am at this point. Im making around 800/month after taxes and put away another 200 a month. I have close to 2,000 save up right now. So, what would you do?
When I left college, I lived with my parents for a few months and saved up money. I paid off my school loan and bought a car.
I would stay at home, ONLY if you are responsible enough to save money. Some people end up blowing the extra money they are making instead of saving it. I got a financial advisor and it’s totally paid off!
I would put your extra money in a money market - make sure it’s taken out of your checking account monthly and you will be thankful in 40 years!
Stay at home… where you are safe. If I could still be living at home I would… and I’m sure I’m younger than you are. Its not hard to live alone… but I’d be able to do so much more and actually have a life like my friends if I lived at home.
If your parents and you get along… and they will let you stay- why not? If I could do it again I’d stay with them and put away a HUGE chunk of money a month and wait a few years. Then when you do move out- money (which is always my biggest problem) will not be an issue!
800/ month is not much… you arent gonna find too much. stay at home long enough to save alot of money because when you move out money goes real fast. couch, kitchen supplies bedroom stuff food rent utilities it goes real fast. i am paying about 1400 a month for everything that i got goin on now. and thats with out a car payment. so save and “mooch” trust me your 'rents are thinking its mooching. pitch some money to them and save ALOT. and congradulations on graduation.
stay for a year or two and save as much as you can. don’t invest it until you’ve moved out and have a solid idea of your monthly expenses away from home. then you can budget for investments.
i moved out with $4. it hasn’t been a walk in the park
Stay at home. Like someone else mentioned 800 a month isn’t much. Work on blitzing your bills and saving up. That way with staying at home you will still be able to have a life instead of living off boxed Mac N Cheese and living pay check to pay check.
Live at home, kick some cash their way, and cut the grass. Hmmmm… maybe you should come live with me. Can you baby sit too? 
def stay at home. im 25 and bring home about 2k a month and i still live paycheck to paycheck. pay off your bills and save some money!!! if i could move back home, i would. but too far from work and too many ppl in that house!! haha
ohh god stay home… Since I got kicked out my house … 
Well if I could live back home I would definately do it… With rent + Food + car insurance + others… My expenses are around 1000 per month… And I get free cable +internet + cell phone service and I dont even have a car paymant… definately stay at home.
stay at home and if you have problems saving, open a savings accout with one of your parents that takes 2 signatures to withdrawl. that way it makes it a lil harded to pointlessly spend
like everyone said, stay at home. me and my parents really get along so it especially works out for me. I just kinda wish i was better with my money in college, but oh well. live and learn
yeah if i was still living at home i would have it made. id save every extra dollar i had. but i’m living with the fuure wifey so me saving money is pretty much out the window now.
I’m 25 and moved home last year after being on my own (college and first Job) for 6 years… Think long and hard about whether or not you can handle coming home every night to your rents …
Yes I’m 25 & still get retarded questions, my dad getting pissed that My apartment isn’t clean…“where were you?, why didn’t you come home last night ect…”
OH and I still pay rent there – So I’m only really saving 400 bucks a month but that all goes to other bills …
Tough call… it helped a little bit for me but the mental punishment of the above is not worth saving 400$ to me…
MP3Ray had a good idea… go to a financial counselor – Good luck
I chose to live with my parents after I finished school. My parents are laid back and we get a long well so it wasn’t a tough choice. Although my Mom wants me to stay forever and my Dad wants me gone 6 years ago… it evens itself out, haha. My goal is to get my car paid off a year early and have all my debt gone real soon. I was lucky enough (or unlucky I guess because of the circumstances) to inherit a piece of property directly across the street from my parents house. There is an old run down house on the property now that I will begin gutting this spring. While I gut the house and eliminate my other payments I’ll stay with the parents. Then, if all goes well I can get a loan to repair (rebuild) the house myself. Since my Dad and I will be doing the work ourselves, it will be a loan for the cost of materials… Then when I am finished with the house, I will move out.
Won’t be bad though, my block is mostly my family. On each corner is my parents house and my cousins house. Dirctly across the street from my parents house is my house. On either side of that is a fairly large lot (future garage) and another cousin. On the opposite side is my aunt/uncle and the next house after that is my sister’s house. 6 out of the 9 houses on my block are direct family and the other 3 houses are all good people. Can’t complain about the neighborhood at least.