Moving out of home: suggestions?

Question

Hi. I'm 22 yrs old thinking about moving out of home.

To those of you who have, what do you recommend I research / know

before I make the leap. What are some of the difficulties I might expect?

Answer 1

If you will be renting, you will have to worry about: rent, the possibility of having less than desirable neighbors sharing your building, possibly utility bills if not included in rent, doing ALL the chores, buying groceries, dealing with the landlord, signing a lease, finding furniture if it is an unfurnished apartment, etc.

If and when you actually buy a home, there is all of that, plus a ton more to worry about, but at least there is no landlord or strangers sharing your building.

In general, it can be a big adjustment because you are now paying all sorts of new bills, doing all the housework and errands yourself, and dealing with new relationships such as with neighbors, landlords, maintenance people or others who come to your home/apartment to fix whatever it may be...it is very different and sometimes hard - but it is also a part of growing up and moving on.

The number one thing I suggest thinking hard about before doing it is your finances. Look at your income and then look at what new bills you will incur (rent, utilities, groceries etc) as well as existing bills you may have (credit cards, student loans, car payment/insurance, etc). Then determine if you can really afford it yet or not. If not, figure out what you need to do in order to get to where you want to be. (New job, pick up more hours at work, find roommates to share cost with, pay off a credit card or whatever it may be).

Good luck!

Answer 2

Try to hook up with several room mates and rent a mobile home. It's a lot cheaper than a regular apt. and much more fun. No neighbors upstairs and next door.

Answer 3

paying bills,goin to centerlink,cleaning up house,mowing lawns,keeping the peace

Answer 4

Bills add up quickly!  Food, clothing, gas, car insurance, utilities, rent, credit card, cell phone, home phone, internet, cable...all things to consider.  Then you want to have money to go out with friends and you want to start saving for emergencies (car breaking down, etc).  You also need to furnish your apartment/house!

Answer 5

Pretty much everyone has said to get your money and budgeting in order.  I won't tell you any different.

I would recommend the following:

1.  Do some research as to what rent costs in apartments, homes, townhomes, condos, and mobile homes in your area.  Get as much information as you can from online, those apartment finder books at the supermarket, by calling apartment complexes, and in the newspaper.  The area I moved to had businesses that found you aparments, though I am not sure how common those are anymore (check with the Chamber of commerce or the yellow pages).  Sometimes houses will rent cheaper than apartments.  you want to get an idea what rent will run you.

2.  Set money aside.  You should have an idea what rent will run, now put that amount aside every month for a few months to see if you can do it.

3.  Figure out your bills.  Gather your parents bills and see what they run.  Some bills like phone and cable will be fixed priced, no matter if you live by yourself or 20 people.  Other bills like electric, water, and gas will fluctuate a bit.  Take these bills and prorate them to your sitation.  Say your parents have a 2000 sq. ft house and you are looking at a 1000 sq. ft apartment.  The gas bill increases with the size of the dwelling, so figure your gas bill will be roughly half of your parents (it'll be more, but we are just estimating).  Water and electric bills tend to be proportional to the number of people.  If there are 3 people in your parents house, figure your electric and water will be about 1/3 to 1/2 of your parents (again, this isn't exact).  Put money aside for these bills too while at your parents house, just to see if you can afford it.

4.  any other bills?  You got a car payment?  Life insurance?  You plan on getting a Sunday paper delivered?  Find out how much renter's insurance will cost (call around...personally, i'd go with an independant insurance broker...make sure to call around as rates will vary widely).  throw those bills in the pile and put money aside.

5.  Wait a few months and see how the budgeting goes.  If you can afford it, take the money saved and pay off any and all debt you might have.  Save two months rent for security deposit and first months rent.

6.  The Misc. factor:  Remember, you are starting with nothing.  Look around at your parents house and figure out what you'll need.  Plates, silverware, A toilet plunger (don't forget that one...very important), Towels, furniture, dresser, clothes...  Make a list and go to Wal-Mart to see how much this stuff will set you back.  You can cut a lot of costs here, especially with the furniture.  You can get some nice used furniture for dirt cheap from Craigslist.  Better yet, see if your parents will chip in.  A lof of parents will use this opportunity to upgrade everything from their kitchen utensils to their car.  See if they are willing to give you anything.  

6.  Contracts:  chances are, you will have to sign a lease.  If nothing else in this post, remember these two things.  If it is not written in the contract, the deal doesn't exist and if you don't understand what you are signing, don't sign it.  Everyone gets burned by a contract sooner or later in life.  If the person you are renting from says they will do something but they don't put it in the written lease, assume that the deal was never made.  If you want what they say, have them write it down.  Again, if you don't understand what you are signing, DO NOT sign it.  Spend $200 and take it to a lawyer.  Any reputable place will let you take the paperwork with you to review.  The $200 or so you spend on a lawyer might be the best money you ever spent.

7.  Play Money & Savings:  Like anyone else, you need to go out and see a movie, order a pizza, or buy a case of beer.  You need to spoil yourself a bit every once in awhile.  Will you have enough money for new clothes, a date, or to rent a movie?  Will you have enough money to put a few bucks away in case an emergency arises?

There is no better feeling than having your own place.  It is nice knowing that if you want to get up and make a box of Mac N Cheese at 2 AM, you can do it.  If you want to bring a date home and play around on the kitchen table, that is your perogative.  It is a great feeling!

Good Luck!  Happy apartment/house hunting!

Answer 6

Get your budget in order. Make sure you can afford to move out of home. My girlfriend at 26 still lives at home as it is sooo much cheaper than living out in the real world.

I also suggest you learn how to cook. :)

Answer 7

Paying your own bills. Managing your own money. You can have friend come over and have a party.. Have them sleep over if they  had to much to drink.

Answer 8

Ouch. Jenny. monthly bills. buying for your own stuff. and caring for yourself.....really must be good in budgeting....plan and plan huh. well good luck....

Answer 9

Paying bills.  You need enough money to pay rent, heat, electric, phone/internet/tv, gas for your car, car payment if you have one, car insurance, money for food, personal items, house cleaning items.  Plus you need money for dishes, furniture, towels, things like that.

Answer 10

start off small....cheap one bedroom apartment.  Don't get cable till you know how bad your light bill is going to be, it might be so bad that you get stuff cut off and that will mess with your credit.  Keep every thing simple at first, it takes a while to manage your money right so that you have food, gas AND lights.