When you’re little, growing up is something you look forward to with every bone in your body. You want to grow up and move out of your parent’s house so you can stay up late or eat breakfast for dinner or not have to do the dishes immediately after you eat. When you’re younger, any one of your parents’ rules might be the reason why you want to move out.
The truth is, the reality is different. When you move out, a lot of things surprise you, like how much you actually spend on groceries, how much toilet paper costs, and how high the heating bill is. You find out that you actually need things like a budget and that going out every night to eat works only in the movies.
Before you move out, you have to find a place to stay. The search may be daunting, and some of the listings might look like the set of a horror show, but hang in there. This popular solution to rooms for rent in New York will definitely come in handy to help with your search.
This article talks about the essential things you need to know about living on your own, wherever you might find yourself. Let’s dive in.
Essential of Living Alone
Where To Stay
On your journey of living alone, there are a few significant decisions that you have to make. One of these is about where you will stay.
Depending on your budget, you can choose to sublet a room in someone’s house, you can rent an apartment for yourself, or you can try coliving.
If you have moved to a new city for work or school (undergrad or graduate school), you have to consider the commute. Should you get an apartment close to school or work or get a cheaper apartment farther away with an average commute?
Ask yourself how long you are willing to commute each day. This should guide your decision on how far away from work or school your house should be.
Another thing you should consider is whether you would want to rent a furnished or unfurnished apartment. Furnished apartments generally cost more, but some people choose to get an unfurnished apartment and furnish it themselves. It might be a bit of a project, but if you enjoy projects, this might be right up your alley.
Budgeting
Budgeting is a life saver. A budget is a plan that you use to decide the amount of money that you can spend and how you can spend it. It teaches you how to be frugal with money. It helps you allocate how much money you are willing to spend on groceries, bills, savings and other things.
Budgeting helps you to be responsible with money. To avoid too much month at the end of the money, draw up a budget and stick to it. Budgeting will save you from making mistakes with your money.
When you budget, you ensure that all your needs are met, with some money to spare.
Save Money by Bulk Buying
Ever wonder why parents always buy so much of a particular thing? It’s because buying in bulk helps you save money, both in the long term and immediately. Stock up on items like toilet paper, paper towels, some foodstuff like rice, pasta, or noodles, and cleaning items.
Shop at places where you can get loyalty points for your purchases. If possible, use coupons. You’ll thank yourself later for being so wise and prudent because bulk buying ensures that even if you do not have cash at hand, you are not entirely broke because you’ll have food in your house.
Consider Your Security
Before you make that move, after you have figured out what type of apartment you’d like to live in and how long you’d like your commute to be, the next thing to focus on is security. Security is one of the most important things you need to consider before you make the transition to living alone.
Ask these questions;
How secure is the neighborhood? What is the crime rate? Will your apartment building (or complex) have a doorman? If it doesn’t, is there a way to screen visitors at the door? Are there CCTV cameras in the building?
Is there parking in your building? How secure is the parking? Do you have to pay an extra charge for parking in the apartment’s parking lot?
It’s better to be sure than to spend money you didn’t budget because of a break-in or a burglary.
Extra Fees
Before you move, consider extra fees. Does the building require residents to pay a monthly maintenance fee? Does the building come with its own internet? Do you have to pay separately for that? Is there a gym in the building? Do you need to pay to use it?
Other extra fees like cable bills depend on you. You determine what you need, and then you pay for it.
Save Money by Cooking
I know sometimes you just want to lounge in front of the TV and order a pizza, but constantly doing that harms your nutrition and your wallet.
If you don’t like cooking every day, you can choose a day to prep your meals. Meal prep is fun and makes you feel more like a grown up.
It also helps you to pay more attention to your nutrition because a well-nourished person is more productive than a malnourished person. You can also take a packed lunch to work and dazzle your co-workers with your culinary skills.
Enjoy your Living Alone Experience
There are a lot of things to consider when moving out. So many questions to ask and so many decisions to make. We have outlined some of the essentials in this article so you can start your living alone journey on the right note.
Living alone can be stressful, but it is definitely rewarding. It helps you be more proactive about making decisions, and it teaches you to use money wisely. I recommend it to everyone.
