How to move out at 18
The question is not how to move out at 18. It is are you prepared to move out at 18? It takes years of preparation, while they are still young teens to be ready to move out at 18 successfully.
18 seems to be the magic age that teens are waiting for. Little do they know that age is not the deciding factor. Maturity and a post- high school plan is what is key.
How to move out at 18 takes a few years of preparation,
To do it the right way. I know that teens that are planning to be out of the house at 18 and STAY out of the house will need a game plan. So let’s go!
The simplest way to move out at 18 is to join the military services.
The military service is one of the best ways for a young person to learn life skills. They learn to be sticklers to detail and learn discipline. They also learn the basics to developing healthy physical bodies.
And after boot camp, they learn a trade. There are successful doctors, lawyers, nurses, and corporate leaders who have learned their skill through military service. The military trains for quite a few professions that are a great foundation for life.
I had a friend who was a captain in the Air Force and was going to a state college to get her Masters Degree in economics. Her education was paid for by the Air Force. And she was getting paid by the Air force when she was in college too. My own father was in the Air Force and worked in aero space. He had a Masters degree in Engineering.
Can they cook?
In my post called, “Preparing your Teens for College” I asked a few poignant questions. Can they cook? Can they clean house? Is keeping a schedule doable? Do they know how to budget and manage a bank account?
Look at the emotional maturity of your teen also.
Some teens will need their parents support longer than others. If their love language is either physical touch or positive affirmations, you, as their parent should be the ones to provide it. This is based on the book, The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman.
If their love language is quality time or gifts, it might be somewhat easier for these teens to leave home and move on. The last of the 5 Love Languages is acts of service. This one can go both ways. We don’t want our teens to form unhealthy relationships with other teens or teachers, to meet their love language.
This is where preparation comes in.
Please go to this post, “Preparing your teens for college” and take a look. After you read the post you will find a printable workbook that works through the question, “Is my teen ready to leave home”. The download is a gift and I will link it at the bottom of this post also.
It is tricky for a teen to move out at 18.
Up until this point, their biggest buy has been a car, if they were not gifted one from their parents. Then there is gas… Let’s not mention gas. I am not trying to be negative about a teen who wants to move out at 18. I am being realistic. Realistic is not fun.
Moving out at 18 requires money.
Does your teen have a job that provides enough income to afford an apartment on their own? The roommate situation sounds good on paper but is not a secure deal. Even if you signed a contract with your roommate (which is a good idea) it does not bind them to stayin’ and payin’.
Many teens find themselves returning home when the financial situation gets dicey. Are you as a parent prepared for a Boomerang Kid? Helping them prepare to move out will be best for you and your teen.
The income required to have an apartment of their own will have to be enough to pay the bills. Rent has sky rocked within the last few years and is even out of reach for a lot of adults. In our town, a one bedroom apartment rents for somewhere around $1000 mo. Some times more, rarely less.
Utilities are around $30/mo. Plus the energy usage. Garbage, sewer, and water are an additional few hundred dollars. A Rent-to-Income Ratio determines the monthly or annual gross income a tenant must earn to be able to afford rent each month. The suggested ratio of rent to income is 30%. So it would require the renter to make a bit more than 3x the cost of the rent in wages. So this hypothetically comes up to $3000/mo. Let’s do the math. $3000 / 160 hrs (40hrs x 4) = $18.50 an hour. The minimum wage in Wa State is $15.00.
Working full time at minimum wage would not be enough to qualify for a $1000/mo apartment. This is why many single minimum wage earners take a roommate. The full time income is $2400. This is before taxes are taken out. So it is 22% less. Ouch!
All the things and adulting
I know that when I was a young teen, I didn’t give “all the things” a single thought. And I thought that I would get married and my husband would take care of the details. Little did I know that he would be unemployed and constantly on the look for a good job.
When our daughter was due to be delivered, he re-enlisted in the Navy. I was nearly a month overdue but he made it home on a Sunday from boot camp, and I delivered that Wednesday. I was not ready to “adult” either. Thank goodness he was able to re-enlist.
In conclusion, this is why it takes years of preparation, while they are still young teens to be ready to move out successfully. However, it is not too late to learn/teach those things required to be able to “adult” these days. It might just take a bit longer to meet that goal.
Recent Comments