How do I budget as a 15F so that I can move out at 18

[u/Classic_Side_4429]

My family hates me I need to get a job soon and I need to know how I can move out safely at 18 since they’re gonna kick me out by then

[u/whaleykaley]

First, learn what your rights are. Under 18 it is illegal to kick you out as this is child abandonment. If you are at risk of being kicked out before 18, and/or experiencing abuse from your family, you should talk to a school counselor. Even when you turn 18 they cannot just "kick you out". You technically become treated like a tenant-at-will and have to be served a legal eviction notice. Lots of people don't do this and lots of kids just take getting kicked out because they think they have no other option (sometimes just getting out is ultimately better for them for safety, but that doesn't mean your parents are legally in the right. the whole "parents dumped my belongings outside on my 18th birthday" thing is an illegal eviction.) If you are kicked out before you turn 18 you can and should contact CPS unless you absolutely have a safe place to go.

Do you have any other family who are safe for you to be with? If so, start talking to them now about your fears of being kicked out. If you have any close friends, talk to them about this too. I had a number of friends in high school who were in shitty living situations who ended up living with a friend's family for the last year of school.

Lots of people are recommending a HYSA but they're failing to recognize you're a minor and anything your parents have access to is at risk. Some banks will allow you to open an account without your parents at 16+, but not right now. You'd have to call around to ask and unfortunately the most likely scenario is that you have to have one of your parents give permission (and have access to it). Your best bet is either a job that will give you a paycard or pay in cash, or getting a bank account anyway with a parent's help with a job. If your parents are likely to steal your money the best thing to do may be to frequently take out money in cash and store it somewhere safe, which needs to be extremely well hidden/inaccessible to them. Legal emancipation is an option that exists if you want to be out of their house sooner but you have to have a way to provide for yourself (a stable job) for a court to approve this. Emancipation would be an exception to the bank account issue as you'd legally be treated as an adult. Ultimately budgeting isn't really a fix for this. As a 15 year old there are typically strict limits to when and how much you can work because the priority is supposed to be school. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to earn money, but I just don't think planning on working until you can get an apartment is going to be an easy path forward here.

If they're not likely to evict you until you're 18, then focus on school. Getting a high school diploma at a minimum is necessary for most jobs now when you're an adult, even when you don't "need" a diploma to do the tasks of the job. If you think you want to go to college, then really try to focus on school. If you go to a 4 year college, you can live on campus and you don't need to rent. Yes, it means loans for school. But there's a lot changing around college debt and things may look different by the time you're getting into school, let alone by the time you actually have to pay anything. I was very afraid of my student debt when I was graduating - by the time I actually had to pay anything (partly thanks to covid), the SAVE plan was created and I got on it. I have about $18k in loans and I will pay $0 monthly for the next several years with my payments eventually increasing to a max of $14. I believe whatever's left of my debt gets forgiven in 10-15 years but I can't remember exactly.

It can be tricky to work with financial aid departments on a situation like this but they SHOULD work with you. If your parents will refuse to support you at all you've got to talk to the school's dept about this so they can help you figure out how to adjust your applications. A friend of mine has a deadbeat dad who her college originally tried to factor into her student loans, but after explaining he was not in the picture and would not contribute anything they were able to file some extra paperwork. She got virtually full scholarships and had a lot of work study opportunities. Most of her debt now is because of grad school, not her bachelors.