Are utilities included?
Dave talks to Josh about budgeting for a place to live.
QUESTION: Josh knows Dave has a rule that says to make sure rent or house payments are 25% or less of your take home pay. If he can find a place where utilities are included, do they figure into that amount?
ANSWER: It’s really more of a guideline than a rule. The point of not letting your housing cost eat up more than 25% of your take home pay is to make sure you have money left over for other important things. But no, utilities are not part of the one-fourth of your take home pay guideline.
It doesn’t sound like you need anything fancy. Try to find a safe, quiet place to call home—somewhere you can relax and decompress when you’re off duty. And thanks for entering law enforcement. We need good men and women in that profession right now.
