Recently moved back into my 'rents house to payoff bills (broke up with live in ex). I'm currently debt free and my original goal was to save $ to buy a house. Now that I don't have bills I've recently been thinking about going back and finishing school to get my degree. I make good $ where I work now and even though I miss my absolute privacy, my parents are really cool. What should I do?
200639
If you finish school before taking on the responsibility of a house you may find owning that home will be easier.  I am a mortgage loan officer and find many people are not adequatly prepared to cover the true cost of home ownership.  Expenses such as taxes, insurance, repairs and upkeep overshadow low rates and tax breaks causing many first-time homebuyers to go into foreclosure.  Remeber a house can be lost or destroyed but knowledge is yours forever. (besides if you make more money you can buy a more perfect house later)
181461
You still have a computer, internet, and a roof to live under from the looks of it, unless you are at a public library.  Count what you do have and rejoice in that.\n\nI live horribly and in debt and cant seem to gain employment myself.  But I do have a great family and plenty of time to raise them.
155407
I don't know how much house you are looking for, but you could buy 2 pretty nice 3 bedroom houses and have some left over where I live for that much money.\n\nI paid cash for a house last year.  It was the most liberating thing I have ever done.  I never again have to worry about the house payment.  Most of my peers are 2 paychecks away from going under.  I hated that feeling, and now it is gone forever.\n\nNo mortgage, and no credit cards.\n\nIs this house less than what I wanted?  I wouldn't have bought it if it was.  The peace of mind is everything.
46623
I would go away with out a doubt. Actually I had a similiar opportunity when I graduated. I went away and it is now one of the best decisions I have ever made! I graduated and I learned so much more about myself and life than I would have had I lived at home. It does take a bit more dicipline to get up and go to class than if you know that your parents are gonna notice if you don't go to class, but you have to learn that sometime. You don't want your parents to have to call you for the rest of your life and make sure you go to work? \n\nI think going away to college is an invaluable experience. I lived on campus and didn't miss the car at all, I just got rides from my friends when I needed to go somewhere.\n\nIf your parents really have the money you'll probably end up with both if you choose to go away, they may just be offering you a car as an effort to get you to do what they want. (Not that that happened to me... I didn't have a car)\n\nRemember to enjoy whatever you choose!!!!
609168
You need to make certain sacrifices. Give up school or give up the car. Or you can try to get a student loan and pay it off after you graduate.\n\nTo find ways to save money, I suggest budgeting yourself and cutting back on spending.
596061
Yep it is a great idea. You can lock in student loans at about 3% interest. you have to pay it all back in the long run, might as well, take care of the high interest rates now, before they get worse. I did this with my student loans, I am still paying on them, but with an all time low interest rate, small monthly payments, and my credit is great .\nStudent loans are less expensive payments than most will lead you to believe. You can make a plan to pay it in up to a 20 year period. The interest is so low that it is not necessarily a bad idea, especially if you consolidate through a third party. I graduated with a masters a few years ago, I had 20K in student loan debt. I originally made high payments, but now I only pay around 120 a month, more when I have it........\nMy credit cards weren't that bad, but they were there. My credit was worsening because of debt versus borrowing ability, so I paid them off while I was in school. Think about it... You don't have to pay back until you graduate, and you are sure to get a better job than you have right now. It is the sensible decision. It is your money to use any way you need to, just make sure you can make it through the year, and don't take more than you need to get by. Good luck in school.\nIf you are paying back before you graduate, if you pick the right loan, there will be no interest at all. That is a no brainer. Pay off your cards.
267186
I have a Master's and still found I wasn't getting paid enough to have a comfortable living. After all of the studying and all of the loans, I decided it was more profitable to own my own home based business and put all of my hard work for my benefit instead of my time being bought for wholesale and being compensated at retail. Now my entire check is mine, with no overhead. I was a day late and $70,000 short in learning that lesson. I won't make the same mistake with my children. I am teaching them how to own jobs instead of getting a job. Good luck with your degree.
668312
Hi, you know we all different.  And it's really what makes us happy we should go with.  I can't actually wait to go back to school because I love it, I need to get more and more knowledge.  And I want to have my own business and for that I will go to Uni and study how the things work.  In your case you probably born leader and smart with a money and surroundings so good on you.  And you probably will run your company if you need without any study.  So consider yourself lucky and good luck with your future.
664106
Let wifey finish school and then buy the home. There is no use rushing into a mortage and you are not financially ready. It may mean a few more years but it can also give you a peace of mind. Good Luck!
199496
you should find something that interests you.  Maybe take your basic classes that you need towards your degree (english, math, etc) while you decide.  I would suggest not dropping out of school, because it's easy to say you will go back, but much much harder to do.  Especially as you get older and have more responsibilities.  You can take online tests to find out which career is best for you (tickle.com), or you can talk to a guidance counselor, or your parents....it's hard to figure out what to do with the rest of your life.  But if you think you are making no money now, think how much less that will be in the future when you may have a family, house, etc...Stay in school, you can always change majors.   Education is never a waste of time.
440086
Take the BAH and buy a house.\n\nIf you're moving into military housing (mostly privatized) you're essentially renting.  You're not seeing any return for your BAH.  If you buy a place you're building equity and ultimately paying yourself back.  Not only that, any interest that you end up paying will go back into your pocket at the end of the year because you will be able to write it off on your taxes.\n\nOther than that...  Think of it as a "gated community" lol
419089
Once your tuition and books are paid for, you should put the rest of the money away, in the bank for future use.  If you are unemployed, this money is what you are supposed to live on until next semester.  Maybe you could repay your mom the money she has paid for your books but you don't want to have to ask her for more money before the semester ends.  As a mom, I would prefer to let you keep the money in your own bank account and allow you to budget yourself so you don't have to ask her for more money when your funds run out.  Maybe she plans to take the money from you now, only to return it to you later when you ask for financial help.  Sounds like you need to communicate with your mom and let her know that you want to be financially responsible for your own money.  If you give her $200, she should be happy and know that she is helping you by helping you to become a responsible adult while attending college.  Good Luck.  Don't forget that someday you will have to repay your financial aid.
137166
Oh hon, how old are you?  You sound JUST LIKE me when I was just finishing up school.\n\nNo one can (or should) tell you what to do with your life, especially not a bunch of strangers who know nothing about you.  It's a hard decision, and one that you need to really do a lot of soul searcing on.\n\nGo ahead and keep going to school.  Take a wide variety of subjects, and see what tickles your fancy.  Then do some research on those careers - what a typical work day is like, what a normal salary is, how much education is required, what the job market is like now, and what the projected job market will be like once you've finished your degree.\n\nI know you may be asking just to ask, but in case you are really looking for serious advice, I hate to see anyone do it the hard way like I did (married, working full time and going to school, too.)  I THOUGHT I knew what I wanted to do, and jumped straight into it my freshman year of college to find out I hated it.  Two major changes later I finally ended up dropping out.\n\nSo, since it sounds like we have a lot in common, besides accounting (what I do now) I have also considered - financial advisor, psychologist, teaching, engineering, and architecture.  I also plan, sometime in the next few years, to start my own business as a contract bookkeeper.\n\nEdited - typos galore :)
329779
Just have moderation in everything you do. Don't eat out, forgo movies and other entertainment you have to pay for, have a yard sale of your unwanted things, I knew a lady once who made $500 on a yard sale.  You'll have to get creative to save money on entertainment, but many communites have free concerts, or you can go for a walk in the part.  If it's possible, you and your partner can get a second, part-time job.  Or go to a temp agency and take some extra jobs that way.  Good Luck. \n\nP.S.- I know you want a house, just don't get in over your head and start of your new life back in debt.
413589
Statements you are making are conflicting....\n\nYou are financially independent.  You make enough to have a decent living but you still live at home and you have very limited budget for college.\n\nThis does not make any sense.  \n\nIt seems you have to set/reset your priorities.  You can't have EVERYTHING.  If it is your desire to get an education, then cut down on some of your liesure activities.\n\nMy suggestion is to start with community colleges.  Tuitions are a lot less.  You can get an AA degree and it will substitute for the first 2 years of the 4 year college.
33276
I would advise you to go back to school....\nYou do not want to end up in a mc Donald do you ?\nYou have to refresh your talents, knowledge, get reacquainted with the world.\nSCHOOL !!\ni know you might be thinking : I need to pay the bills etc....but in the long run : trust me......the sacrifice WILL pay itself off. You will get a job you like, with more money.\nAnd you will be pround of yourself.\n\nPS : I think the first answer was really really crude....don't know how people can post this type of immature, cave-dwelling sort of answer.
195648
Sell your truck and use the money to pay your house loan.\n\nI suggest you to sell everything you own (Including your bed) and pay your house loan before you are kick out of your house and you end up homeless.\n\nPlease let me know how much debt exactly do you have in your house loan and how much is your house worth so I can find you a buyer for your house before your house becomes property of the bank.