Dear Dave,

I’m 19 years old and I just got kicked out of the house after wrecking my dad’s truck. I’ve got a job making $12 an hour working about 40 hours a week and I’m currently living with a friend at his apartment. I have a goal of going to college and I’d like to get out of my friend’s place as soon as possible. Do you have any advice some someone just starting out?

Brandon

Dear Brandon,

That’s a tough situation, buddy. I’m sorry things worked out that way with your dad. You’re going to need more money than what’s coming in, so let’s prioritize things.

Your first goal is food, and your second goal is to help your friend a little bit with the rent. After that, you need to save up and get a car as quickly as possible. I’m talking about a total beater — a $500 to $1,000, mechanically sound, basic, ugly car. They’re hard to find, but they are out there.

After you’ve done this and gotten some stability in your life, start thinking about saving for a little bit better car. This may mean picking up an extra part-time job for a while. Then comes piling up some cash so you can get your own place. Let’s get all this out of the way before you start thinking about school. Right now you barely have a place to live and you’ve got nothing to drive.

Listen, I love your motivation and the fact that you have dreams and a goal to better yourself. You’ve been through a lot, but let’s get the basics taken care of first, introduce a little stability into your life, and then we can start coming up with a plan for school and a long-term future. Good luck, Brandon!

—Dave