Paying for your way of living

[Lucidian Dyne]

So, like. We had this discussion at work, about older kids, couples and married people and how they should contribute equally to the expenses of living, wherever they're at. So I wanna ask a some questions of you people.

1) Are you the one that solely supports your standard of living? Do you buy your own clothes, do the chores around the house (besides keeping your own room clean), pay for part of the house utilities, keep up payments with your car, etc? Do you, at the very least, go to school?
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2) Do you stay at home and do nothing, expecting someone else to provide your living for you? And if so, how much negativity do you get for this?
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3) Can you apply these questions to anyone you know, personally?

You could apply these questions to many concepts. Particularly, we discussed how married couples should both be working to support themselves, as opposed to only one person working while the other person doesn't prove him/herself to be quite as useful. Should the burden-holder have to put up with that?

What are YOU doing to support the household? Refer to the questions again and think about it. Personally, I don't think that being a slacker is anything to be proud of, though I can understand if you're restricted from working, for whatever reasons.

*Plants his spam-free flag.*

[Sagat]

I basically support everything I do. Every now and then my mother sends a care package and all, doing her motherly thing. It does help and is nice to receive but I do 100% of everything.

[Eris]

(When I stay at my parents':) Largely. I really don't have much income, but then again I don't cost very much either. I virtually live on 6 SEK (0.8-ish USD) noodles, and I contribute a fair share to the power and broadband bills.

Conversely to what Lucidian Dyne thinks, I think being a slacker is something to be proud of.

[Moon Helix Avatar]

I work 5-6 day's a week 8 hours a day, I own my own home. It's a 2 bedroom 1 and a half bath, pretty spacious with large rooms, Central air and heat etc. I just got a new car about 3 months ago, 06 ford mustang gt. I make pretty good money and I live alone, and everything is up to me as my Dad is a stickler of the theory "life is your best teacher" motto. I'm totally independent, I do everything now and have for a while, but my dad did help me to start out though I had to pay him back afterwords.

I believe in hard work, persistence and presence of mind in planning your future.
Plus I get alot of pride out of later looking at all I have done and the fruits that have grown from my labors, it's one of the things that makes life worth living.

[Sagat]

I work 5-6 day's a week 8 hours a day, I own my own home. It's a 2 bedroom 1 and a half bath, pretty spacious with large rooms, Central air and heat etc. I just got a new car about 3 months ago, 06 ford mustang gt. I make pretty good money and I live alone, and everything is up to me as my Dad is a stickler of the theory "life is your best teacher" motto. I'm totally independent, I do everything now and have for a while, but my dad did help me to start out though I had to pay him back afterwords.

I believe in hard work, persistence and presence of mind in planning your future.
Plus I get alot of pride out of later looking at all I have done and the fruits that have grown from my labors, it's one of the things that makes life worth living.

Wow. I don't know what job you have but it's certainly better paying than mine. How much is your monthly for your mustang?

[Regex]

I have a standard 9-5 job, and I have an apartment. I support myself, with an attempt to spend as little as possible. I've been saving my money up for my plans for the future, namely, I'm moving in a few months, and I plan to pay to get a house built.

I strongly believe that in a marriage, raising kids can be a full time job itself. Without kids, I don't see any reason why both people should not be working.


Most of all, if you can't support yourself, you SHOULD be doing something to better yourself. If you are not a functioning member of society, you should be preparing yourself to be one, or you should remove yourself from society. There's no good reason to waste your life away when you could be making some sort of difference.

[Moon Helix Avatar]

It varies, my bank seems to fluctuate the payments. It's in the $400 range a month, I own the house I bought it pretty much out right and my father and a few of his friends fixed up what needed to be. My car payments and insurance are the most expensive thing's I'm billed for each month but it's not hurting my budget, as I took 3 years of business in HS and a bit of collage so I plan and manage very well and get free loans for stuff from the government that I don't have to pay back. I got a book on the loan things, alot of stuff people don't know about.

I pay alot on the car because I paid half of it off at the dealer on date of purchase, and I set it kinda high so I can pay it off and get credit. And I got it all leather appointed and fully loaded, it even has on star service and xm radio. So yeah I went expensive on it, it is after all my first "New car". My treat for busting my buns!

As for my job, well I'll just have to say I work out of my home mostly and it has to do with clerical stock and computer hard wear, CPU's drivers etc.

[Bean Bandit]

I pay my own way for everything and anything. My home is back in Pennsylvania. I am in Indiana presently and as most know I have been doing a lot of traveling over the past year. From as far south as the Texas/Mexico border to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Saskatoon in another providience I cant spell. Since last November I have been home like 8 days... I know it is pretty sad actually. By fall/winter I will be pretty much broke. So then I guess I will have to work a little again.

I am still driving my Saab Turbo. I had it for years, and probably will keep it for few more.

[Sagat]

For future reference, its "province."

Moon, I have to say, your job sounds... well, fantastic. You work out of home and obviously make enough to more than support yourself. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't envious.

[Moon Helix Avatar]

Well Sagat, I work my butt to the bone doing it. But I suppose at least when I get home I can for the most part relax. And not really have to think too much about "where am I going to get the money for this" or something like that, early on I wanted to be comfortable in life and well I do the best I can. We all have troubles time to time though, I got a new car because I was on my way home from a friends one night and hit a deer with my old car.

It was totaled, and I was like "omg what now, walk?", I looked through my bank account in savings and figured a way out of the situation. And 2 months later purchased my new car, nearly depleted my savings but I solved my problem. Now I just have to start my saving account over, I still have reserve $$ but I like to be in the green than in yellow or in the red. Hate living day to day.

Not getting rich mind you lol, I wish. But I live comfortably, and that's all that matters to me.

[Sephy]

I have 3 roommates. We split the bill 4 ways. It's still expensive though. I do chores around here. We all keep up our share of the work. I work hard too. Living on your own (even with 3 roommates) isn't easy.

[Moon Helix Avatar]

Here, thought I might put a few photos here while we were on the subject. This is my 06 mustang Gt, took these on the day I got it and got it plated. My dad was having a sort of small family gathering that day, I went over there to show it off and join the cookout. Took a few pics while I was there, luvvvv black, it's triple black, outside, interior and black convertible roof. Cost me a butt load, but it's my baby now.

[Eris]

Most of all, if you can't support yourself, you SHOULD be doing something to better yourself. If you are not a functioning member of society, you should be preparing yourself to be one, or you should remove yourself from society. There's no good reason to waste your life away when you could be making some sort of difference.

I really fail to see how being yet another drone is making a difference?

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

I work simply to get things I want. I think that if I had a job I actually like, I'd do it for better reasons.

I make around $800/mo, and have $+400/mo in costs ($200 to Vespa, $200 to parents, gas & lunch). I figure lunch costs me around $100/mo (Lunch is $6-8 in the plaza I work). So I have plenty of nerd funds, and odds and end funds. At least I would if it wasn't summer, when the teens at my job can work mornings. So, I get roughly 7 or 8 hours less a week then normal.

[Lucidian Dyne]

It's great to see that most of you are taking your parts in responsibility. Keeping up a place to live is a challenge nowadays, and saving your money is even harder, given the ungodly amount of material items nowadays that tempt people to splurge. Actually, with my video gaming habits, it's understatedly difficult to keep from blowing my bank account on fresh gaming material, but I've done pretty well so far, I think.

Nice Mustang by the way, Moon. =P I'm hoping to gather up enough funds to get a new car, myself. Gas for my piece of crap truck is just way too expensive.

As for the reason why I posted this thread, my little sister (19yr old) has been living with our father for quite a few months now, and she's been freeloading without the intent to bring herself to a self-reliant standard of living. She seems grateful about it, but somehow I don't think being grateful means squat if she isn't making an attempt for independence. Dad feels the same way about it, too.

I guess there's something to be said about respect when you make it out on your own. Almost like a caste-system, with emphasis on dependency. I wanna rely on myself. For me, that's satisfaction.

[BlackLanternTL]

almost all of my living expenses are covered by someone else. but that's how 14 yr olds are supossed to live

[Piper]

I for the most part, support myself. Except during the summer. My mom and dad usually take care of me! And currently.. I am unemployed, due to reasons I do not care to explain here. But I am planning on working at Glazers(a stocking company), part time, when I go back to college next month. I can't work a full-time job and manage classes. It's very difficult.

Also, since currently I am unemployed, I don't purposely buy anything that I don't need. Something like Aaron, any money I am givin, I save, and do as little spending as possible. I haven't been to the mall in over 3 weeks. I'm starting to have withdrawl symtoms.

But anyway, I don't ask my parents for money unless I really need it. And as of right now.. I clean up the house for my mom, so she can just relax, instead of coming home to clean.

But my circumstances should change, next month.

[Sagat]

You're gonna have to teach me a few things one day Moon. I work my butt off and have this nagging feeling of living day to day. I can't picture any sort of job outside of the military because I've never known anything on civvie street. Are you your own boss?

[Master Of Shred]

I'm a truck driver, I make or can make anywhere from $800 to $2000 a week. Sometimes it's $800 and others it's around $2000, Currently I'm stationing my home time with my parents. As I haven't had time to put down the physical ground work to get my house up and built, time is a thing for me cept alot of time on the road I have time to get on here. While I'm out here being a loner and a road jockey, my bank account builds because I spend next to nothing. Food, eh I don't hit many truck stops at all, just to catch a shower and to sleep.

All I spend is the now and then DVD, food of course, mostly low cost mre's or rations that are healthy and convenient to prep in my truck. Most of the time, my 2005 Kenworth Classic is my home. I do better than most with collage and diplomas, and I have neither not even a GED!

Oh and btw...if ya have a CB and you got it on and here a guy with the handle "Whistler", that'd be me. Key up your mic and shoot the breeze, and say your from AF, would be cool as heck to hear that come over the waves!

Cheers!

[Sagat]

2000 a week.. Are you freaking kidding me? Even my room mate back when he worked for Ford didn't make that much.

How is the life though? You must be on the road an awful lot.

Sorry if I seem prying, everyone. I have never once been exposed to the civilian side of the world, my whole life has been military so indulge me here.

[Master Of Shred]

Nope, ain't kidding ya there Sagat, us truckers do an invaluable job that supports this country, the USA, Canada and Mexico. The highest weekly paycheck I've ever seen in my hands was one made out for $2.100 dollars, I make mostly between $1.000 and $1.400 a week. I am long haul, all 48 states, Canada and Mexico. Yeah I'm out on the road alot, 15-16 day's out 3 in at home or where ever I want to be on my day's off.

Well I like it, you get to see everything there is to see without getting on a plane. Sometimes get's lonely, but that's the way it is when your doing what I'm doing. It's a good life if you want to make a darn good living, have alot of pride in what you do, and you like to drive something big and challenging. My truck is a 2005 Kenworth Classic, biggest they make with a condo cab sleeper, it's kinda like an apartment on a truck. Can stand up with plenty of head room inside, nice bunk, plenty of storage etc.

In my truck I have a mini refrigerator, TV, DVD player, VCR, playstation 2, my laptop, DVD collection, everything I need, it's a home on wheels, plenty of room for one person, actually mines a double bunk made for 2, but I'm a solo driver. In the back ya got your own climate controls, lighting etc.

As for the truck itself, with a trailer hooked up in total the truck is 75 feet long and about 14 feet high at the highest point. The trailers I haul are 53 feel in length by themselves, I haul Van trailer(normal box type trailer) I also at times run whats called "Reefer" trailers, there refrigerated trailers for keeping things frozen, meats etc, anything that needs to be kept refrigerated.

And were allowed to weigh, truck weight included in total with the load your carrying, max weight is 80.000 pounds fully loaded truck weight and all. Now...that's a heck of alot, so think about it if your thinking one day to cut off or stop suddenly in front of one of us...you have 160 TONS of truck that take nearly a MILE depending on how fast it is going to come to a stop commin up on ya.

When that happens, either we can go strait through you, or take the chance and run off road making our run and load a disaster costing untold amounts of lost shipment which equals money, lots of it, or yours and both of our lives, mostly yours as well...you can figure out the math. Because of all that, were the best drivers on the road, most of us anyway lmao!! We have to be constant in knowing everything around us %100 of the time, cause if not it could cost lives and so much money.

Over all it's a great careerer, great pay, 401k, insurance, dental, medical, and benefits. If anyone has any other questions, you can pm or just ask here!

Cheers!

[Ami~chan]

I'm sixteen, and still living at home. I do have a job, and I try to support myself in anyway possible. I don't pay for food, but I never ask my grandparents for money, and I take care of a bill or two. I pay for my car and anything else I can manage. My grandfather works offshore, but my grandmother is a retired teacher. Any money I can manage to bring into the house is appreciated.

[Prophet of Death]

Here, thought I might put a few photos here while we were on the subject. This is my 06 mustang Gt, took these on the day I got it and got it plated. My dad was having a sort of small family gathering that day, I went over there to show it off and join the cookout. Took a few pics while I was there, luvvvv black, it's triple black, outside, interior and black convertible roof. Cost me a butt load, but it's my baby now.

That is a really nice car. I like it alot and am wondering how much you bought it for?

[Moon Helix Avatar]

Thanks, I picked it out and it felt really cool to be able to just go out and get a new car. I was so used to driving the old elcamino, lol god it was an embarrassing car, but it got me from one place to another and I just got used to it. Well I went and looked at my paper work for you, and the total cost is $29.715. Mind though I put half up front, the rest is a cinch to pay if you've planned correctly.

I myself never thought I could get a car like that, but I just fell in love with it lol.

[Sagat]

Moon, before I do it, would you mind if I PM'ed you and asked a few questions?