Me and my sister just got our first apartment away from home. We haven’t even fully moved in yet but I’m at a point where I’m cursing my dad for not giving us a bit of advice on what we choose. For instance, I found out that if you’re going to get an apartment, it’s best to choose a lower floor if you’ve got heavy furniture. Because lugging it up two flights of stairs? Yeah, it sucks.
With that being said, I asked the Bored Panda community to share some tips when it comes to moving out, and people sure delivered!
#1
That it’s ok to come back, to try again, to start over as many times as you need. You don’t need to feel shame if things do not go as planned.
#2
First time on your own you realize just how much your parents did for you. One thing that surprised me was just how much money it takes to buy normal things like toilet paper and dish soap. As someone else stated you have to have a budget but I never realized just how much of your money goes to just supporting yourself.
#3
The newest construction doesn’t mean the best. Sometimes finding an older apartment building will give you more space, a more sturdy foundation, and possibly less expensive rent.
#4
Use the time you’re living for free with your parents to make sure you have everything first. All your furniture, kitchen appliances, electronics, etc. Because once you’re on your own and you start to pay for the rent, electricity, cable, internet, phone, food, etc, you won’t have a cent left to buy those.
#5
Your parents aren’t being mean, we’re trying to teach you life skills. Cooking dinner because Mom/Dad are tired that night? Life skill. Chores? Life skill. Paying Mom/Dad for that phone bill when you get your first job? Budgeting… life skill. Learn it and embrace it.
2. Pick your roommate(s) wisely. A friend of 20 years will still eff you over.
3. And this is the biggy…. remember the difference between WANT and NEED. You NEED a roof, you don’t need 7 bedrooms. You NEED dishes, they can come from Goodwill. You NEED a bed, it doesn’t have to be a sleep number right now. Get what you need not just what you WANT. WANTS can come slowly. Needs are right now. You don’t NEED a TV. You don’t NEED an Xbox / PS5. You don’t NEED the loudest stereo system. You don’t NEED matching everything and the best furniture right now.
#6
Buy some liquid drain unclogger right now! Do NOT wait until needed. Drains are evil. They know when the stores close, and that’s when they choose to clog.
#7
Remember to visit and call your mother. This is a difficult phase for her. She deeply misses you.
#8
Do not expect to have all the things your parent’s home has, it took them years to accumulate it. Sometimes people think they are supposed to instantly have it all and go into debt. Get the basics and the rest will come a bit at a time.
#9
Don’t buy moving boxes; go to the local liquor store and ask to take some collapsed boxes. Alcohol is heavy and those boxes hold the weight very well.
#10
The chores are never-ending. Dishes always need to be done. Laundry piles up. The bills keep on coming. If you get yourself into a schedule or a rhythm and do 2-3 chores a day, you’ll be able to keep up.
#11
That no matter how good that budget looks on paper, add a few hundred dollars to it because life will always cost more than you think.
#12
Well, I was told many times but I didn’t learn it until I was on my own–turn off the d*&! Lights!
#13
Keep track of your security deposit. I lived in an apartment for 30 years. It changed property managers five times. The money was supposed to be collected interest in an escrow account. They can’t find any record of it, and I don’t have a copy of the original lease. I will never know who stole it, or when.
#14
If you’re buying a house, the sticker shock is real! Need to hire movers? Be prepared to spend thousands. Need to have the home inspected? Another thousand at least. Homeowners insurance? How bout another thousand, easy. That’s not including lending fees, mortgage insurance, taxes, and every other closing cost.
#15
If you need to get furniture wait till you can get exactly what you need. The first purchase should be a bed with a good mattress and a sofa. The rest once you see how it looks and the e space you have for the rest of the things. Learned this the hard way and spent too much.
#16
Get home insurance even if you rent. Your landlord’s insurance won’t cover you in the event of a loss.
#17
Do the dishes now, when you are done cooking/eating. Don’t wait. Very, very few things truly need to “soak”. Wash them as you make them, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher, because there will only be more later.
#18
Utility bills are not a suggestion. You can’t throw them in a drawer and pay them in a few months. They will shut your dumbass power off.
#19
Be careful to who you give your address and have the confidence to state your boundaries. Be prepared for some people to try and invite themselves over, aka the “friends” who want somewhere to crash after a night out or fight with their s/o. Don’t let anyone treat your home like a hotel.
#20
Buy a set of basic tools (hammer, screwdriver, pliers, etc.) You may be moving into a place where repairs are handled by a maintenance crew, but even then, you often have to wait. Many home repairs are simple, and you can do them yourself. Just read up and take the necessary safety precautions. Some skills can save you serious cash once you become a homeowner (if that’s something you aspire to.)
#21
Thieves. If you’re a college student, they are waiting for you like sharks in the water. Be suspicious and cautious of everyone in and around your place, hide your valuables, and don’t tell anyone where you keep your money.
Never allow anyone into your room that you don’t know and trust. Keep all valuables out of your car, even in the daytime. Never leave your moving truck unattended, and never leave your doors unlocked. I learned all of this the hard way. If possible, always lock your door if sharing a space. I wish when I moved out, I was warned of the predators around me.
#22
You should practice basic household chores, like laundry, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, and cooking especially. Make sure to have these things in the bag. When you do, make sure you have a decent amount of money in a savings account. Start looking for places to stay BEFORE you move out. Make sure to really assess the places you check out. Ask yourself “Would I really enjoy living here?”. If all of these things are in the bag, you are ready to move out. Make sure to organize your stuff into boxes before calling the U-HAUL or before putting them in your car. Make sure to remember your new house address or apartment number. Good luck!
#23
Triple-tape the bottom of moving boxes. One down the middle and the other two in an X shape just to the outside edge of the first one. Then tape along the ends. I have moved many many times in my life and I have never had a single box give out on me.
#24
Never move in with your best friend, you will hate each other by the time you move out!
I moved in with my best friend of 5 years about 12 years ago for a one-year lease. Once the lease was over we went our separate ways and never spoke again, we absolutely loathed each other by the end of it.
#25
Why my father chose my brother over me? I was living at home with my father. It was me, my husband, and my 1-year-old son at the time living there. My eldest brother had been living at my grandparent’s house, but ended up in jail after he came home drunk one night, found out that my grandmother had accidentally opened an envelope addressed to him, and went off on her threatening her with physical violence….even going so far as to rip the phone out of the wall.
My father decided that my brother should move in with us so that he could keep an eye on him. My brother had been a raging alcoholic for most of his life…and very violent. I screamed at my father for putting me and my son in danger by letting him move in. “All he has to do is get drunk and hurt my son…I will never forgive you if that happens.”
My father paid the cost of putting us into an apartment that we couldn’t afford at that time. He tried helping us with rent…but we were also living in a neighborhood where gunshots outside weren’t uncommon and someone was always getting beaten up in the parking lot every weekend.
My father finally realized it was an all-around bad situation and had my brother put into an alcohol rehab center while allowing us to move back in. Two years later and my husband and I secured jobs that allowed us to move out on our own without financial help.
#26
LOL that your landlord is not like your parents. They aren’t going to help you with anything and everything, and might not even do what they SHOULD do.
#27
Make a budget and stick to it. Include an emergency fund and retirement fund in your budget, and allocate money to them faithfully with every paycheck. Resolve not to raid either fund for beer runs, concert tickets, or a fancy night out on the town.
#28
Moving out doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Still call home for help, hang out with your parents, and spend the night in your old bedroom. It’s one hell of a shift so give yourself time to adjust especially if you move out as soon as you are 18.
#29
Never move into a place without all the utilities ALREADY ON. Water, power, gas, etc. should all be working perfectly already or don’t move in. I once lived with no water for 3 months because the new landlord told me he would fix it, never did. I moved out over it.
#30
Look at Google reviews of the apartment you are considering as well as the management company that owns it.
Hire movers. For long distance moves it can cost significantly less than moving yourself.
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