Moving away from parents’ has to be one of the most important milestones in anyone’s life. Having a world at your palm, your fate in your own hands, and countless opportunities ahead tends to have such an impact on one person.
But, let’s not kid ourselves, all these things are a double-edged sword. Yes, as the great late Uncle Ben used to say “With great power comes great responsibility” and the power to shape your life as you see fit will, undoubtedly, put massive responsibility on your shoulders.
Fortunately, you are not the first one to branch out and this path was already passed by far too many people to even start counting. Well, let’s see what we can learn from their experiences and their mistakes to make your journey if only a bit safer and more comfortable.
Ask for support from your family
The fact you are moving out doesn’t mean you need to cut the ties with your parents and relatives to become fully independent. On the contrary, the distance between you will only make the mutual bonds even stronger and your parents will be more than happy to offer their financial support, time, and resources to help you make a foothold elsewhere. What’s even more important, they can lend you their hard-earned experience and help you make some tough and important decisions. So, don’t hesitate to keep them involved in whatever you’re doing. You’ll never find such help elsewhere.
Go through your own personal traits
This probably doesn’t sound like something having too much to do with relocations, but only at first glance. You want to start your first steps in independent life on the right foot. That is why, knowing if you are financially responsible for paying high rent, how you respond to challenges, whether are you dependent on your friends, and similar questions can go a long way in trimming down the list of options you have at the table. Asking your friends and family for their honest opinions is a strategy to consider as well. Enduring hardships is worthwhile only when you face them for the right reasons.
Make yourself an ironclad budget
The process of relocation is riddled with various expenses, some more obvious than others. Your goal should be not to make any sudden moves until you have figured out these expenses and made sure you have enough funds to cover unforeseen expenses, specific requirements like, for instance, upgrading your home with smart tech, and a couple of rents in advance. Researching basic utility costs in your target areas, tracking your regular expenses and trimming them down, and starting to save some time in advance will make these decisions easier and give you more leeway in selection.
Set priorities and shop around
And, by priorities, we don’t necessarily mean some location, type of condo, or some other arbitrary factors. We mean you need to focus on lifestyle, job opportunities, amenities, financial capabilities, and other important elements to contribute to one person’s quality of life. So, let’s say you are looking for a healthy job market, low costs of living, and rich local culture. Well, in this case, you will have more luck by renting luxury apartments in Baltimore than moving to some more sought-after location with higher living costs. When you have these things in check shopping around will be much easier.
Secure a steady income
This is an absolute priority. Without having a secure line of funding to back up your independent living, you simply can’t take stronger roots away from your family home. What’s even worse, you will spend a small fortune trying to prove otherwise with very shady chances of success. So, determine what kind of money you need for a comfortable living and start looking for job opportunities that fit these requirements. Fortunately, in recent years, telecommuting, remote work, and freelancing have become viable business options so you don’t have to take great risks before starting to build a career.
Decide what you will bring along
Familiar items can make your new home more welcoming. But, try not to go overboard with all the things you will bring along. First and foremost, all these items will be waiting for you at home when you decide to pick them up. Second, moving too many things with you consumes more space in the new apartment and adds to the relocation expenses. Finally, the whole point of moving away is to start with a clean slate. Sure, it’s ok to bring your favorite book or Batman toy, but too many things that remind you of home can sometimes be emotionally taxing and drain away the will to fight you have.
Ramp up your DIY skills
Your parents are a giant safety net taking care of the laundry, household repairs, upgrades, cooking, and countless other things. You will see just how integral they are to your life only as soon as you move out. But, you don’t make this transition a leap of faith. Take note of what your parents are doing every day and try to pick as many of these cues as possible. Ranging from basic budgeting, car repairs, and household chores, knowing how to manage these things yourself will make your life easier, and save you more money for things that truly matter and you will have plenty of those down the road.
Hire professionals to help you out
Last but not least, we would like to point out that the way your personal journey starts may as well determine its outcome. Be sure then to face this new chapter of your life with all the confidence and security you can conjure up. That means, when you are looking for a new home, get in touch with experienced movers. When it comes to packing and relocation, leave the things to professional movers. The same goes for brokers, accountants, and other life-saving professions. Sure, you will add to the up-front expenses you will need to make but, believe us, this is money well spent.
So, those were the top eight techniques and strategies you can use to make your transition from the home of your parents to simpler, more enjoyable, and overall, stress-free. At some point, every one of us needs to branch out and start living independently. These changes are often riddled with growing pains and we don’t want to sugarcoat this – you’ll need to work very hard to make everything take off. But, that doesn’t mean you need to face this challenge unprepared. The tips we gave you above will definitely nudge you in the right direction.
Lana is a stay-at-home mom and a writer, who will never stop trying to achieve a work-life balance in her life :) She enjoys playing in the kitchen and cooking for her friends and family, spending time in nature and learning about other cultures by traveling.
