Honestly, I can't handle being at home anymore. My grandpa rents his house out, which has a separate, somewhat shit self contained unit underneath which is then sublet. I don't know the cost of the unit, but I have no doubt I could afford it. When not at uni I pull about $1100 a fortnight. When at uni, I pull $400 a fortnight. Basically, aside from the cost of rent, I don't know whether I can sustain myself or not, in terms of food and putting petrol in my car and so on. So, LPA, am I an idiot or do I have a chance at finding some independance?
This should've gone into the advice thread, there's absolutely no need for this to have it's own thread. However, since vb4's merging system is incredibly confusing, I will keep this open...but please be mindful that we do have an advice thread and that all advice related inquiries should be directed to there in the future. Now, honestly...what you do with your life is your own choice. I'd honestly recommend living with your grandfather for a while if you need a break from home.
I live on my own and there's more than just the cost of rent. Food is one thing, then there's utilities and other household stuff you need (albeit not as often - cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc). You're not an idiot for wanting to do it, but just remember that if rent costs a certain amount, that's not all you'll be spending a month.
Sorry Derek, you're right. My bad. It wouldn't be living with my grandpa though, he lives down the coast, 2 hours away from here. But he also owns a house 10 minutes from my place, which is what he rents out. Yeah Todd, that's the reason I created this thread. The cost of rent is easy to calculate, it's all the other things I'm not sure I'm going to be able to afford.
Unfortunately that's probably going to be something you'll have to ask around locally - utility costs vary from place to place, and what I pay in a medium sized city in the US (where cost of living tends to be cheaper) is not representative at all of what you'd pay in Sydney. But it's something to investigate. You'll need electricity, water, gas (if furnace and stove are gas, mine's electric), internet, etc.
Todd is right, moving out costs a lot more than you may originally think. Todd makes a good point on miscellaneous items being costly like cleaning products, bathroom products... they all add up. Food is costly too and can cost more than you think at first glance, especially if you go out with friends. Also keep in mind travel costs (with your car), if you do a lot of travelling you should see how much it will cost each trip and how often you will be doing it. What I recommend is you calculate the monthly cost of rent and utilities and then see how much you have left after that, and then ask yourself can you afford to live on that wage inclusive of food and travel? If you can than there is your answer. Although costly, I love living away from home and would recommend it if you feel like you're ready.
Fortunately I can get cleaning products free, and as a student public transport is really cheap for me, so I can keep the use of my car to a minimum. Guess the first step is to find out how much the rent will be But yeah, none of you seem to think that it's a completely illogical idea, so yeah, I'm glad to have that feedback at least.
Just do some maths and it should be fairly easy to estimate how much extra, if any, spending money you'll have for recreation. While deciding if I should make poker my profession, I had to figure out every single thing I would have to spend money on in order to live the life I want to live. Everything added up and worked out, so I made the decision to drop out of college and pursue this lifestyle. As long as you're making sure you can afford any decision you make, you'll at least be able to survive a bad choice now and then. Don't pull the trigger on something and realize you'll be broke in a couple months. Just plan things out and then decide your future.
I know for a fact that you live in Sydney and you're looking at a minimum of about $350 a week for even a one bedroom place.No it's not abnormal that you wanted your independence, and like Todd said, there's other costs involved. The bond for getting electricity in a place under your name is a good $800 up front (might be different in Sydney but that's what Country Energy charges me). My folks live in Baulkham Hills and they pay $350 a week just for rent. Then there's moving costs. Bond deposit is usually a month's rent in advance. But I would recommend if you really feel like you're suffocating in the place where you are now, save up, do the maths and move out.
I lived on my own for four months two years ago, and the best thing for you to do is bring up a spreadsheet program, project how much money you will have on a monthly basis, project how much you assume you will spend on rent/food/transport/utilities on said monthly basis, and determine if the remaining cash is enough for you to have a social life and for you to be able to spring on non-essential items.
Or failing that, find a person who wants a housemate or get a friend to move in with you and share your expenses that way. Worked for me when I was at uni.