Thinking about moving out - Need advice

[NES_Rules]

I'm thinking about finally moving out of parent's house. Right now, I'm using 2 of the 3 bedrooms in the house, and I'm starting to feel guilty about it. It was fine when my sisters first moved out because the one room (now my game room) was just empty, but now my niece is here and she's got so many toys spread through the house, it would be nice if all her stuff was in one room.

Now, my parents have a small (640 square foot) house that they were renting ($150/month until recently) but it's currently empty while it's being renovated. So, I was thinking about renting it from them for around $50/month, would that be reasonable? Since I won't be living with them I won't be using their water, food, electricity, etc so it would save them quite a bit as well. But, what I'm concerned about is paying for utilities as I only make $60-70 a week. The utilities I know I would need are gas, water, and electricity. I won't need garbage because I won't have that much and I'll just take it to work with me and put it in their dumpster. And I won't use much gas for heating as I plan on using a woodburner for the most if not all my heating needs. And I won't have a land line for phone, I'll just continue to use my cell phone. But I have no idea what these would cost me, as we don't have gas here and all the appliances are electric so I can't use those for comparison.

Now, the money part doesn't concern me so much because I've got quite a bit saved up to pay for utilities if my paycheck won't. But I'm more concerned with the space. The house has a basement, but from floor to ceiling joust is 6 foot, so there's not much room down there and it's one of those basements that's continually damp but rarely gets wet (no standing water) so it wouldn't make a good living space, but possibly storage space. Up stairs the kitchen takes up almost half the house, the bedroom and family room are about the size of my current bedroom and game room maybe a little smaller. There is also virtually zero closet space in the house as well. So I don't know that moving there would improve my space situation at all.

Okay, that was a little longer than I thought it would be. Basically, I just wanted to get an idea of what you guys would think it would cost me per month to live on my own and if this would be worth it.

[Ghost Soldier]

Take into account not only utilities but food and supplies.  Unless you plan on eating at your parents house.  Who is going to do your laundry ?  That's another expense if you do it at a laundry mat.  Your going to need to increase your income considerably to live on your own.  There are alot of unforseen expenses.  The oil change for the car, the new filter for the furnace, etc, etc.  Hopefully your savings you could live on for a few months in case your laid off work.  To give you a quick rundown on utility costs I'd sit down with your parents and have them show you what it takes to run the household.  My utilities alone go something like this:

Gas For Cars 60 a week (Just to work and home)
Electric 120-150 a month
Cellphone 65 a month
Sewer 30 a month
Vectren (Gas) 12.00 Supply Fee in Off Months.  130 to heat in winter per month
APX Alarm 50.00 a month
Dish Network 52.00 a month

This is not including the Credit Cards, Mortgage, 2 Car Payments, Food Costs, and any number of other things that appear.  Even with a duel income household it's hard to go day by day.  With the cost of everything going up it will be even harder.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Can't beat $50 a month, and as long as you don't have some ridiculous car expenses or what have you any part-time minimum wage job would pay for that plus utilities.

[Sirgin]

So, I was thinking about renting it from them for around $50/month, would that be reasonable? Since I won't be living with them I won't be using their water, food, electricity, etc so it would save them quite a bit as well.

Do you mean sub-renting it? And if you do, then where would your parents live?

If you could, I might rethink the whole thing. Your main concern is probably space/storage for your games. First think: Have I reached the full storage potential of the room(s) I'm using right now? Maybe you'll need to replace some more shelving units with one that fits more games in less space. Maybe having a shelving unit that goes all the way to the ceiling...not exactly practical to grab a game from but it should win you some space.

Like Ghost Soldier said, really be careful and think about all expenses of living alone and see if you'll be able to handle them with the money you make. Last thing you want to do is jump into the unknown hasty and get yourself in debts or something.

[logical123]

So, I was thinking about renting it from them for around $50/month, would that be reasonable? Since I won't be living with them I won't be using their water, food, electricity, etc so it would save them quite a bit as well.

Do you mean sub-renting it? And if you do, then where would your parents live?

If you could, I might rethink the whole thing. Your main concern is probably space/storage for your games. First think: Have I reached the full storage potential of the room(s) I'm using right now? Maybe you'll need to replace some more shelving units with one that fits more games in less space. Maybe having a shelving unit that goes all the way to the ceiling...not exactly practical to grab a game from but it should win you some space.

Like Ghost Soldier said, really be careful and think about all expenses of living alone and see if you'll be able to handle them with the money you make. Last thing you want to do is jump into the unknown hasty and get yourself in debts or something.

@Sirgin: This is his parent's second house, that is empty. His main point is that he kinda wants to move out, not considering his games. After that, then comes the games. And no offense, but if collecting games manages to get in the way of having your own place, then you defiantly need to rethink your priorities. $50/month is amazing, and with  $65/week, that is about $260/month, plus savings. And I bet you could fit your games in there. Do it, and move out of your parents house. I would.

[Funk_Buddy]

Well, I live in a house that's probably 700 to 900 sq ft at the most with gas furnace and hot water. It has a basement about the same as you describe and all I have down there is the washer and dryer and stuff not affected by moisture. I pay on average $36-$40 a month for gas until winter, then it can go up to $100-$120 depending on the temp outside. My electric bill is on easy pay of $25 a month, but that's going up next time they re-calculate probably $35 tops thank to the new AC. I keep the temp at 48-50 (as low as it'll go) during the day and 68-70 at night during the winter and 80 during the day and 72-74 at night in the summer. Also, here my water/sewer is $22-$25 depending on my water usage. I live by my self too and nobody comes over to add any costs. I also pay $505 a month for rent.

I fogot to mention you might check out if you have to pay for trash even if you don't use the service. I know several people in different areas that have to do this.

[NES_Rules]

I forgot to mention before, but since the house is being remodeled by my dad and I in our spare time, it's going slow to say the least. So unless he got really serious about it and took time off work, it wouldn't be finished for a few months, probably early Spring. So I've got a few months to do some serious saving for the sole purpose of utility payments.

Also, I kind of don't want to tell them my plan until the house is nearly finished so that they continue to pay for the renovations. I really wouldn't want to have to pay for a house of flooring and drywall.

Also, I don't plan on living there for very long, just until I finish school in (hopefully) 2010 and get a real job. And then I'll buy a real house. Which is another reason I want to do this is so I can get used to living on my own before I move far away from family help/support.

Take into account not only utilities but food and supplies.  Unless you plan on eating at your parents house.  Who is going to do your laundry ?  That's another expense if you do it at a laundry mat.  Your going to need to increase your income considerably to live on your own.  There are alot of unforseen expenses.  The oil change for the car, the new filter for the furnace, etc, etc.  Hopefully your savings you could live on for a few months in case your laid off work. 

I did kind of forget about food, but I can live on hot dogs, ramen noodles, and mac & cheese for quite a while. And I can do what my sister used to do and raid my parent's house for some other stuff Plus, we've got a freezer full of deer meat and we should add at least another deer to that in a couple months, so that would save me quite a bit.

And I do most of the work on my truck, so the only maintenance costs for that would be parts. And it's had almost everything replaced by now, so I should be good for a while.

I know I have a secure job because I was begged to come back after leaving for the summer and was even given a raise to come back. It would take some kind of huge economic disaster for me to lose that job.

So, I was thinking about renting it from them for around $50/month, would that be reasonable? Since I won't be living with them I won't be using their water, food, electricity, etc so it would save them quite a bit as well.

Do you mean sub-renting it? And if you do, then where would your parents live?

If you could, I might rethink the whole thing. Your main concern is probably space/storage for your games. First think: Have I reached the full storage potential of the room(s) I'm using right now? Maybe you'll need to replace some more shelving units with one that fits more games in less space. Maybe having a shelving unit that goes all the way to the ceiling...not exactly practical to grab a game from but it should win you some space.

Like Ghost Soldier said, really be careful and think about all expenses of living alone and see if you'll be able to handle them with the money you make. Last thing you want to do is jump into the unknown hasty and get yourself in debts or something.

@Sirgin: This is his parent's second house, that is empty. His main point is that he kinda wants to move out, not considering his games. After that, then comes the games. And no offense, but if collecting games manages to get in the way of having your own place, then you defiantly need to rethink your priorities. $50/month is amazing, and with  $65/week, that is about $260/month, plus savings. And I bet you could fit your games in there. Do it, and move out of your parents house. I would.

As Logical said, it is my parent's second house (well, first house technically). While I admit that it was space for my games that started this idea, it's not the only reason. My parents and I get along very well, but I just feel it's about time I quit mooching off them. My parents are always dropping hints, but I can not tell for sure if they're being serious. And how sweet it would be to not have to sneak in my latest purchases or listen to my mom bitch about my useless junk.

[Sirgin]

Well, do some calculations before you go live on your own. Using savings for utilities is one thing, using savings to get around each month is another. If you'd have to do that, I'd stick it out until you finish school; get a real job then,...

It'll probably save you alot of money staying for another 2 years, too.

[thx1138]

Get a part-time job that comes with free full time accomodation, like bar or hotel work.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Get a part-time job that comes with free full time accomodation, like bar or hotel work.

Doesn't happen much in America.

[Izret101]

If your making by your estimates 280 a month i would not recommend moving into a place of your own.
Even if you have funds  saved up it just sounds like a fast track into debt.

Between rent, vehicle expenses, food, utilities, etc it adds up much faster than you would think.

My rent was only 559 a month but utilities were another 50-100 and electric bounded up and down far more than i would have ever anticipated(almost 375 one month).

Not to mention extra bills you might have cellphone, cable, internet.

[NES_Rules]

I guess I'm not going to move out, unless my situation changes drastically anyway. Thanks for the advice guys! I didn't realize just how expensive things can be. I was originally thinking something like 4 utilities at $50 each, but there's so much little stuff that I forgot about.

Also, when I told my mom of my plan, she basically said "No, we need you here".

[Sirgin]

I guess I'm not going to move out.

A good decision.

You might not like it right now, but it'll save you a ton of money in the long run. It's also better not to have to deal with all the stress of actually moving out while studying.

Move out once you've finished studying and have a stable, well-earning job. You'll be glad you waited until then.