Living alone (as a student)

[SE_JM]

Hello,
I was just wondering, is there anyone on AN who lives alone as a student (away from home, either in a share with friends or just themselves)?
I know  from my school, some people leave home in year 10 to live by themselves (independence, I guess)
If you live alone, are there any government benefits that help you? Also what are the good and bad aspects of living alone as a student?
If your parents don't give you money and you want to live by yourself, how much do you have to earn per week (how many hours do you need to work each week)

Note: Not really considering to live alone as a student but genuinely interested.

[hobbitle]

I am a mature aged student and live alone. It's very very expensive but I choose to do it because it's the lifestyle I was used to and enjoyed before I studied and was working. I would not really recommend it for a school leaver. It is difficult getting rent cash together (you may qualify for rent assistance from Centrelink which is roughly $75/week?).

I wouldn't recommend it from a financial standpoint but also an independent standpoint. It's a good skill to learn how to house share for a while. I did my time house sharing and got over it, as you do, but you learn many valuable lessons and if you get along with your housemates it can be really fun.

[SE_JM]

I don't think I want to live alone, but kind of considering sharing with some other people.
I'm quite young so I want to start sharing when I'm in uni or something. (still a few years away)

Just wondering, is it possible to live off Government benefits without working at all?

I'm maybe considering sharing that's around $170 per week. (including all bills like water, gas and electricity)

So all i'll need to spend on is food, clothes, and everyday essentials, I guess...
I'm kinda new to all this. , but could you help me out?
Thanks!

[Emma19982]

Just wondering, is it possible to live off Government benefits without working at all?

I'm not too sure how much you would receive from the government so hopefully someone will be able to answer this for you but regardless I think it's important to earn your own money. If you're old enough to leave home you're old enough to get a job. May I ask if there's any reason why you can't work?

I'm maybe considering sharing that's around $170 per week. (including all bills like water, gas and electricity)

So all i'll need to spend on is food, clothes, and everyday essentials, I guess...

Keep in mind that you may have more bills than you think. Have you considered internet, phone, car, insurance, etc?

[SE_JM]

Yeah, I'll probably have to work my butt off paying the HELP loan anyway...
I didn't mean that I wouldn't work, it's that, if in unfortunate circumstances, I was sacked and didn't have a job for some time, I was wondering if I could actually survive with the government payments alone, even though I don't like the idea...

Living alone seems like a difficult thing to do..

[Emma19982]

Take a look at this: http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/youth-allowance
This should give you a general idea as to how much you will receive from the government. From there you can try and calculate how much you will spend weekly.

When do you plan on moving out? If it's a while way it might be worth saving up now so if you were to get fired (and I don't think you would) you'll still have plenty in the bank.

[scribble]

absolutely try to save up a little before you move out. When I moved out I had like $2k in savings. Bad fucking idea. Remember when you start renting, you are typically required pay a bond which is four weeks rent, as well as your first month's rent straight up. Having money in savings means that youll have a buffer if you lose your job or something like that. I quit my job last July, and have been living off savings since. It's probably gone down by around $3-4k since, but with that said, I am also on a Centrelink payment of $560 per fortnight.
On that note, make sure you are eligible for Centrelink payments. Centrelink is not going to pay you because you want to move out and gain independence, you need to have a reason. That reason may be because you live too far to travel to and from uni every day or something else. But make sure you're eligible because moving out without Centrelink payments, though possible will be REALLY stressful and challenging if you're coming straight out of high school.
And remember it's always safer to over budget than under budget. I don't know which area you're hoping to move to, but $170p/w including all bills is ridiculously cheap. Go on domain and realestate.com and check the prices of accomodation. And also, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. There are a lot of nasty people offering accomodation on gumtree for example.