Tips for Starting Out My Life On My Own

dam i forgot about the interwebz lol

 

Cooks.com <-- tons o' recipes on there!

x(whatever number I am in saying this) on budgeting & saving. It's very important. Live within your means -- don't carry any credit card debt. It's ok to use 'em, but don't get in over your head so that you can't pay it off every month.

 

^^^ Exactly. Live WITHIN your means.

 

i have one, and i plan to use it for the majority of things i buy while making sure i have enough to pay it off. my bro told me that its a good way to see how much im actually spending per month and it makes sense, how do u check your credit score?

 

Public Library Bro they got tons of cookbooks,repair manuals for Trucks you name it all for FREE!. Librarys a Temple of free knowledge

 

I didn't mean it like that...but you'll get alot more options/flavors/styles and you'll get help with shopping lists and cooking like that from alot of places...

 

Eat at home as much as possible, fast food adds up really quickly. I never realized how much I spent on fast food or gas station snacks and drinks until I kept all my receipts for a week and added them up.

 

I wouldn't recommend using it to pay for most of your purchases unless you have tens of thousands of dollars saved up and are easily capable of paying it off every month. You can easily keep track of how much you spend by following your bank accounts online and setting up budgets, which you can do on your bank accounts website.

What if you maxed out your $500 dollar credit card and had a surprise, unexpected bill of $500? You wouldn't want to use all the money you have in your account to pay for it, while still having to pay the credit card bill. These numbers are just examples. The certain situation could be better, or it could be 10x worse...

 

X2 plus its un healthy as hell,if you get sick you got to go to the Doctors and spend $$$Bucks so stay healthy,hopefully you got Medical/Dental insurance

 

I don't know about CAN....but down here we have annualcreditreport.com which provides you one free copy of your credit report (without the score) per year from each credit reporting agency (that's 3 free reports every 12 months).
The score isn't SO important until you go to buy a house/car/larger toys/etc....And you cna pay to get it one time- but most places will check it if you try to make a large purchase...

 

i hear ya. i guess i just gotta figure out what ill be spending and work around it.

thanks guys and gals!

 

Subbed for future reference

College is soon going to end...

 

this is most important

 

Like someone else, I also disagree. Get a card, use it, but don't be an idiot.

 

thats the way i feel as well. as long as you keep it in check they can be a good tool

 

1. As previously mentioned, spend your money wisely. Look in your flyers for sales on things you NEED. I know it isn't "cool" but clip coupons, you might feel like an idiot for doing so at first but hey, every little bit helps. Build up a cushion in your savings account because your appliances will fail eventually and will need to be fixed/replaced. So will a bunch of other things.
tip: if you don,t have much to start off with you can buy used appliances (if your aptmnt isn't furnished) or buy cheap to start. But when you can upgrade to a well known brand that's dependable and durable (you'll come out ahead in the long run).

2. When there's a sale for your favorite type of soap/shampoo/dish soap etc. buy a couple, it'll take you longer to get through them and you'll have saved a little along the way.
----> If you're a big juice drinker get the frozen cans and mix it yourself


3. Do your dishes daily. Every second day is fine if you rinse them out well and don't have a mountain sitting there. The more it builds up the less you'll want to wash them.

4. Don't let your place become a mess, put things away, keep up with the vacuuming, wash your floors and most important.. wash your bathroom regularly!

5. If you're in charge of the upkeep of your parking spot make sure you shovel as soon as you can after a storm. You don't want a nice thick sheet of ice to take over. That means eventually breaking it all with an axe or ice chiseling through after a few cycles of thawing/freezing.

6. Get rentors insurance. I'm sure you can get a cheap policy and you'll be glad you have it if ever something happens.

7. Keep all your important documents in a safe place. (insurance, bills, etc)

8. Cook as many meals as you can yourself. It's cheaper than buying pre-made all the time. You can also make a little extra and freeze some individual portions you can take out whenever. Also, try to eat healthy if you can.

9. If you don't have a crock pot/slow cooker you should ask your parents for one as a moving away gift or for christmas or something or even invest in one yourself. You can mix everything in it in the morning, let it slowly simmer all day and you'll have a nice hot meal when you get home. (Trust me, if you've had a big day you probably wont feel like cooking a full meal and you'll be tempted to pick something up on the way home instead) Plus the things you can cook in there are endless.

10. I like to pay with bills (small things) then not spend the change I get back. I put that aside and it goes towards small guilty pleasures and birthday/christmas gifts.

11. If you have the space get a clothes rack (you can get them for under 20$ at a walmart/zellers whatever) I have one in the corner of my room and hang all my clothes on there except my socks and towels. You'll save a ton on hydro and extend your dryers life.

12. If you have a heavy foot in your truck try to change your driving style a bit, fuel is a budget killer.

13. Make sure you shop around for all your cable/phone/internet providers, and get them to fess up to the hidden costs in the fine print.

14. buying things in bulk is always cheaper (example: large box of laundry detergent vs. several smaller ones) but if you live alone and don't have a large freezer don't use that philosophy when buying groceries... unless you want half the food you buy to spoil before you have a chance to eat it.

15. If the place you're going is within walking distance use your legs instead of your truck (weather permitting of course)

16. If you're off to college/university make sure you study and keep your grades where they should be. You can still have fun with your buddies in your spare time but they wont be the ones paying the bills for the rest of your life.


Well.. I think I've rambled on enough for now.. if you want simple and recipes you can pm me and I can shoot a few your way.

Good luck!!

 

I don't know how it works in the states, but that being said:

Don't be checking your credit all the time, every time you apply for a loan, credit card, and if you look up your credit score yourself your credit acutally takes a hit (not in a good way). Even if you don't end up borrowing anything at the end of it.

Pay your bills on time ALL THE TIME, and if you use your card pay it off right away. You won't have to worry about a thing, your credit will build up on its own

 

holyyy, Rep for youuu ^^^

 

Is that good or bad

 

Stay away from the booze. Smoke cannabis. Wait .. what? Did I say that?

Best advice I can give anyone ... Live simply live quietly. Learn to fly under the radar. As HD Thoreau said, "That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." Bigger houses mean more taxes and insurance. More toys means more time fixing broken things. More bills means more hours slaving at the job. Everything in moderation. Own your possessions, don't let your possessions own you. Ditto for your time. I think a lot of guys on here would probably tell you that looking back, one of the best times in life was when all their earthly possessions fit in the back of their truck. Less bills = less stress, period.