Lifestyle July 31, 2019
These five questions will let you know if now is the best time to be moving out of your parents' house.
Deciding if moving out of your parents house is the best right now? ENTITY Magazine has 5 questions to ask that will help you reach a conclusion.Making the decision to move out of your parent’s house can be daunting yet exciting. It is the freedom many 20-somethings are longing for. However, it is a commitment and a responsibility that many may not feel ready for.
I can only assume that you have been contemplating this decision, which is how you ended up here. After truly thinking through these five questions, you will finally be able to decide if moving out of your parents’ house is the right choice for you.
Don’t laugh unless you’ve tried and succeeded. For some reason, once we hit our teenage years, we pretend we magically know everything. Well, have you ever truly tested your ability to live alone? I would suggest you play pretend for a week or two. Tell your parents to stop helping you survive, that way if you fail (and lock yourself out of the house again) they will still be there to help you back to your feet.
Getting yourself up on time for work, packing your own lunch, having your own form of transportation without the help of the adults in the house—do you know how to do your own laundry? If your job requires you to dress like a functioning adult, you should probably learn how to use an iron and how to identify which clothes will shrink if you put them in the dryer.
After a long day of work, what’s for dinner? Your mom’s famous meatloaf? Yeah, not unless you borrow the recipe to do it yourself. Try and teach yourself a few easy recipes that you can successfully cook without burning the house down. Regardless of where you relocate to, your family will always be just a phone call away.
If you are looking to move out of your parent’s house, I’m going to assume you have a job. If you don’t have a job, I’m going to suggest you find a job or some other form of stable income before finding a place of your own.
So, when you are looking for your first place to move to as an independent adult, I would suggest keeping a few factors in mind:
Ideally, you want to be closer to your job. No one likes rush-hour traffic. Besides, you are about to tag on a lot more expenses to your current budget, why not try to cut down on your spending on gas?
Secondly, you need to make sure you are safe. If the price of your new place sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You want to be sure you are in a safe area where you (and your parents back home) will be able to rest easy at night without that worry.
Check the safety of the place itself as well. All the doors and windows are intact and working properly? You are already paying rent; you don’t want to pay a weekly repairman as well.
If you’re planning on going far away, be sure to consider all the factors involved with a long-distance move. Moving somewhere where you don’t know a single person can be very rewarding and exciting. But it also means that first weekend you won’t have your ride-or-die bestie to tag along and grab drinks with you. There are plenty of ways to meet people in a new city, so don’t be discouraged! Simply be prepared.
Continuing to speak under the pretense that you have a job, you will need to develop a budget you are comfortable with. Make a list of the expenses that you already have. In other words, look at your bank account and take note of every place you spend money. Think of student loans and other sources of debt, gas or other transit expenses, money spent going out, etc.
Next, review that list and see if there is any place you could cut back on your spending. Maybe you can learn to cook and cut back on your expenses from eating out. Your budget should have enough money to cover all your bills and have money left over for savings.
Depending on where you choose to move to, you may pay different taxes than you do in your current residence. Make sure to do your research and be sure that any hidden expenses can still fit within your budget without spreading you too thin.
Another step to take to decide if moving out of your parent’s house is financially feasible for you, check your credit score. When you begin researching a place to live, you may find that many landlords want to check your credit score first. See where you stand in comparison to where they want you to be. There are plenty of opportunities to raise your credit score, so don’t panic if you’re not where you need to be.
The answer to this question is most likely no. If you think it is a yes, consider making a checklist. After living in your parent’s house all your life, you may not even realize the things that you use that don’t come with a home such as plates, utensils, a bed or WiFi.
When you are finding a place to live, check what appliances come with the property. Look at all the drawers and cabinets in your parent’s kitchen. You may not think you need a cookie sheet until you’re trying out new recipes with your new friends and discover how wildly unprepared you are.
Also, look around your bathroom. Toilet paper will not be conveniently on the roll in your new place, and there is nothing worse than running to the bathroom after a long day only to find you need to shake dry.
To some, this may seem obvious, but to others, you’re welcome. You’ll probably need to bring furniture! While there are exceptions, I am going to make the bold assumption that the first place you can afford on your own will not be furnished. Start asking around. Maybe your grandparents or your coworkers are re-doing their living room and looking for a place to trash their old recliner. Often, you can find furniture at estate sales or restores.
Finally please please, buy cleaning products. You may think your mother is a “clean freak”, and you’re entitled to that opinion, but it still wouldn’t hurt to at least be sanitary. This place will be your personal space, show it love.
Moving out of your parent’s house for the first time is a huge deal for both you and them. Let them know that you are beginning to explore your options. There may be a wide range of emotions in the room during that conversation, but it is important and necessary regardless. Believe it or not, they have done this before! Your parents can truly help you with this process, especially the checklist portion of things. It may put both of you at ease to talk about your plans. I know with my parents; they were just glad to know I have a plan!
Above all else, remember that moving out of your parent’s house is your decision to make. While I’m sure everyone will have an opinion, there is no right or wrong time to decide to move out on your own. These questions can help you decide for yourself if you feel prepared to be on your own indefinitely. Do not stick around at home if you are not happy there. Similarly, do not jump out of the nest if you are not ready to fly.
While your parents will always be there for you, moving back in with them after trying and failing to be alone is not likely to be a pleasant experience. Consider these five questions, trust yourself and choose what makes you happy!
