When I first moved away from my parents, I was stunned at how much it was going to cost me to live. I had never had to worry about things like medical insurance and dental coverage and I don’t think that I really understood how much my parents had given up so that we did not have to worry about it.

I have been wearing braces for several years and I knew that visiting a dentist on a regular basis was absolutely necessary. We had always had Ameriplan coverage and I had never thought anything of it before. But, now that I had to pay for it myself, it was a whole other story.

I ended up getting myself onto a discount dental benefit and was able to afford to keep taking care of my teeth. I feel like this is only one hurdle and I know if I knew then what I know now, I never would have moved out.