I don't know how any of this works!

So, my parents never explained any of this to me and just did it all for me (they seemed to try to get me to be as dependent as possible for some reason). Needless to say, I'm trying to become more and more independent. I just don't have a lot of money. I think between last May and next May I'm estimating $18,000 or so (that's after taxes/SS/retirement etc., medical/dental/disability insurance are paid for). I have zero debt of any kind nor do I have anything like car payments. My rent is $5346 a year, so not terrible, but a little high for my income (although for some strange reason, my neighbor pays less...but it might because he's disabled/low income?).

My first issue is my car insurance costs the same as my medical, dental, and I think even renter's insurance combined. I have AAA, so I feel like I should call them for a quote? And if they have a better rate, do I just call my other insurance agent and cancel? My policy is due to renew in two weeks!

My second issue is I have food allergies, so either I have to have a restricted diet or I have to pay more than other people for food. There's really no alternative unless I want to be sick all the time. Most "cheap" food have what I can't eat in it. I can't have casein at all, which is a protein in dairy (and I think beef as well). Lactose free dairy doesn't help. It has to be soy, coconut, almond etc. So I have to either buy the more expensive alternatives or go without milk, butter, cheese, chocolate, 95% of dessert items etc. A lot of snack items, nutritional bars etc. have milk in them too. So I try to wait for sales and stock up (non dairy milk and butter last way longer and cheese does too to a certain extent) but things like GOOD non dairy cheese is expensive regardless. I'm looking into local Foodnets and the school I work at has a similar program for students/staff (we live in a low income area) so maybe I can save money on a few things that way?

Another bill that's too high is cable. All I need is internet! And 15-20 mbs is more than adequate! And I have to pay $75.67 a month for it? I might be okay with less although I'm not sure they sell less. The issue is, do I go buy a router/surfboard to save money renting one? I might move in a year and if I use cable again, it may not be with the same service so I might have to buy or rent another so I don't know if it's worth it. Unless I get a cheap surfboard, a year will probably just pay back the purchase of the equipment and not save me that much. I have no idea if I can switch to another service or not or if I want to have anything installed.

Also, socializing requires little purchases here or there: coffee, a couple drinks, food etc. So does this mean I have to stay home and never socialize or never get anything to eat/drink when I go out? I feel like I need to be punished for being poor and never have more than what's absolutely necessary ever again.

Also, being a musician/composer/academic I belong to a union and lots of societies. I don't think I can afford to be in everything anymore but how do I choose? I don't want to screw myself by "snubbing" the wrong organization. Am I supposed to still be in the international society for my instrument? Now that I'm not a student it's EXPENSIVE. Do I stay in the union? I need to pay dues again if I am. I don't regularly play union gigs, but what if I do? These societies look really good on my CV. Usually more important for university jobs, but if any high school gave a crap about education and weren't in it solely for the money, someone with my education/background would be worth it.

I have a website too. It's too expensive to maintain, but I get traffic there and get emails through it so I need it (or a less expensive alternative).

I just hope one day I can leave this state, finally become a certified teacher, and with my education, should be able to make 2.5-3x as much a year my first year. Getting certified and finding a job in the state I'm in right now is difficult to impossible. Besides, there are no jobs here for my boyfriend at all so we have to move! I'm just being punished for being stupid as a 19-year-old (was originally getting a degree in education) and not being able to see the future. How stupid of me to think I'd want to teach at a university instead of at a high school! I guess I didn't think I'd have the confidence to teach that level...but I certainly don't at a university! Right now I'm just a para...and I work seasonal/part time for the city...AND I play gigs/transcribe/arrange music for some extra money and it's still not enough! My jobs are stressful enough for me that I really can't push myself to do more than 40-45 hours a week without cracking. I did that this summer (50-55 hours I believe) and I was losing my patience and getting angry which CANNOT happen. I'm just...I'm doing the best I can, and it's still not good enough!

If anybody has advice on cable, belonging to societies, having a website, car insurance, etc. I would greatly appreciate it! My parents are kindly helping with cable and the website, but I really want all these bills to be mine by next spring.

Sure, give them a call. If they can save you some money then, yes, once you have started your other policy, you can cancel the other one. Make sure you are doing an apples to apples comparison. You may also need to provide proof of insurance to your state DMV, but the new insurance company should be able to do that for you.

I'm not sure where you have your website at. Is it a site that you built yourself or was it built with a service? If you have all of the source files for the website, you can get hosting for as cheap as around $4.00 a month and that includes email also.

That's pretty high for car insurance. If your car is all paid off, you might want to dump the comprehensive. The bank requires you to have that, while you owe money on a car loan (because it's a "collateralized loan" - with the car as collateral.) How old is the car? What would insurance give you, if you totaled it? (Keep in mind that they'll raise your rates, if you collect from them for damage to your car, regardless whose fault the damage is.) Once a vehilcle is worth less than $4000, I wouldn't insure it against loss. Sure, you might total it and incur a loss of a few thousand dollars. But, over the course of your life, you're not going to total/severely damage all your vehicals. But look at what you'll spend on comprehensive coverage over your lifetime, if you make a habit of always carrying comprehensive. You might spend more than it costs to replace a high-mileage used car. No law requires you to carry comprehensive. (Only the bank, if you owe on it.)

Next, look at what other coverage you carry that is in excess of what the law mandates. For instance - "uninsured motorist." That's basically another form of comprehensive. You don't need both. I wouldn't bother with either, if my car is worth less than $4000. Uninsured motorist also pays your medical bills, if you're injured in an accident caused by a driver with no insurance. But you already have health insurance . . . so why insure against healthcare costs twice? I wouldn't. Plus, remember, if you collect from your insurance company on this, your rates will go up. I would never file a claim against my insurance company for a small amount - say, a few hundred dollars. They'll raise your rates and get it back from you. Most states do not require you to carry uninsured motorist coverage. A minority do.

Then, there's "medical." That helps with healthcare costs for you and your passengers, if you get banged up in an accident. But you already have health insurance. So do most people who ride in your car. Besides, the "medical" part of auto insurance typically pays out, like, $5000. If you, or your passenger, are severely injured, your healthcare bills are going to be way more than that. If the bills are really astronomical, and you're poor - you probably can get Medicaid. So I wouldn't worry about carrying "medical." (There are 16 states that require you to have it. Most don't.)

Lastly, let's look at the "liability" portion of your auto insurance. Like most people, you are probably carrying more than the law requires. That makes sense, if you own property or have a lot of money in the bank . . . or if you earn a high income. Typically, people get extra liability, if they own a home or have a lot of equity in a home they are still making mortgage payments on. They are afraid of being sued and, potentially, having to sell their house to pay off a judgement for damages. But, if you really don't have any wealth and you don't earn a high income, no one is going to hire an attorney to sue you. There is no point in suing a poor person. People can't sue you for what you don't have. I mean, they can . . . but they won't. It would be pointless.

Lastly, shop around. Call a few agents, or insurance companies. You can get drastically different quotes from different insurers.

I pay $35/month for my insurance. I pay the whole 6-month premium every 6 months. Otherwise, they charge $5/month extra for accepting monthly installment payments. That's $60/year that I save.

Maybe you have a very valuable vehicle that you feel you must carry comprehensive on. IDK. Why do you think your auto insurance is so high?