a little help with life..

[quteasabutton]

so since most of you all here are older than me and i'm not getting any help at home, i figured you were the right people to ask.

my dad calls me an embarrassment to the whole family. he said he's never going to let me forget that's what i am to them. he turned off my cell phone permanently now so i need to get my own plan and i am putting myself through college and am paying for life completely myself from this point on.

i'm determined not to let them bring me down and tear me apart with their constant insults anymore. i never want to come back here again or for a very long time. since i'm rather inexperienced with financial things and life and i'm getting no help from them, would anyone be able to tell me how to get a credit card? what i need to know about them? where are the best ones? any special discounts or deals for college students?

secondly, is there anything i need to know about cell phone plans? hidden fees or deals? big question, do i need a credit score to sign up for my own plan, especially for cingular?

thirdly, what do i need to know about getting college loans? are there any banks or loans you would/could recommend? does moving out of state during the summer months disqualify me for in-state tuition for the next year? when can i submit a new FAFSA as an independent? my parents both make over $100,000+ a year, so let's just say the government help i got was rather meager and my parents are not contributing.

thanks so much for your help guys. and for those of you who are going to say tough shit or that i deserve this, please don't bother posting.

[driftinggrifter2]

find the financial aid department at the college and talk to them they can help you find student loans and grants
You'll most likely approve for a pale grant
grants you dont have to pay back but the loans you do after x amount of time from graduating

Also for cellphones depending on your credit depends on how much you have to pay for a security deposit. You can go to the cinguler score and they can run it for you and tell you how much you would need

[Nicole8188]

Don't get a credit card. Whatever you do, don't get one.

Talk to me later about financial aid crap, my parents haven't disowned me, but we don't have the money to pay for school, so I can definitely help you out with that.

As far as cell phone stuff, at your age and situation I don't think you should get a plan. Too much commitment. Go ghetto and get a boost...







...and for God's sake, stop embarrassing your parents. (Joking)

[driftinggrifter2]

Credit cards are bad and evil which is why i wont get one
My mom has 3 of them and between the 3 she owes almost $5,000 on em

[Ralliart 3000gt]

Bro sorry to hear that. WTF caused that??? Well at least you are 18. I'm sure most of the guys who visit this page are more like 16 or somthing. I would try and get all of your funding through the bank. They usually have very low interest. and at least you know where all your payments go to. but I'm thinking its hard for somone your age......... maybe if you have security, what do you own???? also if you apply for an overdraft you usually don't have to make payments untill you want to. and there should be 0 to minimal charges, at least thats how it works with ANZ here in NZ. Go ring around and see what banks have to offer, and tell them your sittuation..........

[Nicole8188]

Originally Posted by Ralliart 3000gt

Bro sorry to hear that

How obvious does she have to make it?

[quteasabutton]

Originally Posted by Nicole8188

How obvious does she have to make it?

yeah no shit i figured changing my avatar to what it is now would get rid of ANY doubt left..

[capricorn]

Sorry to hear about your situation. But with respect to going to college and paying for it yourself is a very bold and smart move. Nothing beats an education. Here's a link that will help you out. Its what all financial aid offices will ask you to fill out irrespective of the need. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ (I'm assuming that you're in the states.) Then the financial aid office will try to supplement whatever it is that the government cannot provide. Some come in the form of grants (which is free money for education), work study, and loans. There are also alot of loans with alot of terms. Basically, if you can get the loan, take it. The hardest part about borrowing money for education is getting the money to begin with. The bank typically does not require payment to start until you finish school. Sometimes that is not the case so just look out.

As for credit cards, I think its a good idea to get one but use self control. The reason why I believe credit cards are so easy for you to get in college is that college is viewed as a huge financial undertaking and it speaks on your behalf in terms of financial responsibility. Use your best judgement. I never leave anything outstanding on my credit card. I just use it to defer payment until the end of the month. If you look at it in that sense, the credit card would work in your favor.

[driftinggrifter2]

I dunno but if this keeps up im gonna think shes a transvestit

[TexasF355F1]

As was said go to the financial services department of you school. They'll help get you on the right track. I would ask them about credit cards as well.

While part of me says don't get a credit card, the financially conscious part says do get yourself a credit card. BUT use it VERY VERY sparingly. I would start off by only using it in an emergency. And I'm very serious about this, pay it off each month. If you can get in to that habit, you'll learn to spend wisely and not waste your money on unecessary items.

The reason I say get a credit card is so that you can start building credit. Credit is very important. If you pay off your card and stay on top of everything the bank fairy will bless you when you take out a loan later in life. Not to mention employers are looking more and more at a person credit rating, not just past criminal history.

Once you get a job and know around where you're monthly income will be, set up an Excel speadsheet of you expenses. Take what you make each month, divide it out among bills and see what you have left. I also recommend if possible taking 10% of the income left post expenses, which may be next to impossible at this current stage, and stashing it in savings. If that's not possible at least put in $50 a month or something. You'll be glad you did down the road.

It sucks you're going through this, but good for you for taking charge and showing your parents they fucked over the wrong person. They're own flesh and blood at that.

[driftinggrifter2]

Only get a card though if you know for sure that your are ready for one. Meaning dont get one if you think there is a chance that you will go out and buy a bunch of stuff and come close to maxing it out. I would use it to pay bills or by grocerys or something that way its a small amount and your helpin to build your credit in a maintened fashion'

[quteasabutton]

Originally Posted by driftinggrifter2

Only get a card though if you know for sure that your are ready for one. Meaning dont get one if you think there is a chance that you will go out and buy a bunch of stuff and come close to maxing it out. I would use it to pay bills or by grocerys or something that way its a small amount and your helpin to build your credit in a maintened fashion'

i'm more mature than that, you should know that by now. i only intend on using it to buy things i absolutely have to or to build a credit score. i intend to pay off the full balance every month. i am determined to never ever have to come back here, i could never think of asking them for money. when i was 16 they got this idea in their head that since i got my first job their fiscal obligations towards me were complete.

so i'm already 2 years into planning out my money, saving everything, not impulse buying. i haven't bought a cd in years. if i want something so bad, i'll borrow it from the library and burn it, or stream it off the internet until i get sick of it. i'm a big girl now

[driftinggrifter2]

yes i know that but its was also a warning for anyone else that was thinkin about getting one since alot of people have the chance of reading this

[beef_bourito]

I agree with everyone about the credit card, only use it when you absolutely need to. To make the strain of university a little smaller, try mooching as much as you can off people, and go on a food plan. nothing sucks more than having to live off of kraft dinner for months on end. but try to save pennies everywhere you go, instead of buying $50 shirts, buy $20 shirts, or be like me with my $10 shirts and $30-40 jeans lol. if you live in an appartment, buy noname everything, it's cheap and you don't need the luxury, you need the money, worry about luxury when you're done.

also, apply to every scholarship you can find, you have no idea how much money goes unclaimed because nobody bothered to apply. I'm lucky, my parents are helping out with university, i still have to pay some, and it's subsidised by the canadian government, so i don't need it as much but every little bit helps. i have a few websites that i can give you if you want.

How are your marks? if they aren't very good, think about taking an extra year before university to raise them and get a job in the meantime (if you dont already have one) just to help out with paying it off and to give yourself a better chance of getting scholarships.

again, financial aid is good, student loans as well. you're obviously not going to be able to pay it off for quite a while but don't sweat, don't think about the debt you're going to enter because it will be well worth it in the long run. just keep your head up and think to the future and how much better it will be.

once you're in university, if you have time and your courses aren't so hard you spend all your time studying, find something you love, like a sport or hobby (like cars, who would imagine that would come up in a forum like this), it'll help pass the time, meet some people, and give you something to think about instead of your home situation and your course load. I've got rowing, even if you dont get into a specific sport, excercise. even if it's only a half hour per day on a bike, it'll deffinitly help you stay happy and focused.

I might be taking a year off before university, it depends on who accepts me, but ill try to help you out with whatever advice i can come accross, I know how stressful it can get (well not on the family side, but i know alot of people who have been in similar situations and i know what it can do to you), but keep your head up and go strong.

I can't help so much on the financial side of things concidering i haven't had to manage my money so far. but i agree that you should set up an excell spreadsheet with all of your expenses, alocate what money you have to pay off your bills and such, then with what money you have left, if any, decide what to do with it, either put it away for future expenses and for security, or treat yourself every once in a while to something good. just make sure you know how much money you have to spend before you do because a credit card can look like a good crutch until the debt gets big enough that they start taking your crap.

just keep your head high and you'll make it through, if you want it bad enough.

[skibum1111]

Just be careful with student loans. I had multiple loans (5) through 2 different banks, they all had the same account number (they used to use your social security number as the account number) and it was a nightmare paying them off. I thought I was paying on one loan and the payment was going towards a different loan. Also, consolidate them as soon as you can, that will lower the payment. Good luck, it sucks what your parents are doing to you.