General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

I'm currently making 10 bucks an hour working as a contractor in one of the largest data storage facilities in my area (Or maybe even the US, idk), and I'm trying to save up to have my own home. Everyone else on the crew is making 12-15+ dollars an hour, and gets guaranteed 40 hours pay a week, regardless of actual hours, whereas I only get paid for the day. I feel like I'm going nowhere. I see job offers out of state for way more pay, but I don't have the money to live anywhere right now, due to paying off bills and maintaining my car. What do?!

[QUOTE=kyle877;50266823]I'm currently making 10 bucks an hour working as a contractor in one of the largest data storage facilities in my area (Or maybe even the US, idk), and I'm trying to save up to have my own home. Everyone else on the crew is making 12-15+ dollars an hour, and gets guaranteed 40 hours pay a week, regardless of actual hours, whereas I only get paid for the day. I feel like I'm going nowhere. I see job offers out of state for way more pay, but I don't have the money to live anywhere right now, due to paying off bills and maintaining my car. What do?![/QUOTE] See if the jobs out-of-state provide bonuses for moving. I was offered jobs by GM and State Farm and the offered ~$5000 to move from Florida to Phoenix/Dallas.

I'm a city College dropout Sick of feeling trapped in California, sick of the American work ethic, and American mentality in general I'm planning on moving to Europe as soon as I can manage it and here's my plan, what do you think? 1)after my lease on my apartment runs out, I'm moving back in with my parents so I can save up for the move. My goal is 10 or 15 thousand USD 2) as I start to near that goal, I'll research visas, emigration rules, etc, for my country of choice. Right now, I'm thinking it's denmark (was Germany earlier) 3) apply for university 4) university application accepted, monetary goal reached, time to book the flight

5) arrive in new country, search for apartment and, pending any rules about visas, etc, search for a job [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] 6) scrape by doing university and most likely part time work for a few years, then apply for full citizenship if I haven't already 7) graduate from University with an actual skill of some kind, find a "real" job I think I'm gonna study linguistics and computer science

Has anyone else contemplated the idea of building a tiny house? I've just recently started looking into it, and while it's not something I'd live in for the rest of my life the concept of a affordable, off grid and self-sufficient home I can haul anywhere I go has a warm charm to it. I'm single, live in a state with one of the highest costs of living in the U.S and don't require much space. I'm no stranger to power tools, I work for a plumber and have been considering whether to pursue a state apprenticeship or union apprenticeship and I come from a long line of polish men who have proven themselves worthy of the family name through their carpentry deeds. I feel this is something I can do and take those first steps of adulthood. Building it is half the battle, finding a place to park it is another story. My father will no doubt freak out and say I'm just another loony millennial if he ever found out, but he doesn't understand the financial future my generation faces.

A tiny house is super tempting tbh. All those shows about them on TV make it seem like an actually good investment. I don't know shit about building though lmao.

I love tiny houses and would likely consider one more seriously if I were still single. [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Pascall;50269540]A tiny house is super tempting tbh. All those shows about them on TV make it seem like an actually good investment. I don't know shit about building though lmao.[/QUOTE] I'm learning quite a bit from having to do all this home maintenance and reno stuff. I just bought my first power saw. I'm building my dog a climb/cot tonight to break it in. He has a sensitive stomach and gets diarrhea all the damn time, so I need something elevated above the ground in his room to keep him from pooping on it. I don't like poop.

[QUOTE=LtKyle2;50269375]Has anyone else contemplated the idea of building a tiny house? I've just recently started looking into it, and while it's not something I'd live in for the rest of my life the concept of a affordable, off grid and self-sufficient home I can haul anywhere I go has a warm charm to it. I'm single, live in a state with one of the highest costs of living in the U.S and don't require much space. I'm no stranger to power tools, I work for a plumber and have been considering whether to pursue a state apprenticeship or union apprenticeship and I come from a long line of polish men who have proven themselves worthy of the family name through their carpentry deeds. I feel this is something I can do and take those first steps of adulthood. Building it is half the battle, finding a place to park it is another story. My father will no doubt freak out and say I'm just another loony millennial if he ever found out, but he doesn't understand the financial future my generation faces.[/QUOTE] A friend of mine is in the military right now, saving up hazard pay to buy a chunk of land and build a tiny house so he can travel. I think it's a great idea, if I hadn't met my wife I'd have likely done the same.

I got my raise finally. Now to just figure out how to actually afford a property here in the next 10 years. Seriously, don't live in Vancouver unless you're a fucking millionaire.

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50268242]I'm a city College dropout Sick of feeling trapped in California, sick of the American work ethic, and American mentality in general I'm planning on moving to Europe as soon as I can manage it and here's my plan, what do you think? 1)after my lease on my apartment runs out, I'm moving back in with my parents so I can save up for the move. My goal is 10 or 15 thousand USD 2) as I start to near that goal, I'll research visas, emigration rules, etc, for my country of choice. Right now, I'm thinking it's denmark (was Germany earlier) 3) apply for university 4) university application accepted, monetary goal reached, time to book the flight[/QUOTE] Why?

[QUOTE=viper shtf;50273609]Why?[/QUOTE] well, incoming wall of text that will probably make me look like a dumb ignorant millenial, but here goes: i hate how at every job i've been at so far, it seems like i'm expected to sacrifice my entire life and happily work myself to death for whatever employer. it feels like the entire american culture revolves around "who do you work for, how much do you make for them" blah blah blah. now i'm not an idiot, i know you need money to eat, and you need to work for money. but it feels like american employers don't want humans with personal lives to employ, they'd rather have robots or hell, even slaves. i am only worth how much money i put into the pockets of the guy above me. i feel like cattle here and it's depressing people here just piss me off. of course there are plenty of awesome people here, and of course there are idiots everywhere, but other americans i feel just rub me the wrong way. i don't feel like i fit into any culture here: my mom constantly ribs at me for "not being black enough", yet everywhere else i go, i'm "the black guy" ([sarc]yeah, moving to fucking europe is really gonna solve that one [/sarc]). Trump and all his followers are disgusting and as much as I support Bernie, his followers also piss me off. Politics is so divisive here and friends of mine are literally not talking to each other anymore because of who they say they'll vote for. speaking of depressing, i'm depressed. i feel like i'm in a rut. a little fact about me, i'm not worried at all about scrapping everything and starting over from square one. that's what i wanted to do before i dropped out of school. I felt like i wasted my time at community college, taking bullshit classes like theatre because "i love to do it" and taking and failing math so many times that i was maxed out to take it again. I wanted to say fuck it and just apply at an actual university so i could start over with a better work ethic, but that's when i found out that I had to transfer into a new school, i wasn't allowed to simply apply. now that previous paragraph i'm not blaming on america, but it's just one of the reasons i feel i need a fresh start. i also feel i need an adventure. which brings me to my last point. even if all my opinions up there make me a raging moron who needs to take a massive reality pill, i need to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new. I've always wanted to be out somewhere on my own, preferably somewhere that speaks another language. That's why the UK isn't on my list, i'm only planning on moving to non-english speaking countries. Even if i go out there and come back with my tail between my legs, it'll be an experience that i feel was worth it. So that's why

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50273982]well, incoming wall of text that will probably make me look like a dumb ignorant millenial, but here goes: i hate how at every job i've been at so far, it seems like i'm expected to sacrifice my entire life and happily work myself to death for whatever employer. it feels like the entire american culture revolves around "who do you work for, how much do you make for them" blah blah blah. now i'm not an idiot, i know you need money to eat, and you need to work for money. but it feels like american employers don't want humans with personal lives to employ, they'd rather have robots or hell, even slaves. i am only worth how much money i put into the pockets of the guy above me. i feel like cattle here and it's depressing [/QUOTE] have you tried starting a business or freelancing

[QUOTE=limbert;50274018]have you tried starting a business or freelancing[/QUOTE] no i haven't the only business i can realistically think of starting in the short-term is like a comic book store or something

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50269260]5) arrive in new country, search for apartment and, pending any rules about visas, etc, search for a job [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] 6) scrape by doing university and most likely part time work for a few years, then apply for full citizenship if I haven't already 7) graduate from University with an actual skill of some kind, find a "real" job I think I'm gonna study linguistics and computer science[/QUOTE] What makes you think you can move and just start a cs degree? It's a hard degree and you've already dropped out once.

and i don't feel i really have any skills to do freelancing [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Jaehead;50274033]What makes you think you can move and just start a cs degree? It's a hard degree and you've already dropped out once.[/QUOTE] tbh i don't know what the hell a cs degree entails. all i know is that computers are a huge job market, it's a course of study i wouldn't just ignore straight away. linguistics because i'm an aspiring polyglot honestly it doesn't really matter to me what exactly i'm studying, i haven't even put much thought into it yet. I haven't even looked at prospective schools yet. I just know that I want to buckle down and learn a skill that'll keep me living in my european fantasy, and hopefully not bore me to death

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50274028]no i haven't the only business i can realistically think of starting in the short-term is like a comic book store or something[/QUOTE] yo, start a card shop. there's this place that used to be near me that was both a comic-book store and a card shop where magic the gathering people played. if you sell cards and shit too there's double cash

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50274038] tbh i don't know what the hell a cs degree entails. all i know is that computers are a huge job market, it's a course of study i wouldn't just ignore straight away.[/QUOTE] Have you done any programming before? I ask because there is a chance you [URL=https://blog.codinghorror.com/separating-programming-sheep-from-non-programming-goats/]will never be able to[/URL]. Also, first year CS often contains a course on Discrete Mathematics, so if you struggled at math in high school it might not be the best option for you. Basically have a go at programming and discrete maths before charging into CS - you'll either enjoy it and get motivated for further study or quickly realize that it isn't for you.

Start an ice cream shop. I've always wanted to run an ice cream shop. Ice cream and coffee. Something for all weather.

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;50274038]and i don't feel i really have any skills to do freelancing [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] tbh i don't know what the hell a cs degree entails. all i know is that computers are a huge job market, it's a course of study i wouldn't just ignore straight away. linguistics because i'm an aspiring polyglot honestly it doesn't really matter to me what exactly i'm studying, i haven't even put much thought into it yet. I haven't even looked at prospective schools yet. I just know that I want to buckle down and learn a skill that'll keep me living in my european fantasy, and hopefully not bore me to death[/QUOTE] You should put more thought into what it is you want to do before settling on the move to Europe plan. Computers are the next big thing, no doubt. Programming is the reading and writing of our time but what happens when there is so many CS graduates running around unemployed? Your skill is no longer a skill. My plan as it stands is too secure a apprenticeship and get a journeyman license in my trade, work for a year under someone and start my own business. Thats a 5 year plan. Before I can think of moving somewhere else or anything big I have to set a foundation. Plus what if a european country denies you? You may not get into any of the nordic countries or anywhere close to what you'd like.

I haven't actually looked into it at all, but I would imagine that immigration throughout Europe has gotten substantially more restrictive with the refugee crisis, simply due to resources being spread thin. I would thoroughly research the immigration standards well before making any actual plans. You might even consider reaching out to a department of immigration in whatever countries you are considering emigrating to. Speaking one on one with a rep/counselor could only be helpful. Also, as Kyle said, this isn't the kind of decision you "play by ear." Not all plans survive without adaptation, but you need to put in some serious thought towards exactly what you want to study, where you're going to work, and where you're going to live. Once you have a rounded idea of your goals and needs, put them on paper and start refining them. Do some homework. Contact the department of immigration, obviously, but also contact the universities you're interested in attending, research job outlook and tuition rates for non-citizens, contact employment agencies to see about getting set up with some temporary work while you find your feet, research apartments and such and reach out to the landlords, etc.

for the first time in like a year i'm going to have money in my bank account this is exciting

[QUOTE=Qaus;50285747]for the first time in like a year i'm going to have money in my bank account this is exciting[/QUOTE] Buy AMD shares

I don't want to get into that sort of stuff until i have expendable income.

There is a chance I won some amount of money, what would be a smart percentage to put into savings and what percentage to spend? It would kind of be boring just to save it all, even if it is the sensible thing to do. I was thinking putting 3/5ths into savings, 1/5th to spend on myself, and 1/5th on my friends. I'm treating it different than I would wages because this isn't earned, it's won. What do you guys think?

[QUOTE=Ardosos;50285825]There is a chance I won some amount of money, what would be a smart percentage to put into savings and what percentage to spend? It would kind of be boring just to save it all, even if it is the sensible thing to do. I was thinking putting 3/5ths into savings, 1/5th to spend on myself, and 1/5th on my friends. I'm treating it different than I would wages because this isn't earned, it's won. What do you guys think?[/QUOTE] What do you mean, spending 1/5 on friends? Like, how much in winnings are we talking about here? In the hundreds? The thousands? Tens of thousands? More? It's a nice thought, spending some of that money on friends, but I probably wouldn't recommend anything more than taking a few good friends out for a nice dinner to celebrate. It's not greedy or callous or rude not to give your money to your friends or to buy them expensive gifts just because you've had a windfall. That 1/5th would be much better served put into savings or investments. Depending on how much money we're talking here, saving or investing that 1/5th share of your winnings now could have a big impact down the road. Alternatively, do you have any debt? Car payments, credit card bills, etc? Anything you could pay down or pay off to reduce your monthly expenses? You'd be well served taking care of those. Reducing your monthly expenses is just as good as getting a raise for the same amount.

I am like totally stuck, 20 in August and I need to figure out what I want to do with my life. I've thought about opening up a business but I really don't have the funds for a start up, I'd really want to look into maybe opening a classic car rental service or maybe some sort of card/comic shop or maybe some sort of cool coffee shop, or maybe even owning a hotel/motel, I have lots of ideas just not a lot of knowledge as to where to start. Currently though I'm unemployed, looking for some full time work really hard and I'm enrolled this fall for a community college, though I have no clue what program to even pursue. I'm so fucking very afraid of just going for something worthless and having it fall through/I don't like it and then I'll live in poverty barely able to enjoy anything, you know? As far as living space goes I currently am living at home so I can put away some good money when I get a job this summer. Though I really don't need much space at all, I've considered a tiny house but I really would like the luxury of a garage. I've looked at saving and buying something for cheap that might need work and then maybe taking out a personal loan to have repairs done/doing repairs myself. (Maybe if I ever get enough funds I could repair and flip houses or have rental properties) I have the ideas, I just don't have the funds and am lacking some knowledge, its all so scary but kinda oddly exciting, any advice y'all can provide or help would be most excellent.

[QUOTE=Ardosos;50285825]There is a chance I won some amount of money, what would be a smart percentage to put into savings and what percentage to spend? It would kind of be boring just to save it all, even if it is the sensible thing to do. I was thinking putting 3/5ths into savings, 1/5th to spend on myself, and 1/5th on my friends. I'm treating it different than I would wages because this isn't earned, it's won. What do you guys think?[/QUOTE] If you're coming into any kind of 6+ figure amounts, the verrrrry first thing you should do is not give anything away. Put the whole sum into a bank and don't touch it, work off interest. If you come across something like $10,000, then you can probably do whatever you want. It's not really a significant enough gain to change your life.

[QUOTE=Revenge282;50286644]If you're coming into any kind of 6+ figure amounts, the verrrrry first thing you should do is not give anything away. Put the whole sum into a bank and don't touch it, work off interest. If you come across something like $10,000, then you can probably do whatever you want. It's not really a significant enough gain to change your life.[/QUOTE] Hey, speak for yourself. Ten grand in the right hands, with the right plan, can become a fortune. I've been trying to scrape up ten grand for the past year in order to start my business. Got very close at $8k, but that's been cut in half by my home purchase, repairs, and renovations. I'll get there eventually, though, and once I do I can finally go full steam ahead on my real estate career goals. I'll never look back! Btw if anybody here wants to give me $10k please don't be shy about it.

$10k would be enough to get me a new car and get me out of student debt so it'd definitely change my life lmao

Give Pascall and I ten thousand dollars.