One of the most important steps in a young person’s life is moving out of your parents’ home and learning how to live on your own. Starting life on your own has its advantages, but it can also be quite challenging. Before you make this important decision, you have to prepare yourself for a great number of responsibilities.
One of the biggest challenges you’re going to face is financial matters. Being on your own is expensive, and budgeting has to be the number one thing you should master. Here are some tips you should take into consideration before you start being on your own.
Inform Yourself on How to Live on Your Own
Before making the final decision to move, be sure you inform yourself well on how and where you’re going to go and what it’s going to take. Be sure to study your options well and research every segment of relocation. If you’re planning on moving internationally, research the best countries to live in, especially for young people. Find the city that fits best with your lifestyle – best vegan cities if you’re a vegan for an example.
Once you choose the city, there are other problems you should consider and start thinking about. You don’t want to push yourself out of your parents’ nest before you figure out some of these questions.
How Much Money Do I Need to Live on My Own?
Questions about finances and the cost of being on your own should be the first thing to figure out. You want to know approximately how much money you need and can you afford it. It’s always good to save up some money before making the step of finding a place to be in. Taking into account the cost of international moving, rent or mortgage for an apartment, and other expenses, moving out is not cheap. It may cost you anywhere between $800 and over $2,500, depending on your lifestyle choices and which country you choose to stay in.
When relocating to another country, you want to research the cost of residing in a particular city. Once you decide where you want to live, compare average rents in different neighborhoods and consider factors like convenience, safety, and transportation. This way, you’ll know how much you need to make the leap.
Educate Yourself on Living Expenses
When living at your parents’ house, you usually don’t pay attention to expenses and have no idea how much your folks spend on the house each month. Living on your own expenses do not only include rent or mortgage but also many others you should know about.
Water, electricity, gas, cable, credit, and phone service are just some of the bills you’re going to have to cover each month. You’ll also have to consider renter’s insurance, security deposits, association fees, and personal outlay. However, it is not impossible to cover everything, and if you learn how to handle your finances in the right way, you might start the next phase in life sooner than you thought.
Prepare Financially for the Move
Once you figure out how much does it cost to live on your own, it may probably scare you a bit or stress you out. That doesn’t mean you should give up but prepare yourself better for relocating abroad alone. Here are some things you should do to prepare for the move.
Prepare a Budget
Once you familiarize yourself with some common outlays of the household and figure out how much you’re going to need for the move, write out a personal budget. Determine how much money do you need to live on your own and move abroad, plus some additional outlays you may have during the relocation process, like hiring an overseas shipping company.
List all of your monthly outcomes and incomes, figure out how much you have in savings, and you’ll figure out when you will be able to move. It’s always great to have a financial cushion, and the more you have in savings, the better. You want to try to make at least the first few months of being on your own less stressful if you can.
Pay Off Old Debts Before You Leave
Debts can affect your financial growth significantly when you’re on your own. It’s safest to pay off any high-interest debts like credit cards before you leave your parents’ home. Student loans are considered lower-interest debts, and it’s fine to give a minimum for a while until you establish yourself financially. However, pay off as much as you can while still not on your own.
Learning How to Budget When Living Alone
If you want to start being on your own, you’ll have to know a lot about finances and budget if you’re planning to be stable financially and not go broke. You should figure out what is the cheapest way to live by yourself. Once you figure out incomes and expenses, you’ll be able to see where you can cut expenses and save some coins.
Ask Your Parents or Friends for Advice
It’s normal to ask for some word of advice when making this important decision. Asking your parents or a friend living alone how they budget and save money is always a great idea. Write down tips they give you and remember to use them after moving overseas. Admitting you don’t know a lot about balancing finances abroad is better than thinking (wrongly) you have it all figured out.
Live With a Roommate
Is it cheaper to live by yourself? It depends, but most of the time, it isn’t. However, roommates don’t have to be only ”a matter of budget” for you. A roommate is a great option when you’re just starting out on your own and have a lot to learn. You’ll have someone to keep you company and share rent with you in half, which will make a huge difference.
Especially when you’re relocating across the world, you’re going to appreciate someone to help you with adjusting to the new country or even learning a new language. You can find a roommate through social media, ads, or websites like Roomies. Find someone that fits your personality best, and you’ll have great communication.
Budgeting the Move
The relocation process itself can be quite stressful and expensive. There are plenty of outlays you’ll have to cover, from the international moving company to the overseas shipping process itself. However, if you choose to move on a low budget, there are plenty of options to do it.
Finding the right overseas moving company can help you a lot with the process and will give you precise information on relocating by sea services and shipping overseas. You can also ask them to provide you with packing services, so you don’t have to spend time or money on finding materials for packing on your own. It’s going to help you with moving stress a lot.
Getting a Job and Earning a Living
The most important thing you should try to figure out is how you’re going to finance everything once on your own. Getting a job is the one thing you must do before you even start thinking about relocating and finding a new apartment for yourself. You have to be serious at looking for a job and prepare yourself an excellent resume and get ready for lots of interviews.
If you’re searching for a job abroad, inform yourself on how to get a job in Europe and how it is working in Europe as an American. Getting a nice position and good pay means you’ll have to show more skills such as learning a new language. If you’re a woman, you should inform which countries are best for women and offer great opportunities for them.
Learning New Skills
Being on your own is going to take mastering some new skills if you’re planning to make it. If you decide to move on your own, first learn some moving skills like how to move efficiently or how to make a moving checklist. You might even have to learn how to pack knives, but once you figure it all, you’ll get familiar with tasks you probably haven’t done before.
Learning How to Cook
Young people often underestimate the importance of good nutrition and choose cheap fast food instead of learning how to cook tasty and nutritious meals. Buying groceries and preparing food at home is going to save you a lot of money. Even more importantly, it’ll keep you healthy.
Doing Chores on Time
You’re probably looking forward to the spontaneous life alone. Still, having a routine of doing your house chores daily, keeping the apartment clean, and regularly paying bills and credit is going to help you stay organized and sane. You don’t want to make a mess everywhere when on your own.
Learn How to Fix Things
Paying for repairs can get quite expensive, and unfortunately, you can’t prevent things in your home from breaking every now and then. Learning a few things about repairs like unclogging a toilet or where your circuit breaker box is is going to come in handy sooner or later.
Living on Your Own in College
When in college, you already have a big responsibility, so being on your own can be quite challenging. You should transition gradually from your parents’ home to a dorm, at least for the first two years, but later, you can start thinking about going for an apartment.
Many countries give great opportunities for young people in college so you may want to inform yourself about the best cities in Europe when it comes to studying abroad. Living overseas as a young person and keeping in touch with old friends can be difficult but also one of the greatest experiences you can have in life. Try contacting your university to ask about relocating.
How Being Alone Affects Mental Health
Changes can often feel overwhelming, and starting off alone is a huge stress for every person. Having to navigate the financial side of being on your own and finding time to work and earn money, as well as maintaining a social life, can make your mind hectic. It’s important you find ways to deal with stress and relax, such as sport or meditating.
It’s common to experience loneliness if you don’t have a roommate. Loneliness is the hardest part, but you can always choose to socialize more if you feel like it or perhaps get a furry friend to keep you company at all times.
Whatever problem you’re going through, it’s always a good idea to talk to someone about it and not deal with it alone. Many young people go through the same issues when transitioning to this different lifestyle, and it is absolutely normal and nothing to be ashamed of. There are plenty of coping strategies you can use to improve your mental health.
Embrace Independence and Create the Life You Want
Being on your own can have many challenges, and it’s not something most people can achieve overnight. Sometimes it’s going to take a lot of energy to try and adjust to a different lifestyle, and you’ll feel overwhelmed. However, it’s all part of the process of overcoming your comfort zone.
Finally, being on your own will give you plenty of time to focus on yourself and grow both personally and professionally. You’ll see that independence is excellent, and it feels fantastic not having to rely on anybody else. Call yourself an overseas moving company and get ready for an adventure.
