19 year old college student, should I take over my own finances?
Question:
I recently started to feel like... I'm 19, soon I'll be 20, shouldn't I start working more hours and pay my own way? I'm an adult now, but I feel like a child. I have my own place, my own car, money in the bank, a boyfriend who stays with me all the time, and I'm pretty much "on my own". No one tells me what to do, when to go to bed, do my laundry. YET, since my mom pays my car and gives me 1/2 the money for rent, I feel like I'm still some little kid.
I'm always reading on here about 18 and 19 year olds that are getting married or having kids and being "adults", and here I am living off of my parents.
What do you guys think?
Answer:
Honestly. Take what you can get. When I was 18 I was kicked out to with not even $1.00 in my pocket or a job. I put myself through school and got an apartment, pay all my own bills, and got a car. It sucked for a long time. Now I have my act together. But if my parents helped me I could have done this faster because I could have saved up money.
Just make sure whatever you do always save some money. That way when the day comes and your parents stop helping you , you won't have to struggle.
College is expensive, and a degree doesn't guarantee a high paying job. take all the help you can get. If it helps you to feel better, keep track of what they're spending and pay them back after you graduate.
You should take on as much as you can without endangering your education. If you are not endangering your mother's life-style, then she probably wants to help you out and probably wants you to succeed.
Be glad she's there for you, and make the most of it. You can pay her back later after you graduate. You're not leeching off her; she's helping you to invest in your future. Appreciate the luck of your situation and show your respect and gratitude by studying hard and succeeding in college.
I'm in university, and my parents also help me, much more than your mother helps you. Yes, I feel guilty, but when I did try to take on more work a few years ago, my grades DROPPED. I would recommend taking the help, and concentrating on school. Once you are out of school, it is a different story. Then you have nothing to concentrate BUT taking care of yourself.
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