Moving out of Home, Moving in With New Habits

Time to move out of your house! You are beyond yourself with joy that you get to explore an independent life and plan and organize your daily activities. Good for you!

Still, in order for things to go as smoothly as possible, it is important to be aware of several things. Things that you can arrange and prepare for even before you move out. They will make the whole process a lot easier and will help you have a great experience living on your own.

So dive in and let’s look at several practical tips for moving out. 

Things to Bring

Let’s assume you’ve picked out your place the best you could – you visited the dorm or the apartment and looked in detail what you already have there, and what you might need.

Make sure to check the utilities, whether or not you have cookware, glasses, etc. In case of a dorm, you might want to ask about the laundry policies, and what amenities you get with your room.

All of these are important in order for you to know what to bring. Obviously, you’ll bring clothes, books, and toiletries. But what about a basket for laundry? Plates and coffee mugs? Maybe additional furniture?

Let’s start with furniture. We all know that apartments cost a lot, and if you don’t already have furniture, you might need to buy some.

Maybe you could ask your family to lend you some old furniture if they have no need for it. Or visit a flea market and discount stores, just to get you rolling.

The same thing with kitchenware – there’s no need to buy a new one if there’s already a spare.

As for clothes, don’t bring all of your clothes immediately – rather, categorize it and bring only the ones you need for the current season. This way, you’ll save space, and when the time comes, you can just switch the contents of your wardrobe. 

Budgeting & Saving Money

Ah, everyone’s favorite topic – the money!

Here’s the thing: you’re gonna need money. For rent, groceries, drinks, gifts, parties, books, and tuition fees. But also coffee, skirts, shirts, vacation, spring breaks and so on.

Another thing: we usually think we have a lot of it, and then wonder how it all got out before the end of the month. Two things help, though: budgeting and saving.

Ideally, you will have started budgeting even before you moved out. You can predict the rent in advance, so why not try setting aside some money for a couple of months and seeing if you can fit in the budget? In case you can’t, it’s much better to know that while you’re still at your parents’.

What should your budget include? Several priority categories include – rent and utility costs (water, electricity, cell phone, and internet bills, to mention a few), food, and costs associated with college administration.

Once you’re done with these, it’s our sincere recommendation that you set an amount you will be saving each month. It’s good to have a little stash of saved money.

Then, and only then, can you afford other things: fancy clothing, parties, and so on. Even in those cases, it might be good to establish some kind of priority – do you want to spend all your money buying beer at a party, or would you rather buy that awesome jacket you saw the other day?

We know it’s easy to think this is all unnecessary, but the reality is, a lot of students and adults don’t budget and they run into financial troubles all the time. Save yourself the pain and start doing it right away. 

Health Insurance & Other Administration

New city, a new state – and a whole new set of administrative documents! Ok, it’s not that we are particularly crazy about those either, but they are important.

First off, check the policy and if you have to notify the authorities about the change of your whereabouts.

Secondly, make sure to get appropriate health insurance. Moving out means picking new specialists and doctors, so you want to make sure you’re on the right track. Yes, this will take time, but is absolutely important for your life in new accommodations.

Thirdly, the transport – see that you have an appropriate card for public transport. Or, in case you are driving, check to see if there are any additional requirements for using your existing driver’s license.

In the case of a university, it’s important to have all the necessary IDs so you can access the faculty services.

Administration may feel like a drag at times, and nobody likes long queues, but these things will help you a lot along the way.

Roomies

So, you want to live alone? Or maybe you’d rather have a roommate or two?

Frankly, there are pros and cons to both of these. If you live alone, you get all the space to yourself, but you clean alone and pay for everything.

On the other hand, it might alleviate financial burden to share costs with a roommate, as well as chores, but it could also cause you a lot of headaches – what if you get a noisy, inconsiderate person who doesn’t adhere to a cleaning schedule and is always late on rent?

If you choose to have a roommate, make sure it’s someone you know – ideally, you will have already traveled with this person and spent a couple of days living together, so you get to know their habits. Just because you’re a lifelong friend with someone doesn’t instantly make them a perfect candidate. Sure, friendship is great, but when it comes to roommates, overall living compatibility is much more important than the years you’ve known them.

Cooking and Chores

It’s very easy to kick back once you’re living an independent life and forget all about the chores, or at least minimize them to a scary small amount.

Don’t.

The sooner you realize it’s your duty, and yours alone, the sooner and better you’ll organize yourself.

We get it – you also have to study, and go to those wild Greek parties – who has the time to do chores?

But hear us out – with proper planning: a) it will be much, much easier to do chores and clean, and b) you won’t get half as tired as you would with cleaning a 5-week old wine stain from the carpet as your mom is about to visit you in half an hour. Just an example, by no means, did the author actually do this. 

Furthermore, once you get used to it, you won’t even notice doing these things, and you will have time for everything.

Schedule your deeper cleaning sessions at least once or twice a week, schedule permitting. Whether you do it on Friday after classes so your weekend is free, or on Saturday morning, it is completely up to you.

Ready to Move Out?

Moving out is an exciting time in everyone’s life, but it can also be overwhelming.

We hope we helped you with a couple of tips on how to best prepare and execute the whole thing, as well as what to do once you’ve moved in. The rest is up to you, good luck!

For more tips and tricks on students’ life, read more of the other articles on our blog.