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| Moving Out is Hard to Do |
| By Corey Jackson |
| Have you thought about moving out of your parent’s house after graduation? Sounds like a great idea, right? You’d have your own place where you could do anything you want. I personally considered this but knew it was futile after I did some research. It all started with the basics. I knew I’d have to pay rent and utilities at a minimum. This basic list didn’t cover anything that a normal teenager would want in an apartment or place. Now, the average rent in Topeka hovers around $500. I estimated I could find a spot for $550. Then I started to look at utilities. My parents told me I’d need to pay water, gas, electricity, and phone. I considered these hybrid expenses because they were not actually variable (Ugh! My algebra teacher was right). Although you can’t really be 100% certain what these will cost each month, I did give it a try and came up with $255 for them all. These were just estimates based on a quick bit of online surfing. Overall the utility costs all depend on usage. I was now at $805 per month. While that seemed perfectly manageable with a full time job, I was still in high school and only thinking forward. I didn’t have a job yet. And I knew that without my high school diploma I might not make more than minimum wage. But just for some fun, let’s say I worked 20 hours a week at approximately $119 after taxes. Some quick math tells me that’s not enough…even to cover the rent. So, If you’re still convinced you can pull off living alone and going to school, consider the other variable expenses such as shoes, clothes, television, car, insurance, gas, Internet, food, wireless, etc. The costs of these things can weigh heavy on your budget too. Actually, they can double your expenses very quickly. As a 16 year old, I know I cannot go out on my own and go to school. I’ll wait until I’m ready. Just like anyone else should do. |
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