Perhaps you’ve looked forward to this day for years, yearning for your sweet freedom, or maybe you’ve been dreading leaving the comforts of mum and dads.
Regardless of which of these categories you fall into, there is a lot of newfound responsibility that comes along with moving out of your parents’ house and into the real world.
Yes, moving into your own place means you can (to an extent) do whatever you like (Ie: not washing the dishes for a week without being nagged or making mac and cheese at 3am just because), but that does not mean that you can shrug off the important, adult-y things.
To give you a little jump-start on your next life phase, we have put together a list of the top 3 things to consider when you move out. Get these 3 important things taken care of and you surely can figure the rest out as you go!
Don’t Skip Out on Insurance
Insurance is not necessarily a fun thing to buy – you can’t wear it, you can’t eat it, heck you can’t even see it. That is, until you get into an accident, someone breaks into your home, or you leave the oven on and burn the house down (hopefully none of these happen).
In the unfortunate event that any of these things, or any other mishap, befalls your belongings, it will save your life to have the proper insurance. Not having insurance can and will cost you a lot more than the initial cost of getting insurance, meaning even though you are on a budget, whatever your insurance costs is worth it.
Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry; get insurance for your home and car (at least).
Budget, Budget, Budget!
A lot of people learn this the hard way, but a budget is the best tool for balancing your income with your rent, bills, groceries, and any other necessary cost you may incur.
Here are the best tips for beginner budgeters.
Figuring out what’s left over after all your adult payments helps you to visualize how much you have left over (if any?) for saving… and treating yourself.
Learn How to Handle Your Bills (Cause There Will Be Lots of Them)
Getting used to paying regular bills is not always easy.
It is important that you learn to keep track of your bills, when they are due, how much you owe, how you are paying them, etc. etc.
In relation to bills, it is crucial that you understand how your bills can affect your credit – especially bills for money that you have borrowed and are now repaying, such as credit cards or lines of credit.
It is very easy to let these get out of hand, and once they are out of hand it becomes difficult to pay them in full and on time – this can be disastrous to your credit, so be sure to keep your spending, lending, and bill paying in line.
Time To Fly
These are the three most important things to know for when you move out – and are lessons that you will use all throughout your life as well, not just in this moment.
