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what's the easiest way to see if I can afford to move out? (kbin.earth)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I can easily find things like rent, internet, insurance prices, but how do I find things like grocery prices? I honestly don't even know what an average grocery list might look like, are there resources to help with this? my gf and I are looking into moving out, and assuming a monthly income of ~4400 USD and rent being 500 USD, I think we should be okay, but I need to be 100% that we won't be barely scraping by or anything. thank you everyone

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[–] sc2pirate 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (9 children)

Weird pitch, would you guys be able to cook your own meals or eat out for a week?

As in, don't use anything you didn't buy yourself for a week just to get an idea. Obviously that is not going to help you save up for your place, but the research might be worth it.

Also if you still live at home use this time to consider what you use to cook (pots, pans, utensils, etc)

I had no idea what food costs were until I moved out, I learned the hard way that I had to learn to cook or my budget would be forever broken, but grocery costs and budgeting are a whole other skill so it isn't automatic that shopping and cooking will be cheaper if you don't shop carefully.

Good luck, the very fact that you are thinking about this ahead of time is a good sign!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (8 children)

I might be able to try that, thanks for the idea. I need to learn to cool anyways. not that I'm bed I just do it sooooo rarely

I'm learning to budget now, its much easier with a stable paycheck, but the money still flows so easily

[–] sc2pirate 1 points 1 day ago

Oh yeah, it is way easier to spend than to earn! Cooking was a challenge for me, but after a handful of somewhat embarrassing failures my partner and I each have a decent list of things we can cook. We also have random "fend for yourself" nights where we eat leftovers, sandwiches, or whatever we can find. It definitely helps when you need to cut out some stress. Granted those are rarely healthy meals. I always keep at least one horrible (health wise) frozen item around just in case!

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