What would you do?

yea i think thats what im going to have to do

lol he lucked out the first time but for me im hoping if i were to sell the tank i would get enough money out of it to help with the move, but with how much money i have spent on the tank i dont think it would even be worth it

 

Adult decision, Dont buy anything, When you figure out when you're moving sell the stock n empty it out, take the sand and toss it, Save the Equipment and rock. See your living situation, Will the tank fit in the house, if you have a roommate, is it ok with them or can you have the tank? If not then I would sell it.

Sure your folks wouldnt mind a tank in storage under those circumstances.

 

yea thats also a really good idea

 

I say keep what you have for now and closer to the move sell all of your livestock and keep the equipment

unless someone offers you a good deal for everything

 

Or she could offer it to a local reefer/LFS, instead of just tossing it (it works here )

 

yea i think that's what im going to do. it will be soooo hard though not to buy anything else for the tank, although i think i need to buy new bulbs for my light in a month or two

 

never thought of that, lol.. FREE used Sand!

 

Keep the tank the way it is. Budget yourself. You make X amount of dollars a month. You have to put X amount on your credit cards to get them paid off. You need to save to move out. And obviously whatever other bills you have that are none of our business LOL. You can do it trust me. Just don't give up. Imagine not having to have your tank in your bedroom like a little kid anymore!

 

yea thankfully i dont have too many bills, but ill probably have to start paying health insurance, can and other insurance pretty soon so thats going to be hard. and i get paid twice a month so im hoping if i start putting away one paycheck a month i will be able to save up enough money.

and after owning a sw i cant imagine not having one

 

Having gone around a few blocks with the usual consumer credit card debt and knowing how it can literally imprison you for years, i would make some suggestions that will go far with you as you get ready to go off on your own:

Immediately sit down with a pad and pencil, your bank account statements, a calculator, receipts, and your pay stub. Write it all down - do this by hand so you actually make yourself work through this - see if you are able to identify everything you purchased with cash drawn from "random ATM drive bys"...this all adds up at an insane pace. Categorize each and every expenditure into a category such as food, rent, pet supplies, gasoline, cell bill, etc etc....It would actually be good to do this for the last 2-6 months to even a year in order to identify patterns in spending.

Take your findings and try to develop a budget from that, setting up priorities based on what you absolutely NEED (survival) first and not merely what you WANT (living). See how much if any is left over. Be brutally honest with yourself...which is not fun but is necessary. One of the NEED categories must be a designated amount to be taken from each pay period to go towards your debt and an amount (even a token 5 dollars) to be banked. Gotta start out somehow...If you are paid weekly, immediately make that set CC payment allotment each payday - making sure that you are paying as much over the minimum amount due as you can without directly shorting your NEEDS categories.

If your bank holds both your savings and CC, and you get direct deposit right now, you may be able to make arrangements with your bank to immediately funnel a set amount directly to your debt balance. That is how i tackle mine - it goes directly into an account that pays my car and CC debt. Out of sight, out of mind as far as what I actually get once those allotments are skimmed off the initial deposit.

Invest in software like MS Money or some other financial / budgeting program that will help you track each expenditure by the categories you set up. There is likely shareware out there these days that could be helpful.

You are at a place in your life where you want to sprout wings and fly, but you have got to be able to maintain discipline especially with spending.
(i recall being there too albeit a few more years ago than I would like to admit lol) Flying is awesome, but crash landing is not.

This is likely one of the hardest things that most of us have to learn to do, then keep doing. Trust me, the last thing you will need at this part of your life is a big debt monkey on your back - especially starting off on your own. It will eventually grow into the 3000 lb gorilla (and they have a very hard time flying).

As others here have said, moving is expensive - no matter where you go - there are so many hidden expenses and things that crop up. That will never stop. You have to consider finding work, or perhaps college expenses, then there is that lovely thing called ... healthcare / medical insurance. Oh yeah - did i mention a vehicle and all those associated expenses? ....and right about the time you think you are going to come out on top, there is usually some emergency expenditure that crops up. It just never ends!

Work on the CC debt as soon as you can. If you have to, do what I did and hand it over to a parent who can lock it away for you or even cut it up until you have the debt paid down. Always pay more than the minimum balance no matter how little you can afford....I am sure you know about all those tips. Bottom line, you need to go over all your liabilities, and then your assets, identify the basic bills and financial obligations that you MUST meet each month on your current pay, then go from there.

So long as you keep a balance on your CC, you really do not have money to spend - unless you are technically able to pay off your monthly bill in full up to the maximum limit of the card. It is scary to think of that, but it is true.

The key is discipline, discipline, discipline. However there is also something equally valuable and that is happiness. Learning to be disciplined in areas where you need to in order to afford or maintain other things that make you happy will be critical.

So..take a good honest look at your current situation - no matter how good or bad parts of it might be and face it eye to eye with a plan. If the cold hard truth means that your tank goes into storage for a while - then do it, grit your teeth and stick to your guns - set a new "born on" date to work towards as far as the tank goes. I am more than willing to bet that despite your arguments and differences with your parents and family, that they want to see you succeed and will do what they can to support your efforts if you develop a plan and let them in on it.

There is no shame in having a conversation like that with your folks / family no matter how old you are. It took me about 3 years but I dug myself out of some hefty 5 digit "consumer debt" before it consumed me. It was very humbling and painful at times but it had to be dealt with.

Adulthood sorta sucks - but it is a reality and tackling the crappier parts of it early on will make it a lot better as you go - especially when you are a self-sustaining, independent adult

You have tons of adventures ahead of you - i wish you lots of luck and happiness in planning all of this out. Always be honest with yourself and knowing NEED versus WANT and you will do just fine.

**hops off soapbox**

(forgive the manifesto - bet you cannot tell that i am a mom, can you? )