# For those who don't live with parents..



## Mr_nobody (Jan 30, 2007)

I've been living with mine for too long now. I'm overdue for total independence. This is mostly due to the fact that I was unemployed for 3 years. Now that I finally have a job again, I am working towards moving out on my own. I'm not sure when this will happen (hopefully within a year or 2- I don't want to still be here when I'm 30). 

My question for those who live on their own:
What percentage of my monthly income would you say is affordable for rent? 40-50%? Of course, rent doesn't necessarily include utilities and I've taken that along with other expenses into account.


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## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

This is relative to how much you make. Just make up a budget.

Food:
Cable: 
Internet: 
Phone: 
Hydro: 
Water: 
Heat: 
Rent: 
Transportation: 
Entertainment: 

My groceries run me about $160/month. Cable/phone/Internet is combined into one ($150). The last apartment I was in was about $60/month for hydro (heat and water were included in the rent, which a lot of places do). 

Say it's a half-decent one-bedroom ($650?), add $100 for entertainment, and you'd be looking at about $1,120/month (not including transportation).

I'm not sure why you'd have to wait 1-2 years. If you're getting steady hours at work and can dole out first and last month's rent, you should be able to move into a rental whenever you want.


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## Endorphin (Dec 4, 2011)

I know I would rid myself of SA to a miniscule amount since I will be able to do everything I ever wanted to do in my house without supervision


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## Mr_nobody (Jan 30, 2007)

@Just Lurking:
The reason it might take a while is because, even though I'm working full-time, I still don't make a hell of a lot. I'm making $9/hr right now and I'm sure I would probably need to make around 10 to live (sort of) comfortably. I don't know what kind of raises (if any) I can expect at this job. Another reason I might have to wait is because I want to try and save up for a better used car before I move out. I already calculated my monthly income and subtracted my expenses (minus cable because I could do without it) which leaves me with about $800. So if I find a decent place between $500-600(utilities possibly not included) I should be alright. Hopefully I'll get at least a small raise before this happens, though.


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