Anybody else still live at home?

[Antitonic]

I'm 24, and I live at home. Technically, isn't anywhere you live "home"?

I pay the rent, and put money away for my own place. My brother handles the utilities, and my parents split food. So technically, they live with us. They've got enough to retire on, but they're putting it off because they don't want us to rent forever, like they did.

 

[VladG]

Still living with my folks (just turned 22), I'm in college, and actually hoping to move out this year. Though to be fair most people still live with their folks at this age around here.

 

[tahrey]

Pfff. Don't sweat it. I only finally managed to afford a place of my own this august just gone. A few days ago, I turned 30...

Not *quite* the last person of my similar-age peer group to move out, but nearly so. 25-26 seems the more common time for it to happen. I was originally on course for that but had some rotten luck with jobs etc, and so was basically flat broke in a region where housing is a bit costly. Also, my mom was in a 4-bed family house with myself (and sometimes my brother...) as the only other residents, so it didn't make any sense not to stay (paying her about half the "rent" I would anywhere else) as we weren't really in each others' hair anyway.

So, still being stuck there at 21-22 may seem frustrating, but you're not a late bloomer by any chalk. Use this time to try and build up some savings that you can put towards a mortgage deposit instead of blowing it all on rent, and use your freedom to buy a modest property in the middle of a house price slump (I got an apartment at the top of a low-rise block for £100,000 when it had been £110,000 six months earlier ... that's more than 15% off the mortgage amount (and so off the repayments), because of the pretty good deposit I was able to put together... the payments already being not much more than the rent I'd been paying to my mom...)

I mean, you may have to pay some towards room and board, but you won't be paying property taxes, heating/cooking gas, electricity, water/sewage, maintenance bills, phone/internet, all those other little things that add up to looking at the sad, sorry, broken remains of your paycheck at the end of the month and asking ... what, is that it?

 

[Karhukonna]

And if there are any people my age or younger who somehow got their own place, tell us how you managed that.

I was about 22 or so when I set out on my own. This one's gonna be a long one, fellas, so grab a seat. I'm talking four medium sized paragraphs, at least.

A few years ago, before my military service, I worked as a cook at this chain restaurant. Wasn't all that glamorous, but it payed the gas and the occasional snack and videogame. Then, at around 20 I was fresh out of cook school and getting ready to serve my country and all that, and the boss and I had this agreement that I'd start working there full time as soon as I was finished with my service. Well, whaddya know, I was deemed worthy of NCO training so it took me twice as long as I had planned.

By the time I got out, the management had changed. Fortunately, I had decided to keep my contract with them "on", and so they were by law required to keep me working. What I had not counted on was the added staff. I still had my "working the odd weekend after school" contract, and they didn't exactly have enough work for me. So for a year or so I worked two to three nights a week at a dead-end job, making around 400-600 euros a month. It barely paid the bills I had living at home, so...

After about a year and a half (as I recall), the missus mentioned that her step-dad worked at this factory and they were hiring. Her step-dad hooked me up with the boss' phone number, I called, went into an interview and started working there. The work is easy-going, the bosses are easy-going, and there's never a real rush, unlike in the kitchen. I was also making 1,700-1,900 a month now, too, so it wasn't long after that the missus and I got ourselves an apartment. I'm still trying to figure out what I wanna do with my life, but for now the living is good.

So yeah, I'd recommend a manual labor kind of job if you're not too picky. They're constantly hiring (in Finland, anyways, but I imagine that construction material and stuff is always needed everywhere) and they pay is pretty decent regardless of your grade of education, especially considering that you're only turning 22. Making that kind of cash at that age ain't half bad, but you gotta be careful with spending all that money. Rent and the bills have a habit of piling up, and you'll soon notice that 90% of your pay is going into bills and food and other necessities.

 

[tharglet]

I did live in an apartment to go to a school a few hours away from home for a year, but that ended up being a terrible decision and I spent all of my money.

If you're not so good at money management, consider having multiple accounts. My partner has three accounts - one for bills/joint payments, one for savings and one for extra money. The savings and bills account both get fixed payments out of the extra money account, which is where his pay goes into. Savings account gets left untouched so there's money for emergency situations (for us, it'd be say... major issue with house/car, need savings due to a redundancy.. get free healthcare here).
If he hasn't got much in the "extra savings" account after the standing orders have gone out, he knows not to buy nice-but-not-needed stuff.

For me, I have longterm savings (high interest accounts that have penalties for removing money) shorterm savings (for if the immediate account is getting a bit too big - it's only accessible online but has higher interest) and my main account.

 

[ffs-dontcare]

Moved out when I was 19 or so, moved back in around at least a year later due to flatmate issues. Do not regret it. Yeah, some might say I should move out in order to obtain independence but the thing is, I already have independence. I can do whatever I like while I'm here. But living here means I get cheaper rent and pay less for kick-ass broadband. Not to mention how dodgy this town is...

I'll move out when I get a job out of town, but while I'm living and working here in Tok, I'm staying right here at my parents' place. It's just easier. And I'm 23 now.

 

[tharglet]

22 is definitely not unusual. You've got at least 3 years before it starts to get to the "odd" stage. If you're 30 and still living with the folks, then it's time to worry.
If you get along ok with your folks, then sticking it out is no bad thing. Wouldn't recommend living in your car unless you really, really can't live with your parents.

I moved out after graduating uni and getting married - was 23 at the time. Definitely helps to save as much as you possibly can - I had the advantage of being pretty frugal - saved a good chunk of my money from my after-school/weekend job, kept a good chunk of my uni loan lol (in the UK, it's the lowest interest loan you're gonna get, barring family, and you get to pay it back as % of wage).

Yer... moving out kinda requires a job - so just keep hard at it, and find yourself a niche. Dunno what benefits you get over there - if you do move out before you're definitely able to afford it, see what money you can get.

 

[Wadders]

Soon to be 22, moved out at 18 to go to university. Still go back home for a few days, maybe a week or so in holidays, but I stay in a 'guest room'. But soon I shall graduate, join the real world and get a nice flat and a job that pays well enough to have a nice flat.

Good luck with that. You seem to be pretty optimistic about your post-university prospects - I'm guessing your degree has a high graduate employment rate?

I'm in a similar situation, and whilst I hope to be leaving home and living in a nice place with a good job right out of uni, I can't see it happening the way the world is today.

To be honest OP, there's no real shame in living at home at your age these days. It's not exactly a rare occurrence. It sounds like you're giving it a proper effort anyway, looking for place and even another job, which is a hell of a lot more than some people bother to do!

 

[Broady Brio]

18. Still at home.

I've failed college twice now. My third and final attempt at education depends in a few exams coming up this month in private college. I should be at university now, but nope, I must depend on parental funding still.

 

[Berithil]

Yup, but I'm only 18. Anyways I'm in no hurry to move out yet.

 

[R3dQu33n]

23 right here, still living at home.

I'm living at home because after having finished up all my education, plus the education turning me into an IT-Technician, I still don't have a job. Largely because I don't have a driver's license, and I haven't really been engaged enough to get it. But, whatever. It's fine. I have a job I'll be starting now next week and if it sticks I'll eventually be moving out. Parental units know this, so they're cool with it though I'm sure I'm starting to get on their nerves, or at least I'm sure that I was.

So... really, it's not that uncommon. Actually, I'd say it's pretty common considering the job market and all.

 

[Mickey Bigelow]

Saving your money when you are young and not making bad decisions, is one way to get a home. Most people don't realize that the (new) rich are not rich because they they have high paying jobs. Most of them scratched and saved, and still drive jalopies, and don't go out much because it costs money. The richest guy in the area that owns 90% of the city became rich that way. And to his dying day still drove an old beat up 1950's junk car because it was too expensive to get a new one. The people who win the lottery are usually broke by the end of the year.

A interesting piece of info. You can live and support a family on 3million dollars (US), just put it into a saving account and use the interest as your yearly salary.



To answer the first question I'm 33, I still live at home, my sibling also. We don't see a reason to move out. It's expensive and we work in the area and help each other pay our bills.


And I can attest to executives trying out for service jobs. I'm a manager at a local Fast Food joint, and when it really got bad in the US during 2007, we were taking applications from CEO's who lost their job in Milwaukee. And a collage degree doesn't mean you will get hired. You need experience, years of it. So you have to start when you are in High School getting work experience in the job field of your choice. Plus you have to start looking for a job the year before you graduate. Otherwise a University degree is a big waste of money. (Spoken from experience.)

 

[Shoggoth2588]

23, I'm going to be 24 within a month and I live at home with my Mom, Step-Dad and, siblings. Before that (from say, 18 til 21) I lived with my Dad. So no, I haven't ever been out on my own. The closest I've been or rather shall be, was living with my GF and her parents. Swapping my parents for hers seems like an alright step but here's the thing, both my parents and hers don't mind me living there. Hell, my GF's parents are perfectly alright with she and I living there indefinitely if we so chose.

It isn't like I don't work though. I've been working at Target since summer 2011 then moved to a better target in November that seems to like giving me hours and, money. Therein lies the problem though, Target is probably the most lucrative job I've really had. Before that was Gamestop which cost me more money than anything. Blockbuster before that (which was fun to work at but was dying) and a restaurant before that where I was a host and not a waiter so good luck to me and my money seeking quest.

 

[mental_looney]

I didn't move out of my parents until I was 22 stayed at home for university, only moved when I got a job in another country, my brother is 22 now and still at home no plans to move out seeing as hes working so much.

Sadly it's a lot harder to move out now without a strong financial situation.

 

[dyre]

eh, I'm 20 and I live at home (or rather, I live at university, but come back for holidays). That's normal, isn't it? I mean, I did some summer jobs and have some money, but nowhere enough to take care of rent and energy bills and such.

 

[Zantos]

Soon to be 22, moved out at 18 to go to university. Still go back home for a few days, maybe a week or so in holidays, but I stay in a 'guest room'. But soon I shall graduate, join the real world and get a nice flat and a job that pays well enough to have a nice flat.

Good luck with that. You seem to be pretty optimistic about your post-university prospects - I'm guessing your degree has a high graduate employment rate?

I'm in a similar situation, and whilst I hope to be leaving home and living in a nice place with a good job right out of uni, I can't see it happening the way the world is today.

To be honest OP, there's no real shame in living at home at your age these days. It's not exactly a rare occurrence. It sounds like you're giving it a proper effort anyway, looking for place and even another job, which is a hell of a lot more than some people bother to do!

Supposedly physics is one of the most employable, especially if you focus on mathematics and computer programming. At least that's what they tell us.

Plus, my definition of 'nice flat' has dropped to somewhere with some semblance of heating and walls that don't cultivate intelligent life.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

20, and I still live with my folks. I'm more concerned with trying to get a permanent job at the moment.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I'm 24 and I've been renting a flat with my boyfriend since we finished university. Which I think is pretty normal.

Top tip: You can afford a much better place if you share with someone else. Doesn't have to be a partner - just someone you can stand living with. (There is no way I could afford to rent the flat I'm in with my salary alone!)

eh, I'm 20 and I live at home (or rather, I live at university, but come back for holidays). That's normal, isn't it? I mean, I did some summer jobs and have some money, but nowhere enough to take care of rent and energy bills and such.

Yeah, that's what I (and pretty much everyone I know) did. No point paying extra rent for somewhere to live over the holidays if your parents will have you.

Plus, my definition of 'nice flat' has dropped to somewhere with some semblance of heating and walls that don't cultivate intelligent life.

I know how you feel! After some of the places I stayed during uni, my current flat seems like the pinnacle of luxury.

 

[devotedsniper]

i moved out for 2 years when i was 18, moved back in when i was 20 this year (now 21), i'll be moving back out again for the final year of my uni then probably back in after that till i can find a decent job or a job at all (cannot find a job even now, they all want experience....how am i meant to get a job if they all want experience?!?!).

I wouldn't worry about it my sister didn't move out till she was 26/27/28, and lets face it the economy where ever you are in the world (UK here) is so terrible it's not exactly uncommon for someone to be living with there parents, hell the only person i know that doesn't live with there parents right now (minus 1 who doesnt but is currently on his work experience year, im classing those in uni dorms as parents because technically the main address is your parents) is one of my best friends and the only reason she has her own house is because her mom recently passed away along with the fact her boyfriend has a high paying full time job.