[amomof4]

My daughter moved out making $400 a month. Her apartment was $300 which included all utilities. Her food was subsidized by her employer--she worked at KFC. Of course this was 15 years ago, so you would have to adjust for inflation.

When I first moved out, I made $1.65 an hour plus about $5 in tips. I supported a family of 3 on this. My ex stayed home & babysat. But times were different then. I think the cost of living was cheaper then. We also didn't have cable, cell phones, enternet, microwaves, etc. They didn't exist, so we could live cheaper.

However, Dr. Laura says it is best for your child if you lived at home. I suppose it would depend on your relationship with your parents.

I would think that if you had to pay for day care, you would not be able to make it on your own. But do your research. Once you get a car, you will have additional costs of insurance, maintenance, and gas. Find out what apartments rent for & the cost of utilitities. If you do find a place, you can call the utility company to find out what the average charges were for that apartment. Realize that you are probably going to have to do without a phone & tv. When my daughter moved out, her computer days were over because she couldn't afford a computer much less the cost of the internet. I would also call your insurance agent to find out which cities have the lowest rates.