> Before you can sign a lease, very often you need two months' rent and a security deposit.
And why exactly do you need a whole house/apartment? Sublet. Find a room on craigslist. These options require far fewer upfront costs and are far more flexible (you tend to be able to leave with notice from a few days to a few weeks).
> Maybe NYC is the exception to the rule
I would say that for American cities it is. You can live many decent places around NYC without a car for not much money at all. Sure you'll have a 1.5 hour train ride into the city but you can move... when you can afford it.
Car payments, maintenance and insurance are expensive. That alone in many places when added to your rent will allow you to move to a substantially better place.
> You still need to pay for food, utilities, and continue to pay rent while looking for a job.
These you need to do anyway.
> ... no guarantee whatsoever ...
What, precisely, other than death has a guarantee?
If you want to see if you can live with your parents into your 40s being a bum or live off welfare, OK. If you want to get on your own two feet, it's probably going to require you to take some risks and make some sacrifices.
That means getting rid of the car, cable, cell phone, etc, buying cheap clothes and feeding yourself inexpensively.
this is my overall problem with the complaints in the article: the subtext of entitlement. "No jobs in my field", "I've spent hundreds of dollars on drinking glasses alone", etc.
There's what you need and what you want and it's important to separate the two.
> In response, they're voicing perfectly reasonable objections.
But they're not reasonable. It's tantamount to "I can't move without giving up stuff".
But what gives them a "moral obligation" to move? If moving is economically rational, let them move. If it's not, I see no reason they should be under obligation to move.
I've never done anything but have just a single room to myself, with up to 4 roommates sharing the apartment/house together. I've always had to sign a lease and have a deposit. What are these rooms with roommates you're talking about that have no deposits?
And why exactly do you need a whole house/apartment? Sublet. Find a room on craigslist. These options require far fewer upfront costs and are far more flexible (you tend to be able to leave with notice from a few days to a few weeks).
> Maybe NYC is the exception to the rule
I would say that for American cities it is. You can live many decent places around NYC without a car for not much money at all. Sure you'll have a 1.5 hour train ride into the city but you can move... when you can afford it.
Car payments, maintenance and insurance are expensive. That alone in many places when added to your rent will allow you to move to a substantially better place.
> You still need to pay for food, utilities, and continue to pay rent while looking for a job.
These you need to do anyway.
> ... no guarantee whatsoever ...
What, precisely, other than death has a guarantee?
If you want to see if you can live with your parents into your 40s being a bum or live off welfare, OK. If you want to get on your own two feet, it's probably going to require you to take some risks and make some sacrifices.
That means getting rid of the car, cable, cell phone, etc, buying cheap clothes and feeding yourself inexpensively.
this is my overall problem with the complaints in the article: the subtext of entitlement. "No jobs in my field", "I've spent hundreds of dollars on drinking glasses alone", etc.
There's what you need and what you want and it's important to separate the two.
> In response, they're voicing perfectly reasonable objections.
But they're not reasonable. It's tantamount to "I can't move without giving up stuff".