How to Get Your Adult Kids Out of the House

Living at home for too long isn't always fun for the young adult, either. Bob Augspurger's parents didn't force him out of the home, but the 26-year-old Villa Park, Ill., native finally had enough. He lived with his parents and younger sister until last September, when he moved out to a two-bedroom apartment with a co-worker.

"If I'm out late after work, I have to call my mom and tell her, so she knows I won't be home for dinner," he says, referring to the time living with his parents. "If I'm going out, I have to tell her when I'll be home so she doesn't have to stay up and worry. If I sleep through my alarm clock, my mom wakes me up."

And, he adds, forget about dating: "You can't bring someone home: 'Wanna come back to my house and chill out and watch TV? Well, you've got to meet my parents.' "

Setting Goals

Branham suggests the kids and parents set deadlines and savings goals together, and even collaborate on job searches and apartment hunting. Parents should also make their children start taking responsibility for their own living expenses -- from car insurance to their share of the utilities -- and setting up a rent payment, even if it's a nominal sum.

For instance, you might give your daughter six months to travel, explore her career options, set up a savings plan and get used to the idea of being an adult. You might say that within nine months, she must start paying $200 rent and a portion of the bills; within a year she needs to find roommates and a potential locale; and within 18 months she should have saved up enough to move out.