When you had become self sustained.

[RetireAge50]

My wedding day age 22.

 

[Dog]

At 19. I started working full time at 18 right out of high school and immediately started saving money to move out. My Mom & I didn't get along and within 9 months of me working my Dad asked me to move out. I learned how to LBM quickly!

 

[DrRoy]

This summarizes my situation:

Loved the Monty Python.

Age 21 with my first job out of college as an engineer.

 

[Alan]

Age 18. When I left High School I got job and each week my parents would take about 1/3 of my pay towards to the housekeeping. 13 weeks later I left for college where I had the fees paid by the state and a stipend from the company that sponsored me, plus I worked for them as a student apprentice for 6 months/year. DW was in exactly the same situation and we were both sponsored by the same company and went to the same college which is how we met.

It was nice to not have to rely on my parents for college and in those days everyone who got the grades and was accepted to college had their fees paid for. Louisiana had a similar scheme in place when our children graduated High School and went to college so we very much got lucky then as well and had minimal costs to pay for kids' college education, and they were both off the payroll as soon as they graduated and got a job.

 

[Alan]

At age 23, after graduating from University in the UK, my Dad picked me up from campus and gave me a ride home. After arriving, he congratulated me and said, "I know I don't have to tell you this, but you're on your own now". One or two people I told this to thought it was a bit harsh, but I didn't take it that way at all, as I was keen to get out on my own and see the big, wide world.

One of my friends said that after she graduated her Dad told her to hold onto one end of a piece of string, and then he pulled a pair of scissors from his pocket and cut it in half, congratulating her as he did so.

 

[frayne]

Eighteen when I went to work for my Uncle, Sam. Parents were divorced when I was a young teen so I always had a job to buy the things I wanted. My Dad told me in I was quite young that I could have anything I wanted, just as long as I worked for it and paid for it. Gave the same advice to my son.

 

[jkern]

Started working full time after High School at 17. Put myself through college and graduated at 24. Received free room and board from Mom (except when away at college) before and after graduating with an Engineering degree. Completely on my own at 25.

 

[W2R]

I left home at 18 and went to another state where I knew nobody. I was completely on my own at that point. It took me a while to find a full time job, so I took the first one I found, at a bookstore. That was fun but I applied for college because I valued an education.

While going to college I got other jobs that would fit around my full time class schedule, working nights, weekends, and holidays. This is how I paid for my own room, board, tuition, and everything else at college. School all day, work all night? Good thing 18-year-olds don't actually need to SLEEP like other human beings.

 

[calmloki]

or 50ish YO memories. College at 17 in my own old trailer for housing and student aid. $35/mo space rent, $5 propane, about $35 for groceries. Rich Uncle then paid for all clothing, food, lodging,medical care, and exotic cruises to Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and South China seas for the best part of four years. Took care of myself for a year or so, then Uncle paid most of the tab for me to go back to school for four years. Was about 27 before I was really taking care of myself consistently.

 

[RE2Boys]

Age 21 when after graduating college, volunteered for the Air Force (Vietnam era and avoiding the Army draft). On my own ever since

 

[38Chevy454]

Basically 18, when I started college. Worked part time during school and full time summers and paid my way through for most part. My parents did let me live at home summers for free (while working full time), and their biggest contribution was they picked up my car insurance while I was in college since I was on their policy. I also co-op'ed during college so I was on the 5 year plan by the time graduation rolled around. At 23 graduated and been completely responsible for my own since.

 

[SteveNU]

Age 19, left California and went in the Navy. Ended up on the east coast and have been here ever since. Luckily all three of our children have also become self sufficient between the ages of 18-22 and I don't see any of them ever having to depend on us to take care of them anymore! That's a pretty good feeling

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[2017ish]

Age 19, left California and went in the Navy. Ended up on the east coast and have been here ever since. Luckily all three of our children have also become self sufficient between the ages of 18-22 and I don't see any of them ever having to depend on us to take care of them anymore! That's a pretty good feeling

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Hear, hear! We see that as one of our greatest (and luckiest) accomplishments. No bouncebacks and all self-sustaining after finishing school--although we didn't have anyone do it at 18.

 

[athena53]

Age 22- I started my first job the day after I got out of college. I was furious when it looked like the bank was going to require my parents to co-sign my auto loan (1973 Hornet in 1975!) because I had no credit history. Parents were willing, but fortunately the bank relented.

DS took a bit longer to get through college and then worked PT for about 6 months before his employer brought him on FT, but has been on his own since.

 

[Theseus]

Age 18 - stumbled around a bit after graduating HS, but by year's end had a fulltime job. Worked there for all but 1 year (when I was checking the color of the grass on the other side of the fence at another employer) until I ER'd 39 years later. Earned associate's, bachelors, & master's degrees through the years while working fulltime.

 

[rodi]

Got a full time job and started junior college when I graduated HS... but I wasn't 18. I moved out 2 weeks after my 18th birthday.

I went back on the family dole 2.5 years later for 4 years... I'd figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up - and it wasn't being an insurance clerk for just above minimum wage. Interned my last year of college and had a full time job starting the day after graduation.

It wasn't the typical path (working/living on own then going back to college with family help) - but it was the correct path for me. I had NO CLUE what I wanted to major in out of high school. I was accepted to UC Berkeley - but knew that going to a competitive school without any purpose or plan was a bad idea. Those few years on my own working a crappy job taught me a) LBYM and b) college was a good idea.

 

[Sue J]

We got married at 21 and that's the first time we supported ourselves. We had part time jobs and one semester of college left for each of us. We got full time jobs soon after graduation and stayed in our cheap ($140/mo) apartment in a college town.

Young marrieds, in love and making enough to pay the bills and even save every month, life was pretty darn good!

 

[Pbkmaine]

24. I got out of grad school and got married. The marriage was not a good idea, but the education was great.

 

[pjm-7]

Age 21. Even though the parents had said they would pay for four years of college, they gave me the ultimatum when I turned 21 to "move back east or they would cut me off". My freedom in the mountain states meant more to me than their control. I got a loan and worked two jobs for my senior year. Yes, there was some lean times living in one room apartments and making a piece of chicken last for three meals (extreme cooking frugality) but I would do it again!

 

[FI by 2024]

One week shy of 18 when I left for college. My parents didn't pay a dime for my college (and I didn't want them to). I worked part-time seven of my eight semesters and full time+ during the summers. Took my last semester off work to focus on my thesis. Commissioned in the Air Force but didn't enter active duty for another 2 months, so I took the money I'd saved up over the previous 4 years and travelled - Boston, California, Arizona, Nevada. I did stay at my parents house for about 3 weeks of that time, but I don't think that counts as not self-sustaining


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[MRG]

I got married at 18, DF was done, he assured me I was ruining my life. He had put a new condition on his promise of a full ride to PSU, my future wife could not attend there. We had no plans of getting married then; DF's attempt to control caused us to change our plans and get married straight out of school and start life. Forty years later she's still the greatest wife I could imagine.

 

[shortstop14]

Left home at 18 for college in another state with nothing but best wishes, and never looked back. Had academic scholarships for most of my tuition, but still needed to work pretty close to full-time in order to live. Got married at 20, so then there were two of us on our own - but also two of us working while going to school.

Not the easiest path through college, but it worked out fine in the end. We learned to live within our means during the lean early marriage years, although right on the edge of them. Made it easy to live beneath our means once we had living incomes.

 

[skipro33]

At 17, the day I graduated high school. My dad handed me $500 and said rent was $50 a month plus $10 a week for food unless I was full-time enrolled in college. No way I was going to go to college. I lived in my van with a cat and my dirtbike, working at a motorcycle shop as a mechanic from June until the following January when it got too cold and I enlisted in the military. I joined the Air Force because boot camp was San Antonio, TX and that sounded warm to me.

 

[kcowan]

After my bachelors degree I got a Ford Foundation Fellowship which enabled me to become self-sustaining. Never looked back.

Borrowed some money from them for the first home and paid it off in 2 years.

 

[Ronstar]

I dropped out of Junior College and got a job when I was 19. But lived with my parents until I was 23 paying a little rent and saving some $. I then got an apartment close to work.


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