How much should I be putting away for retirment at 19?
Since landing my first full time job I've been taking advantage of living with my parents and stacking some money. I went back and maxed out my 2025 IRA and was on a perfect track to max it out once again PLUS maxing out my 401K + $200/week employer match. The issue was that I was putting up with a 3 hour commute, 10-12 hour shifts, 6 days a week, and an extreme lack of sleep. I ultimately decided that my sanity was more important than my finances and I took a massive step and moved out. I figured moving closer would allow me to take back almost 20 hours of my life.
Today is my first full day in the apartment and I took one look at my new budget and I started heavily questioning my life. For months my retirement has been my biggest priority. Max it out while I'm young so that I dont have to worry about it later, maybe even retire a little early. I got it to $20K but unfortunately I think that number will grow much slower going forward.
My gross income is around $18K/month. My rent includes parking and amenitie fee which comes out to $2,216. Unfortunately I can't provide a number for utilities or groceries yet because this is only my second day here. The rest of my expenses (gas, car insurance, renters insurance, subscription) should be around $300/month.
I want to know what you all think. My two biggest priorities are saving for retirment but also saving aggressively to buy a duplex so I can start building equity and getting into real estate which is ultimately my dream. I want to take advantage of compounding for my retirement but I also really don't want to be stuck in an apartment forever.
Any advice helps. I'm sorry for the lack of information regarding expenses. Thank you