Aug 24, 2016

Moving Out of Your Parents’ House — 6 Financial Tips to Live on Your Own

Moving out of your parents’ house just may be the most important step you take toward independence. You can finally live by your own rules, without curfews or restrictions, and take care of responsibilities on your own schedule and in your own way.

However, as appealing as this may sound, the freedom of living on your own comes with great responsibility, financial and otherwise. Before you take this bold step, make sure you’re fully prepared for what lies ahead.

How to Prepare to Live on Your Own

1. Educate Yourself on Living Expenses

Living on your own involves more than paying rent or a mortgage each month. Water, electricity, gas, cable, and phone services are just a handful of expenses you may not immediately think of when contemplating the big move.

In addition, you need to consider renters’ insurance, security deposits, grocery shopping, and association fees — plus personal expenses, such as student loans, auto loans, and any credit card debt you may have built up in college. If you’re not accustomed to paying your own way and don’t sufficiently educate yourself on the costs of living alone, you may find yourself biting off more than you can chew.

2. Set Up a Budget

While you’re still living at home, make an effort to familiarize yourself with common household expenses. How much do your parents pay for utility services every month? How about groceries, transportation, and cable? Your own expenses may be lower if you move into a smaller home and have only yourself to provide for, but this can still provide a valuable basis for an estimate.

When you have all these numbers in hand, write out a prospective personal budget for yourself to get a better sense of what you can afford on your own. Determine how much income you’re going to need for various insurances, gasoline, food, and other personal expenses. Are you going to have to start making additional payments, such as student loan payments, or are you going to need to buy or lease a car? When you answer all these questions and have all the appropriate numbers in hand, you can get a better sense of what you’re going to be able to afford.

Next, set out to find an apartment. Compare average rents of different neighborhoods, and view a wide sampling of apartments, considering factors such as square footage, light, views, safety, and convenience. Weigh the cost of rent plus associated fees against your take-home pay. Once you’ve done this, you’re going to know whether you’re ready to make the leap.