HOW TO BE INDEPENDENT.....ReleaseMe

How to be independent, for young people. Before you leave your parent's home, get a job. Open a free checking account and start putting all of your money in the bank. Save all of your money. Don't spend money on weed, beer, new clothes, concert tickets or a new tattoo. Life will be pretty boring for a while, but your independence is worth it! Start looking on Craig's list, and local classified ads for a used car, a cheap used car ($500-1000). Less if you can find one, they are out there! Don't just buy the first one you find. Take a friend that has mechanic experience with you, get them to inspect it first. Or if you don't have a friend that has mechanic experience, tell the seller that you're taking the car for a mechanical inspection before you purchase it. Most local mechanics shops will give mechanical inspections for around $30. NEVER buy a used car from someone without getting this done.

Once you have a car, you've established transportation and you're on your way to independence. Keep saving all of your money. Just because you have a car, doesn't mean its party time. Once all of your friends find out you have a car, they will want you to take them EVERYWHERE. Going places, means paying for gas and gas costs money. Learn to say no. Start looking for apartments in local classifieds, or you may already know of a few places you have in mind, if you're staying local. Go take a tour of the apartments you would like to rent, collect brochures, and any info on the cost of moving in. First months rent, deposit, pet deposits if you have one, cost for electric, gas, water and sewer. I would recommend finding a place that is all electric (no gas), and includes water and sewer in the rent. This will save you a ton of money every month. Once you have an idea of how much it will cost to move in, you can start saving for that goal.

You will also want to make sure that whatever job you have will make enough to pay the monthly bills, if not, then you'll probably want to start looking for a better job or another job for extra income. Of course, you always have the option of having a "roommate". I've seen kids do this so many times, and it FAILS. People are irresponsible, they quit or lose their job, then they can't pay their half of the bills and then you're facing eviction and possibly ruining your credit due to past due bills. But having a roommate is always an option, if you have someone that is dependable.

Of course there are a few things I've left out, like getting your license. This should be a no brainer. You obviously need to get your license first. And Car Insurance is another big one that I left out. Car Insurance is really expensive, especially for young people. If you're fortunate enough, have your parents add you on to their policy. This is the cheapest way to go. If not, then you will have to save enough to get insurance too before purchasing a car. And don't forget to add car insurance into your monthly budget when you start saving for the apartment, unless you can pay off the insurance policy by the year which costs about $2000 per year generally. Most people don't have that much at one time, so they have to pay monthly.

There is a lot more to living on your own and being independent, but this is definitely a good way to start. Make plans for yourself and stick to them.

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