Also... never spend your last $10 on pizza and vodka!

Isn't this the fellow that advocates never borrowing any money for anything?

Perhaps I'm biased (I'm a loan originator) but I definately believe in the power of leverage...

I don't really feel like reading this entire thread, but i think most of you are telling him to buy the car because he can afford it. I'm going to say, put that money into a high return mutual fund and save for retirement. *shrug* do you NEED a brand new car? no. are you going to need money for when you retire? most likely not if your job is stable enough but you never know. pay yourself first. there's no such thing as too much money when you retire. just give it a few more years of driving a shitty car. then buy a new one.

Sure, when you have both sides of the equation under control. Fresh out of school just putting a budget together is rarely that time and more likely starting down the financial dark side. That's what Ramsey tries to help prevent.

I'll go along with the others and say hold for a few months. Get the job under your feet and let your checking account stabilize plus a bit of savings. Also, if you know a move is imminent, don't expect your rent and living expenses to stay low. Rents are wildly different across the country. If your employer doesn't regionalize pay upward you could be in for a rude surprise next time first+last+deposit comes due. When I left silicon valley a small place plus utilities started at about $1500/mo.

Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS! First real jobs are very cool things.

I noticed you put $10 for TV... does that include cable/satellite, or is that the payment you make for the TV? I pay $50/month each for cable and internet, so that's something to think about.

Also, it was mentioned once, but I don't know if it stood out well enough - car registration should be budgeted for monthly. Also, oil changes, tire rotations, new tires, tune-ups, any unexpected maintenance (which savings should be able to take care of, as that's one of the reasons it exists), and if you have AAA, or any other things that are paid for annually, those should also be budgeted for monthly, so when it comes time to make that annual payment, you've been saving up for it all year.

Looks like you've got a good idea of what to expect, which is good :)

Just wanted to say, be thankfull you're not in Canada, where you can look forward to upwards of 40% of your pay going to taxes :)