Moving out for the first time on your own—whether you’re leaving your parents’ place or your roommate’s place—can be a stressful time. There are many factors to consider and important items you’ll need.
But in deciding how to move out, you will learn much about yourself and how to be a good homeowner or tenant. As you take on new responsibilities, remember that growing and stretching is simply part of the process. Be patient with yourself as you learn!
Before taking the plunge, we have a few tips for moving out for the first time that should help along the way.
How to Move Out
Good news: there is no right or wrong way to move out.
Keep that in mind as you peruse our tips and suggestions! They’re more like guidelines to help you manage certain important tasks. You can mix and match things as you need.
Tips for Moving Out for the First Time
Let’s take a look at some basic recommendations as you prepare to move out for the first time:
Know Your Current Finances
Arguably the most important reality to grapple with before moving out is your financial situation. If you’ve been living at home, you may be surprised how much day-to-day living actually costs. If you’ve been living with a roommate, you’re likely already pretty familiar with your finances.
How much money should you save before moving out? The answer depends on how much your new place will cost each month. Save as much as you reasonably can beforehand, and get as clear as possible regarding how much money will be coming in once you move.
Make and Stick to a Budget
Knowing where you initially stand is half the battle. The other half is to begin tracking your monthly income and expenses so you know how much you have to spend.
Haven’t done that yet? Never fear! Do your best to calculate how much money you spent last month, and on what. Compare that to what you think you’ll make each month, and you have the beginnings of a true budget!
Keep (or Find) a Sustainable Job
Living on your own requires a steady source of income. The rent won’t pay itself!
Whatever position you have, take some time to figure out how much you’ll make and whether that will cover expenses you calculated for living on your own. If not, it might be time to find another job or a second one.
Develop Good Habits of Living Before You Move
Living on your own is different from living with sloppy roommates or parents who do all the cooking and cleaning for you. You will be the one who is either sloppy or clean.
Start practicing good habits of cleanliness, organization, and responsibility before you move out. It’ll be easier to keep them going when you’re on your own if you’ve done them weeks or months before your move.
Do Your Chores
No one likes cleaning or taking out the trash, but when you live on your own, all of that will be entirely up to you. Fortunately, this is also an opportunity to make the space you live in a lovely place to stay.
Embrace cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, taking out the trash, scrubbing the bathroom, and other chores as the small investments that yield an enjoyable home to spend time in!
Have a Spare Key
We lose things all the time, especially keys. Make a copy or have a spare tucked away somewhere safe that you can get to when needed. You will be so grateful to have an extra when your key is truly lost or stolen.
Pay Bills and Rent On Time
This one might seem pretty obvious, but tracking the due dates of bills and rent can be tricky the first few months of living solo. You can schedule notifications or reminders on your phone so you don’t have to remember on your own.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Living on your own is exciting, challenging, and eye-opening. But that doesn’t mean you are an island unto yourself—you can always ask family or friends for advice and help.
Hire Professional Movers from Colonial Van Lines
If you’re about to move out on your own for the very first time, you can trust our professional team of movers to provide you with quality packing and moving from beginning to end.
We have been providing long-distance moving services to clients and customers around the nation for decades. Contact us today to learn more!
