Agreed, 100%. Her priorities are out of order.I wish her well and that student debt many carry is certainly burdensome but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone before who would prioritize saving for retirement while couch-surfing and/or living in their car. Adulting is tougher than it looks, to be sure, but putting a roof over one’s head is a pretty fundamental part of it.
Breakfast Club is a Gen X movie.
Why? The small amount she puts towards retirement now will be substantial later on, the amount of interest saved by paying as much as possible towards student loans is substantial, couch surfing is costing her nothing, and saving $1000 a month. She is smart enough not to sign a lease until she has savings she can access in an emergency, car issues, loss of job, medical emergency... She’s had some bad luck (totaled two cars, dislocated her knee resulting in medical bills and expensive PT), but managed to stay afloat. Before this job, she made ends meet by being a live in caretaker for her grandfather with Alzheimer’s, so no rent, and she was able to study for her CPA. It was not an easy job. She also waitressed all throughout college.
She's couch surfing and someone has to pay for the added utilities she's using (food, water, electricity). I think it's crappy she is mooching off her friends so she can save money, while costing them money, instead of paying her own way. I guess since you don't see an issue with it, there is nothing else to say.
Most people find that when you aggressively save it's that you're trimming the fat by not spending on things for a determined amount of time that you can get by without. For many that's things like eating out a lot, or for a popular example not getting Starbucks everyday, maybe it's ditching the cable for a while, curbing your shopping, etc.
Well, two days a week, at least, it’s here. Honestly, I never expect any of my kids to move out permanently at 19, which is when she did (ds21 too, and he got a great job offer 1 1/2 hours away, so I’m guessing he will be living in his frat house after graduation). She spends two to three nights with her boyfriend (dating over three years) and then has several more friends, who lean towards the crunchy side and truly don’t mind (they are the ones who told her she’d be crazy to pay rent before saving some money, and ty with them). In total, I think the situation will last about six months, so moving into an apartment this winter. Another issue is that her friend who wants to get an apartment with her wants a nice apartment, $2000 plus, while Dd is content to live anywhere, so they need to both compromise or find other roommates.
I'm actually more impressed by where she keeps her stuff! I have so much that it'd be impossible for me to carry it around from place to place, and too much to leave it in a car. Personally I like to have a "home" to go back to every night to unwind- I feel like I can never truly relax if it's at someone else's place. But I say if she's able to do it and her friends don't mind, then good for her. Rent is not cheap where I live and you save so much by cutting it out.
Well, a lot of it is in my dining room! And to give some perspective, I just checked an online housing/COL calculator to compare where we live vs. my SIL, who lives right outside Indianapolis (they love it there), and $65,000 = $46,000 there. A lot of her friends who attended college are back at home, saving, housing is just so expensive.
Back at home is different than couch surfing and living out of one's car.
With traffic, it takes 1 1/2 hours to get to and from work. Plus, these are her older friends she met from waitressing, and they like her to go out with them, which she can’t do if she sleeps at home (they go out certain nights of the week). She originally started mostly staying here, they convinced her she should stay with them.
You're not independent if you're couch surfing. That's the very opposite of being independent.
I don't see that as a good thing to be independent of your parents but dependent on someone else especially when in the situation we are talking about it's not that the person has fallen on hard times, is completely in a financial bind, etc but rather is purposefully in that situation. Living with roommates is not what the PP is discussing.
No she is not living on the streets (or in her car as was originally stated) but she is homeless by the fact that she does not have a permanent residence. But she is young and if it works for her and her friends are okay with it more power to her.
I don't think anyone is saying differently than 'if it works for you good' because it does appear to work no indication that it doesn't. But of course making comments means comments can be made about said comments you've made
I don't think anyone is saying differently than 'if it works for you good' because it does appear to work no indication that it doesn't. But of course making comments means comments can be made about said comments you've made
On a general sense I don't think a relationship is an factor. I met my husband, while in college though, and while marriage was at least talked about early enough, there was no desire to get engaged before we were both out of college. That was more than 3 1/2 years for my husband before he graduated And we didn't live together until we got married so we had separate apartments the entire time. My sister-in-law just moved into her boyfriend's place at age 28 after nearly 3 years of dating. Just because you have a significant other doesn't mean it's an 'obvious cohabitation' option nor is marriage a thought for all with a significant other.
But I agree the situation is atypical and probably why comments occurred.
