When Killjoy was old enough to drive, we bought her an inexpensive but high quality used car. Our expectation was that when she went to college, she'd live on campus and take the bus, so we bought something that would last her through HS. Our goal was to increase her maturity, confidence, and independence. A nice side benefit was that she was able to drive herself to her sports practices, freeing up a lot of DH's time. A bad side effect was that she was now one of the "special" students who got to drive a car to school everyday instead of taking the bus, which increased her already unbearable narcissism.

I've written before that she played a travel sport, which was extremely expensive. All the costs of this sport could have gone a very long way towards paying tuition and expenses for university. The sport also served as an excuse for Killjoy to not get her first job until she was 18.5. DH and I both started working by the time we were 15, younger if you count babysitting and lawn mowing. IMO, it's unacceptable for a 16+ to not start learning some empathy for the working class. Instead she was treated like royalty, everything revolved around her and her sport. DH severely exaggerated her skill.

DH insisted this sport would yield her a full scholarship at a four year uni, but I knew he was wrong. She ended up only getting free tuition at the local CC. They decided she would go there for a couple of years and try again to get a scholarship on transfer to a four year.

It would have been cheap if she could have lived with us, but we kicked her out. I can't imagine my parents kicking me out for something heinous and paying my rent for an apartment where I could do whatever I wanted. To me that sounds like a reward for really bad behavior.

I insisted she needed to work at least part time. The plan was for her to split a house with three other girls, the rent would have been only $300/mo, utilities included. DH cosigned her lease, and gave her 2k to get started. He claimed he wouldn't give her more. But I have been still paying her car insurance.

She ended up with two roommates, which raised the rent to 400, and the landlord stuck them with the utilities, so then 500. She got a cash job for $15/hr walking distance from her house, so ten hours a week of work would have more than covered it, fifteen hours a week total would easily cover rent and groceries. But working parttime, school, and her sport sounded like a lot. School never came easy for her.

She doesn't have a plan-ahead mentality, never has. She used to mock me for how I shopped, buying more of something than I needed so I wouldn't have to shop every week. As if that is a legitmate failing. Not like her mother, who has all the time in the world to wait until she runs out of something to make a special trip to the store. I work for a living, and I don't steal from people.

I always suspected she would only earn enough to cover her bills for the week. Her car had outlived it's intended life expectancy, so we told her the car was only for school. But I always knew the car might die at any time. And she stupidly got her apartment off the city bus line.

Last Summer she barely worked at all. Burned through the money DH gave her. Only then did she finally start working more hours at her job. Last September, I saw a text she sent DH asking if he would take her away for a weekend, which would require her blowing off work. (She was jealous we took a camping weekend for Labor Day with MIL/FIL, vacations are a sore subject she always needs to even the score on.) There may have been more such texts, that was the only one I saw. Then Thanksgiving, she took the car to Satan's house thirty miles away, against our rules. (Satan moved across state lines to maximize her welfare benefits.)

Then in mid December, she took the car again to Satan's house, and got stuck there. She waited days to contact DH over it, and he gave her instructions over the phone to get her car started. She'd blown off work, so he yelled at her. 

I asked him why TF she had her car at Satan's. He said she was there from Thanksgiving. I said Thanksgiving was three weeks ago. It was later I remembered that mid December is Satan's birthday.

Well, when DH and I were on vacation in mid January, her car finally died. She had to wait until we got home for DH to get it started and take it to the mechanic. The cost to fix it wouldn't be worth it, she needed another car.

Turns out she's short on funds. Her "mean" boss cut her hours in mid-December for "no reason". Weird.

We used my connection to a dealer to find a great used car for her. DH said he would give her 2k towards it, but her ended up giving her 2500, and cosigning. Her payments will only be 100/mo. But because of the loan, her insurance went up.

But she decided she doesn't want to go to college for four years. The school had a Career Day mid January, and she met some ladies who have a party planning business, and one of them is retiring soon, so they are training her to be a party planner. They give her plenty of hours. But the resort town is closer to where Satan lives. So starting this Summer, she's moving in with Satan for free rent.

She doesn't need a degree for her new chosen career. And driving 30 miles for classes and her sport, then 30 miles back for work and then 10 miles to Satan's house is a lot of driving on a used car.

Plus the amount she's saving in tuition by doing her sport is less than the money she'd earn instead working the hours she spends playing the sport. So she could drop the sport, maybe go to school parttime if she wants to, and attend the CC closer to Satan's house.

DH says she "wants" to finish a two years associates at her current school with the free sports tuition. I'm tired of hearing what she "wants". 

Not at my expense. IMO, she should start paying her own car insurance. I'm tired of paying for her sports.