Living with your parents can be pretty great! You save money and give yourself time to better prepare for the future you want. Moving out on your own brings an exciting step towards your own independence. But, among all, the excitement might also bring anxiety. While you are in charge of your life now, that means you have to cover the details. What does a termite look like? When do you call your property manager? How do you make an omelet? There are so many things to keep track of when you are planning to move out for the first time. With a bit of help, it isn’t too confusing. Here are some of our tips to get you moved out and feeling great.
Plan for a Financial Safety Plan
You may not have paid much attention to a budget before, but you will need to learn to work with one when you move out. Track your monthly expenses. This includes car payments, groceries, any bills, or subscriptions you may have. Balance all of these expenses with your monthly income and place a budget so you can evaluate what rent is affordable for you. Remember that you may need to pay for other monthly expenses, like pet fees and utilities. There may also be one-time fees to account for, like application fees, security deposits, furniture, and other expenses. Free budgeting apps, like Mint, can make this process easier and keep your spending on track in the future.
Get a Steady Income
Without a reliable income to support your expenses, paying bills can be incredibly stressful. Maintaining a steady-paying job will relieve so much stress when the bills come in. If you are not making enough to cover the budget set above, you may want to rethink moving out.
Pick a New Home
Now that you know what you can afford, you can start looking for places! Use third-party sites like Craigs List, ForRent, Apartments.com, and Zillow, to see what is available. Look into the safety of each area and how close it is to your work, gym, grocery stores, and other points of interest your frequent.
Plan for What You Need
Once you have been approved for your new place, you have to decide what is coming with you. If you are moving to an unfurnished place, you will most likely need to buy furniture for each room. That might require the use of a moving company or at the very least a truck rental to transport any larger furniture like couches and cabinets. If you are moving into a furnished place, you won’t need to move as much. Your bedroom decorations and bathroom necessities will be more manageable.
Remember that just because you’re moving into a new place does not mean you need to stuff everything into your new rooms. Start fresh with a place you can breathe in and put anything that does not fit into self storage! Get it out of your parent’s way and your own by storing it away until you need it. We have units of every size, even as small as lockers, to fit every need. Check out our storage guide to see how we can best fit your needs. Try giving us a call at 1.866.531.2675.