im not going to try to tell you what to do, but i would advise you to not make any rash decisions and moving in w/ these 3 chicks sounds like one. sit down and weigh the pros and cons. do some long-term planning. write out where you want to be in a year...two years...five years. sometimes you have to take a step back or feel like you're in a position where you arent going anywhere in order to really take the next leap forward. you might be there now as far as living with the parents and starting this next chapter of your life off on a solid foundation. dont worry about others - you took a different path with the military than most and are at a different place right now...there is no timeline for relationships or homeownership and really, 26 is still pretty young. and anyone who you met that would look at your situation negatively is going to end up being a hoochie anyway so f*** em! good luck!
Sorry to hear you're feeling down brother from down under! No house? No spouse/girlfriend? It sounds to me that you have a LOT to look forward to! Think about it, you are at the very beginning of starting the life that you desire! NOTHING stands in your way, except your very own thoughts! There is a VERY famous book that says "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he". If you think that you will never get that girl/house, then you will never get that girl/house! Stop looking at your situation as a cup half empty, and start thinking that your cup is half FULL! You are blessed to have parents that can help you out! I remember when I first got married, I didn't want to live in an apartment because I thought the same thing you mentioned, It is a lot harder to save for a house if you're paying rent somewhere! So my parents offered to let us stay at their house until we could get a good down pymt on a home, we only stayed with them for 3-4 months! I saved every penny that I could and kept my eye on the prize! There is NO shame getting help from your parents! You already know which path to take! If it takes you 3-5-10yrs to get to your goal so be it, but you need to start walking down that path NOW! Like someone already mention, you're ONLY 26yrs old! I would give away my house to be 26yrs old again! (With my wife and kids of course...) Take care mate! (I've always wanted to say that..:grin ....... ....... .......
Living at home temporarily sounds like the best idea financially, and I really can't see a potential girlfriend thinking you having 3 girl room mates is significantly better if they want something serious. Staying at home doesn't have to be a deal breaker if they understand the circumstances and you have a timeline of when you expect to move out. That doesn't mean living at home needs to be information you volunteer when you first meet, but if you are really embarassed about it and they ask, you can tell them you JUST got back from the military discharge and are staying with your parents until you can find a place, then if things last more than a few weeks with the girl, have this discussion with her. Tell her you found a place with 3 girls or whatever you can find at that time, that you could move into, or you could stay at home a while longer and save up for a house, and ask her what she thinks you should do. If things don't work out with that girl, you can tell the next one the same thing about just having got back from the military; resetting the clock of how long you have lived with your parents, assuming there is no way they could easily find out otherwise.
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26 is young. None of my friends owned a house at age 26 and most all have good jobs. It's smarter to rent depending on the housing market in your location. Stay at home. Acquire skills, acquire currency. Re-emerge in a couple of years and rule the world.
I went back to uni at 28 to do a 4 year teaching degree, which I just finished a few weeks ago. You're 26, and have heaps of time and options. If you're interested in going to uni, you can basically get into any degree as a mature age student- plus the government will give you an AusStudy Allowance. Otherwise, just to repeat what's been said here, don't rush out to own a house. Find some work, save some cash, spend time thinking and discussing with friends/family what you really want to do. Try some things, do some short courses etc... Use the time you've got. Most importantly, don't get too down on yourself, I know it's tough- especially being at home and sitting on the couch all day. I did that for a while in my 20s, and looking back at it I don't know how I came through it. Stay positive.
Advice from someone who is 40+: In 20 years you'll still be able to make money, but the chance to be young, have fun, live life, and meet and get naked with lots of tight - bodied women sort of dries up. I don't sit around and reminisce about the sweet nest egg I saved up in my youth. Don't wait until you get old before you try to live your life, because, honestly, the next 15 years will be gone before you know it, and one day you'll wake up and notice it's too late.
OP, I knew someone that finally 'began' his adulthood at 33 years of age. He inherited a large amount of money after undergrad, yet he blew it all away living a 'fun' lifestyle with pretty women and loud music. He became broke, fell into depression, became a drug addict, and he hit rock bottom. With the help of his family, he went back to school while he he lived with them, and this spring he purchased a condo based on his accountant's salary. You're 7 years younger than he was before his U-turn. Stay at home, avoid people who will judge your living situation, and save your money. I was in Melbourne last month, and I was shocked how much more expensive it had became since the last time I was there. Is moving somewhere more affordable an option? Regardless, go back to school. Major in something that will make you easily employable and/or you can tolerate doing for several years. A friend's son just moved to Oz working for Rio Tinto since he had a mech engineering degree. Good luck!
IMO it really depends on the kind of relationship you have with your parents. If you laid out a 2~3 year plan for them, would you get the support you need? Also, will they be willing to give their adult daughter (I'm assuming from the "other girls" line) the freedom and independence she needs while sharing their home for those extra years? If your answer is yes, I'd say stay at home and save for now. Regardless of whether you choose to decide to purchase a home with the money, it's a good idea to have at least a financial foundation to build upon. And it sounds like having one is a high priority to you. And as others have said, you'd probably be better off meeting someone who doesn't consider your living at home to be a deal breaker.
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I don't think a down payment is the issue I think you need a better gig. And those girls just sounds like a failure waiting to happen. They going to bring guys. They going to leave a mess. Don't rush it man.
Ful I rebooted my decisions at 26. Like others have duly noted, 26 is still young. I was pretty tight with my money though. Spending 25k for a trip to America would be a permanent investment for me. Take the opportunity to list your goals post military. I've heard stories where for some people, the military introduced structure and meaning that they never had before, and when that life ends, they those people didn't adjust and joined gangs. Not saying that is you and you're already a leg up on it by asking for help with your future. If you haven't already, set up meetings with career counselors and find a money planner to make sure that you can not only buy the home you want but also keep it. Those are life skills that aren't necessarily taught but are expected for any adult. Your post has been more about what others think about you and where you think where you're at right now in life(home ownership), rather than anything about your career ambitions. Life will always throw curves and ruin plans best laid years ago, but that is the adventure that reminds us we're living and tests us to become better. Here is my American advice, your situation may vary... Your position right now is that you need to get better managing your money. Taking a vacation is fine, but at what cost does it come against? Do you have to go all out? There are cheaper ways to get women and a vacation experience. I suspect there's a military culture where you have to put up a Last Night on Earth front, but that life is unsustainable for most people. Transistioning away from that takes full awareness of where you are and where you want to be. Home ownership does not mean you've made it. To me, a solid income does. I'm 32 don't have a home but I technically don't have an address either. I feel like I've placed myself to be in a position to do insanely meaningful things even the opportunities might all dry away if I don't take them. It's rather exciting for me but the price in return is seeing all my friends marry have kids and slowly "die away" as they move to a different life stage. Don't have kids. Be smart about that, as they would be anchors, just like having a home without the money to keep it. Define your other passions. You may have had a laser focus to be career military but that doesn't define who you are as a person, nor would getting a home further achieve that. Figure out what widens your eyes or puts some pep when you wake up and swim upstream to seize it. Living that life and finding tricks to communicating it with the propel you work with and women you pick up is THE BEST way to succeed in those categories. They won't even care you live with your parents if they can see the passion naturally within you. Good luck. Have fun. Hard work is needed to get where you want to be, but work smart over working hard.
