Tips for Moving Out | How I Moved Out at 18

I moved out of my mom's house less than a month after graduating high school. Honestly, I wanted to leave much sooner than that. I have always been independent (I blame my mom for that; she is the one of the strongest and most independent woman I have ever met). Even in junior high I dreamt of my first apartment, so when the opportunity to leave my tiny hometown presented itself, I jumped on it. The problem is that there were obstacles and requirements that my immature 18 year old self did not account for. Looking back, I do not regret moving out at the ripe age of eighteen, but I do regret not being prepared. Here are the top things I wish I knew, and the questions I wish I had asked myself:

1.) Can You Afford This?

So you have some cash saved up, and you make plenty of money a month to pay for an apartment, so obviously you can afford to move out, right? Wrong. When you live on your own, there are much more expenses than you would anticipate. For example, utilities, your electric bill, toiletries, food, gas; these are the bare minimum. Many other people pay for cosmetics, unnecessary snacks, hair appointments, nail appointments, cable, internet, etc. Create a REALISTIC list of things you might spend on a monthly basis, and then generate a REALISTIC estimate for what those items will cost you. Then, add it to your estimated cost of rent. If you have plenty of funds to move out, perfect. If not, re-think your decision. However, even if you cannot completely afford to live alone, you may still have some options. Can you move 30 minutes away from your job or school to save money on rent? Can you get a roommate to split all the costs with? Can you get a studio instead of a one-bedroom, or sacrifice your monthly nail appointment? If you explore any of these, and you still cannot afford to move out, save up some more money and try again in a few months. .

2.) Explore Your Options

Like mentioned above, there are many options when moving out. Explore all of them and make lists stating the pros and cons of each. Yes, living with a roommate could get you granite counter tops and a better location, but to some people, it is not worth it. Figure out what you value, crunch the numbers, and see where it leads.

Once you have figured out the general area and type of place you want to rent, create an account on Zillow or Apartment Finder and figure out what is available. These apps/websites have most apartment complexes listed, and some even have 3D tours of units available. This is extremely helpful because you can get a general idea about what is being offered without wasting your time touring them all in person.

3.) Tour 

Always tour the apartments that you are interested in renting. Do not completely form your opinions of a place based on the pictures they have online. Also, if you think you've chosen a place after doing a general tour of each complex, take a tour of the actual unit you would be renting. The last thing you want is to sign a lease for a unit that you expected would be like the model you toured, only to realize that yours has stained carpet and a funky smell.

4.) Get a Good Roommate

Getting a roommate can be a wonderful solution to lowering the cost of rent each month. A roommate can also be great if you are not 100% comfortable with living on your own. However, if you sign a year lease with a wackadoo who you met on Craigslist that blasts music at 3 am, eats all your food, constantly forgets to pay rent on time, and has an attitude problem, you'll be running back home the second you can. Find someone who you will enjoy living with. A friend, coworker, or acquaintance will work perfectly. As long as you have similar ideas about cleaning, sleeping, and boundaries, your roommate situation should be fine.

5.) Establish Credit

From my experience, if you have bad credit, you're screwed. Most people who are moving out of their parents home don't have credit history at all. If you are one of those people, you might not be able to lease an apartment. Getting a basic credit card that you use for groceries and other necessities in the months prior to moving out will build up some credit history. If you cannot get one, try getting a credit card at a department store. If you are not comfortable with getting a credit card, look for apartment complexes that consider no credit as good credit. These are hard to find, but they exist. Also, most places allow a cosigner. If a relative or friend with great credit and rental history is willing to cosign on your lease, you might not need credit history. However, each apartment complex has its own regulations and requirements. Renting from an independent person might also be a good option.

6.) Carefully Read The Lease

Always read the fine print of your lease, even if it is tedious. It is easy to be taken advantage of, especially if you have never lived on your own before. Make sure you are comfortable with what you are legally binding yourself to by being completely informed.

7.) Know Your Rights

Taking the time to read the local and state laws could save you time and money in the future. For example, in my first apartment, the A/C went out in the middle of the summer, and it took them SIX DAYS to fix it. They basically told us that it was not an emergency or priority, even though the apartment reached 105 degrees at 11pm on one of the days. I thought that since they said it wasn't an emergency, then I should just suck it up and deal with it. After further investigation (aka reading a pdf posted on the internet by the AZ government), I discovered that they were breaking several laws. I could have sued them, and if I didn't know my rights, they could have taken advantage of me even more than they already had.

8.) Plan For Move-In Day

If you are moving  out for the first time, you probably will not have very much stuff. Figure out if everything will fit into your car, how many trips it will take, and if you need the assistance of friends or family. If you do not have a car, or family/friends that are willing to help, hire a moving service. Make sure you are adequately prepared for the cost that moving-in entails.

9.) Budget

Remember when you created a hypothetical budget to see if you could even afford this? Now you need to create a real one to make sure you can continue to afford this. For one month, write down in a journal everything you spend money on, and exactly how much you spent. Then, categorize each item. Once you have done this, you should have a general budget with the basic categories that you spend money on. In the following months, refer back to your budget and adjust it accordingly. By doing this, you will be proactively controlling where your money goes.

CONCLUSION

Moving out for the first time can be scary and stressful, but it can also be rewarding and exciting. I hope you found these tips to be helpful, and good luck with this new chapter of your life!

xoxo, 

Haylie Michelle

Do you have any tips that I did not mention in this post? Feel Free to leave them in the comments down below!