Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Moving out of your parents home into your own home is super exciting, but there are loads of things that need to be taken care of from car insurance to sorting out all your own furniture and appliances.
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment, but moving into your own home means that you need to start taking responsibility for yourself.
Here are some things that young adults need to consider when moving into their first home:
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Work Out Your Budget
Learning how to work out your budget and stick to it is going to be a big learning curve. You may find that you create a budget and there are unexpected expenses that take you by surprise. It is a good idea to sit down with one or both of your parents to discuss what you will need to pay for so that you have a realistic idea of what to expect.
Here is a list monthly expenses you can expect to have:
- rental
- groceries – food, cleaning goods, toiletries and any other household expenses
- phone bill
- internet
- insurance (car insurance, home insurance & medical insurance)
- electricity
- water and municipal bills
- travel expenses (train, bus or taxi) if you use public transport
- car repayments, fuel, services and repairs if you own a car
- clothing, shoes and other expenses
Another important thing to look at is buying things that you may need for your home. You may rent a furnished place but there will always be things that you will need to buy.
If you are going to be staying in an unfurnished accommodation you will need to buy everything from home kitchen appliances to furniture and linen. It might be a good idea to start buying all these things over time and storing them while still living with your parents.
Insurance
The importance of taking out insurance cannot be emphasized enough. Insurance was mentioned briefly in planning your budget in the point above, however it needs to be discussed in greater depth.
Chances are when you live at home insurance was not something that you even thought about. Your parents probably paid for your medical insurance, phone insurance and car insurance.
When you move out of home you need to ensure that your bases are adequately covered when it comes to insurance. When it comes to medical insurance at the very least take out a hospital plan and if you can afford to take out a medical insurance that also covers your day to day expenses it is advisable to go for that.
Landing up in hospital can cost you a fortune and even things like seeing the dentist can set you back in a big way.
Car insurance is an absolute necessity, to protect your own vehicle in case of theft and accidents, but also to protect yourself in case you accidentally cause damage to someone else’s vehicle.
Your household goods need to be insured, as do the valuables that are on your person when you are out and about, such as your phone, tablet, ipod, laptop, jewellery and cash.
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Choosing A Place To Live
There are many different things that you need to decide on when it comes to where you live. Do you want to have a flat mate or not, do you want to rent a fully furnished flat or an unfurnished flat?
You also need to decide on the area that you are going to live in. Will you live close to your work or will you need to travel far to work every day. How far will you be from the shops and other amenities.
All these choices will have a big impact on your life.
Have A Full Time Job
You will need to support yourself when you move out, so it is advisable to only move out when you have a full time job that pays enough for you to be able to not only support yourself but also to have a position that offers a chance of career growth. You will want to be able to move forward in your career and start earning more money.
If you are in a stagnant job that offers no possible increase in earnings or position it may not be the best time to move out. There is inflation to consider – prices will always be increasing and you won’t want to find yourself in a position in a year or two where you can no longer support yourself.
Running A Household
Moving out is great fun but there is plenty that goes into running a household that you may not be aware of. There are dishes to be washed, floors to be swept and laundry to be done. The toilet will need to be scrubbed, the lawn will need to be mowed and the leaves will have to be removed from the roof gutter.
Geysers burst and windows break. These are all things that you need to be prepared to deal with as an adult living independently.
Getting Into Good Habits
Moving out on your own sounds great. You can come home when you want to, you can stay out all night, you can ignore all the dishes and laundry and eat chocolate for breakfast. By all means do these things for the first week just because you can, seriously it is part of the fun. However these are not things you can do long term.
You need to get into good habits early on and get into a routine of cleaning and doing chores. Plan your meals and shopping so that you eat in a healthy way. You need to set your own boundaries when it comes to how often you will go out with your friends, how late you will come home and how much you spend when you are out.
The sooner you start getting into good habits the easier it will be to continue them.
Moving Out
Even though it will be exciting moving, it can also be very stressful. Often the place you are moving into has not been vacated yet by the previous tenant that is still trying to get the last of their things out. Your new accommodation may be dirty upon arrival (yes it happens) which means along with moving all your things you may need to do a spring clean before you bring your things into your new home.
You can do all the moving yourself which will be very tiring and strenuous, ask some friends to help or get a moving company to do everything for you.
Try to be prepared for anything and everything when you move out from your parents home, it may seem like a simple step but life can throw curve balls and you may be in for a big surprise when you find out how much you have to do for yourself when you live independently.
Great tips and they are all relevant and much needed.
I moved quite a few times in my life. But the best place to live was at my parents house.
They had a separate small flat in the back yard which I “rented” from my Dad. I didn’t pay rent that I would have paid if I was moving into a flat of my own, therefore rented is not really the correct term. I think contributed is a better word. I paid my Dad a lump sum every month to help pay towards electricity and groceries.
I remember moving into a flat with my husband many years ago. We weren’t married yet. There were so many things to remember. We went to Pick and pay to buy our very first groceries. I don’t think children ever appreciate what the term “parenting”means. It’s not just raising a kid. It means providing for that child as well. Making sure they are cared for emotionally, physically, medically, they are clothed, fed, cleaned up after and kept safe.
It is a great responsibility.
Only now that I am a parent and having my own household, do I really appreciate how much my parents did for me.
Having a budget is vital. I have a budget every month and EVERYTHING is included that budget, down to the last cent.
With the rising cost of living, you simply have no choice.
It sounds like a great idea to move out of your parents house. It does have it perks. It is exciting and you feel independent and all grown-up, but it also has it’s disadvantages.
One thing that I missed the most was my parents home-cooked meals.