My situation at home has gotten to the point that I'm seriously thinking about/planning on moving out when I turn 18, or at least soon thereafter. I don't want to go down that road if there's a solution to the situation, but if my parents and I can't agree, can't get along and hardly talk, I can't deal with that...But of course, being 17 right now and having no money makes it impossible to move out at this time.

So anyway...The situation:

I want to go for my high school equivalency or GED, and attend the local community college rather than go back to high school which I've had problems with since the start. This is not at all OK with my parents. They want me to stay in school, and graduate from my school...My school which I hate, have always hated, and will continue to hate. There's no way that they'll let me go to another school, and there's no way they'll let me be homeschooled...So, there's a major issue. Honestly though, high school really isn't my thing anyway. I feel as if it's just a huge waste of time, the rules and regulations are ridiculous, and it's just...I can't stand it. I think that I would do better if I were in a different situation, like at the community college. More interesting/challenging classes, more freedom, and all that. But, as I said, that doesn't work with my parents.

This school argument has caused lots of problems with us. Whenever we talk about it, one or both of us gets really mad and the conversation turns into more of an fight and we both end up mad. My parents hardly talk to me anymore...Yesterday, even after I said good morning to my mom, she didn't respond. The first thing she said to me was "You need to get the dishes done before we leave." She gives me looks all the time, and I basically can't do anything that doesn't make her angry.

Now, I know that my parents love me, but in all honesty, I don't really feel it. They're always mad at me, we're always fighting...Blah blah blah.

And it's not just my parents...My 14 year old sister seems to hate me like half the time. She's so mean, and she doesn't get in trouble for it, and she makes me feel really bad about myself. Her with my parents? They yell a lot. My 23 year old brother is bitter because he's a college graduate with no money so he's living at home...And that causes a lot of tension too. I just can't handle all the conflict even if it doesn't directly involve me. Just hearing all the arguments and stuff really bothers me, and I wish that my family could get along and be happy and stuff.

On top of all this...My depression is coming back, and I'm becoming more anxious again...And that's really tough. I mean, it's all related, but I was doing pretty well until now.

I know that what I'm thinking is pretty drastic, but I can't help it. I've wanted to move out for ages, but of course, couldn't, and, it's never been as bad as it is right now.

I just don't know what to do...

My friend is also going to the CC, so we were thinking that we could get an apartment together and split the costs so that it would be more affordable for both of us. He's got a car that we could share, we decided that we want to be downtown, or at least on the bus route...Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen is really all we need.

Money?

I have two jobs for the summer, and a total of 24-28 hours per week. I also have money saved up from my job during the school year (about $250-300). If I save all the money that I make this summer, and add in the money I already have, it should be about $1000. I also plan to work part time during the year, again, about 24 hours a week...And by January, I'll have about $1800*. January through May, I'll make another $4200.

That's just me, and my friend will make at least as much as me, but in all likelihood, more. A lot more actually.

* January is important because that's when we're thinking about getting the apartment. So I could easily have about $2000 in the bank by then even if I take a bunch of classes which is good since once we move out, we need to be thinking about rent and food and all that.

So yeah. It's a big deal.

I've done a lot of number crunching, and I think it should work. Will I have a lot of money? No. Will I be able to have excess things? No. Is that OK with me? Yes. And also, my friend can get really high paying jobs since he's been working forever...So whatever I can't cover, he can.

Post edited at 6:24 pm on July 3, 2008 by Anonymous