Strawberries
Registered User
- Messages
- 22
Hi,
First things first:
I am 22 years old, graduated with a biology degree in September. Began my job in November. I earn €24,000 a year- my take home pay is €1848 a month.
I still live at home, and my only debt is a car loan, which is €1500. I pay €71.57 a month on it.
My only essentials are petrol, which is about €20-€25 a week, the car loan, and phone credit (about €10 a week).
But I am spending so much money. I love shopping.
A lot of the background was that I lived on €20-€50 a week at some points during college and was constantly worrying about money the whole time. The most money I had was when I worked 20 hours a week in a supermarket which worked out at about €150 a week.
When I finished college I worked there for the summer.
I earned about €300- €350 a week and had rent, food and bills to pay, but still had maybe 2k of savings after 3 months.
Now I earn about €460-480 a week and until I got paid today, I had €868 of savings, after 9 months.
I am spending a fortune, and it is certainly not on neccesseties. It is all psychological- all those years of worrying about money and now I don't have to.I have more than enough money for transport, food, new clothes, I never have to save for anything and I am just spending so much. Basically I love the high life. I love buying new clothes, shoes, you name it. I tell myself that I worked so hard in college and budgeted so hard for 4 years that I deserve these 9 months of spending. But it is getting ridiculous. I want to move out, and I want to buy a new car, but both would mean having to scrimp and save a bit more. The car would be worth about €9k- I could easily afford a €9k loan but I would have to cut down on the shopping. Same with rent.
There is another issue also- I want to go travelling and buy a house within the next few years. Hopefully by the time I am 26. And I am thinking, how will I afford it if I am paying rent and a €9k car loan? But then at the same time I am trying to plan years ahead and that feels ridiculous. I mean, I don't even know who I would travel with, or where I would buy a house!!!
I dont know what to do- can anyone help. All my friends have moved out and are earning similar money. Don't get me wrong, I love living at home. I have moved out before to go on a J1 and was delighted to move home again as my parents are so easy going and never ask what time will you be home at, etc. But I am 22 and feel I really should! Also with the car- I worked so hard at learning to drive that I feel I deserve a nice new car.
Can anyone help... as I say, my spending is psychological... it's not like I have a lot of bills or essentials to buy...
First things first:
I am 22 years old, graduated with a biology degree in September. Began my job in November. I earn €24,000 a year- my take home pay is €1848 a month.
I still live at home, and my only debt is a car loan, which is €1500. I pay €71.57 a month on it.
My only essentials are petrol, which is about €20-€25 a week, the car loan, and phone credit (about €10 a week).
But I am spending so much money. I love shopping.
A lot of the background was that I lived on €20-€50 a week at some points during college and was constantly worrying about money the whole time. The most money I had was when I worked 20 hours a week in a supermarket which worked out at about €150 a week.
When I finished college I worked there for the summer.
I earned about €300- €350 a week and had rent, food and bills to pay, but still had maybe 2k of savings after 3 months.
Now I earn about €460-480 a week and until I got paid today, I had €868 of savings, after 9 months.
I am spending a fortune, and it is certainly not on neccesseties. It is all psychological- all those years of worrying about money and now I don't have to.I have more than enough money for transport, food, new clothes, I never have to save for anything and I am just spending so much. Basically I love the high life. I love buying new clothes, shoes, you name it. I tell myself that I worked so hard in college and budgeted so hard for 4 years that I deserve these 9 months of spending. But it is getting ridiculous. I want to move out, and I want to buy a new car, but both would mean having to scrimp and save a bit more. The car would be worth about €9k- I could easily afford a €9k loan but I would have to cut down on the shopping. Same with rent.
There is another issue also- I want to go travelling and buy a house within the next few years. Hopefully by the time I am 26. And I am thinking, how will I afford it if I am paying rent and a €9k car loan? But then at the same time I am trying to plan years ahead and that feels ridiculous. I mean, I don't even know who I would travel with, or where I would buy a house!!!
I dont know what to do- can anyone help. All my friends have moved out and are earning similar money. Don't get me wrong, I love living at home. I have moved out before to go on a J1 and was delighted to move home again as my parents are so easy going and never ask what time will you be home at, etc. But I am 22 and feel I really should! Also with the car- I worked so hard at learning to drive that I feel I deserve a nice new car.
Can anyone help... as I say, my spending is psychological... it's not like I have a lot of bills or essentials to buy...