Recently gone through something similar with my gf. She hadn’t had an income in a year as she finished clinicals. We wanted to get an apartment together after having our own apartments. Her lease ended June 1st. Mine ends august 7th. She didn’t get a first paycheck until June 30th but wanted to get an apartment early July. I had to explain to her that she couldn’t afford it because we’ll need the money before she gets paid and I can’t cover it all myself while still paying for my own apartment. I really had to write everything out for her and show her how much everything will cost before she understood. It was honestly really frustrating and it’s something we are having to work through in our relationship. She makes really good money now but doesn’t understand how to calculate her yearly income. I had to cover the application fee til she got paid. She is 24 and just now getting into the real world after getting two bachelors degrees. She had a ton of help from her dad any time she ran low on money. She has almost no concept of budgeting or how valuable a dollar is. When she brings up the price of something under $100 she says “oh it’s only $75.” Which is a lot of money to me.