I am going to be turning 20 in 2 more months, I have a stable job with a stable pay, I don’t own a car just yet, I currently live with my parents and I should finish college within about a year. (I’ll be majoring in Polysomnography).

I started saving money a long while back, maybe a year. My boyfriend (of 3 years) lives out in California while I live in Illinois and he is still going to college and will be for a while to earn his Master’s degree. I would really love to move out towards his end and rent an appartment. In saying that, he would live with me while still going to college and I go to my work somewhat close by.

Now here are my questions and I have quite a few:

1) How much on a months rent (as an estimate) and bills, etc. does it cost for a small appartment?

2) How much money should I have (another good estimate) to have before moving anywhere?

3) Should I buy a car before moving anywhere? [or] Is it not a good idea to buy a car and rent an appartment all at once? (ANY advice on purchasing a car I’ll take).

4) I’ve heard from some people that you can open another bank account and keep it as your "emergency" account, just in case if you run out of cash in your original account. How does that all of work and how can I create one?

5) How long is the process of moving out to rent a place take?

6) Any tips or advice on how to rent an appartment, car transportation, money management, etc., that I should really know about when stepping out into the living world?

**Also note: I DON’T want anyone saying that I’m doing this for my boyfriend or that I’m rushing into things. Either way, I’m doing this to be with him, practice living on my own and try out certain job areas that will give me work experience. So it’s basically for my own good and learning experience.

**I don’t want to mention how much I make a month on my job or how much I have currently considering that’s all my own privacy. But I will take examples of how much I SHOULD be making a month and how much I SHOULD have total to be stable enough to move out.

~ So many pleases and thank yous to you all. If I could I would answer you all as the "best answer" if I could if I’m really impressed with all your advice. So I repeat, I’ll take ANY kind of advice and/or story examples on how to live on my own without going into debt or getting bankrupt. (That is my biggest concern) I would want to move out within a year or two and hopefully I can if I play my cards right and just save save save SAVE my money. Thanks again and please help! ~

Technorati Tags: 3 years, appartment, car transportation, going to college, how much money, learning experience, money management, own a car, parents, purchasing a car, saving money, stable job

And just for everyone’s edification… it was not because we had out of control debt. It was because we had a child that was born with extensive medical needs far and beyond our insurance and the fact that I needed to stop working for 3 years. It was all medical debt.
Thanks in advance…

Technorati Tags: 3 years, bankruptcy attorney, chapter 13 bankruptcy, control debt, insurance, medical debt, purchasing a car, recourse, thanks in advance