20 Useful Tips Before Moving Out, As Shared By The Bored Panda Community

Moving out can be described as one of the things most young adults are looking forward to. For them, it means being independent, and finally being free from their former home. There would be no one to tell them what to do every single day.

#1

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Remember to visit and call your mother. This is a difficult phase for her. She deeply misses you.

#2

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Keep track of your security deposit. I lived in an apartment for 30 years. It changed property managers five times. The money was supposed to be collected interest in an escrow account. They can’t find any record of it, and I don’t have a copy of the original lease. I will never know who stole it, or when.

#3

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Triple-tape the bottom of moving boxes. One down the middle and the other two in an X shape just to the outside edge of the first one. Then tape along the ends. I have moved many many times in my life and I have never had a single box give out on me.

#4

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Never move into a place without all the utilities ALREADY ON. Water, power, gas, etc. should all be working perfectly already or don’t move in. I once lived with no water for 3 months because the new landlord told me he would fix it, never did. I moved out over it.

#5

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The chores are never-ending. Dishes always need to be done. Laundry piles up. The bills keep on coming. If you get yourself into a schedule or a rhythm and do 2-3 chores a day, you’ll be able to keep up.

#6

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Moving out doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Still call home for help, hang out with your parents, and spend the night in your old bedroom. It’s one hell of a shift so give yourself time to adjust especially if you move out as soon as you are 18.

#7

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Don’t buy moving boxes; go to the local liquor store and ask to take some collapsed boxes. Alcohol is heavy and those boxes hold the weight very well.

#8

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That it’s ok to come back, to try again, to start over as many times as you need. You don’t need to feel shame if things do not go as planned.

#9

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Make a budget and stick to it. Include an emergency fund and retirement fund in your budget, and allocate money to them faithfully with every paycheck. Resolve not to raid either fund for beer runs, concert tickets, or a fancy night out on the town.

#10

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The newest construction doesn’t mean the best. Sometimes finding an older apartment building will give you more space, a more sturdy foundation, and possibly less expensive rent.

#11

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Buy some liquid drain unclogger right now! Do NOT wait until needed. Drains are evil. They know when the stores close, and that’s when they choose to clog.

#12

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Do not expect to have all the things your parent’s home has, it took them years to accumulate it. Sometimes people think they are supposed to instantly have it all and go into debt. Get the basics and the rest will come a bit at a time.

#13

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First time on your own you realize just how much your parents did for you. One thing that surprised me was just how much money it takes to buy normal things like toilet paper and dish soap. As someone else stated you have to have a budget but I never realized just how much of your money goes to just supporting yourself.

#14

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That no matter how good that budget looks on paper, add a few hundred dollars to it because life will always cost more than you think.

#15

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If you’re buying a house, the sticker shock is real! Need to hire movers? Be prepared to spend thousands. Need to have the home inspected? Another thousand at least. Homeowners insurance? How bout another thousand, easy. That’s not including lending fees, mortgage insurance, taxes, and every other closing cost.

#16

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Do the dishes now, when you are done cooking/eating. Don’t wait. Very, very few things truly need to “soak”. Wash them as you make them, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher, because there will only be more later.

#17

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If you need to get furniture wait till you can get exactly what you need. The first purchase should be a bed with a good mattress and a sofa. The rest once you see how it looks and the e space you have for the rest of the things. Learned this the hard way and spent too much.

#18

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Use the time you’re living for free with your parents to make sure you have everything first. All your furniture, kitchen appliances, electronics, etc. Because once you’re on your own and you start to pay for the rent, electricity, cable, internet, phone, food, etc, you won’t have a cent left to buy those.

#19

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Your parents aren’t being mean, we’re trying to teach you life skills. Cooking dinner because Mom/Dad are tired that night? Life skill. Chores? Life skill. Paying Mom/Dad for that phone bill when you get your first job? Budgeting… life skill. Learn it and embrace it.

2. Pick your roommate(s) wisely. A friend of 20 years will still eff you over.

3. And this is the biggy…. remember the difference between WANT and NEED. You NEED a roof, you don’t need 7 bedrooms. You NEED dishes, they can come from Goodwill. You NEED a bed, it doesn’t have to be a sleep number right now. Get what you need not just what you WANT. WANTS can come slowly. Needs are right now. You don’t NEED a TV. You don’t NEED an Xbox / PS5. You don’t NEED the loudest stereo system. You don’t NEED matching everything and the best furniture right now.

#20

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Get home insurance even if you rent. Your landlord’s insurance won’t cover you in the event of a loss.