Moving Out: The College Grad's Guide to Leaving the Nest

I graduated from college this past May, and after a few months of searching I found a job...200 miles from my parents' home. How do I prepare? What will I need? Where will I live? How in the world will I pay for all of it? Every time I searched the internet for ideas or advice, most articles I found focused primarily on finding a house and choosing a good school district. I didn't need that - I have no children or pets and just need a small apartment. So if you're in a similar situation and need some advice on where to begin, here are some things to consider based on my own personal experience.

1. Get That Job - I'm going to assume if you're moving you already have a job. Is it a stable job? Does it have a possibility of advancement? Do you plan on staying there long? Think long and hard about these things before you move. The last thing you need is to move and six months later be without a job because that fly-by-night company lost all its money. Ask your human resources representative about health plans and possible discounts your company gives employees (hopefully you already did). I save 20% on my cell phone because of a work discount I found by looking it up!

2. Plan a Budget and Stick With It! - I hate it too, but it's such a huge part of the moving and living process. If I had to choose the most important piece of advice to give you, this would definitely be it. You budget is such an important part of this entire process! Your budget is going to determine pretty much everything: where you can live, how much you can eat, what kind of shape your car is in, etc. And seriously, you have to stick with it. No crazy purchases. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun, either. It means you can have budgeted fun. Get used to that.

Don't let the stress of budgeting money get to you. It will be ok! If you plan well, you'll be ok. That means budgeting for disasters. For example: one morning out of nowhere my car wouldn't start. I had to get it jumped and then buy a new battery, $55.00. 8 days later, it won't start again. Turns out it was the alternator that the store where I bought the battery (I won't mention any names) neglected to check the charging system even though they were supposed to. So I took it to another garage where they charged me $522.00! I nearly passed out. That kind of stuff will happen, so don't spend your absolute last dime every month on pizza.

Here's an example of what could show up on your budget. Try to make estimates on what these things could cost:
Food/Household Products (toothpaste, etc)
Rent
Car Payment/Insurance
Car Repairs (these can come out of nowhere!)
Electric/Gas
Health Care (hopefully your job has a decent health plan)
Cell Phone
Gas!
Garbage Service (luckily mine is about $4 a month)
Water
Loan Payment
Emergencies
Cable/Internet (I don't have either of these - it IS possible to live without these things!)

So just be aware of these things. Especially if you're considering signing up for super-expanded cable. Ask yourself these questions - Do I need this? Can I afford this? Notice I didn't ask about wanting something. I want a pet, but I can't really afford the extra $25 pet fee on my rent every month.
And think of this - saving energy and materials not only helps the environment, it helps you save money! Walking when you can saves gas, turning the lights off when you leave a room cuts down on the electric bill!

3. Do Your Own Research on Apartments - Do your research before you move. No one is going to do it for you. If you can, try to find out what kind of neighborhoods are good places to live. No realtor is going to tell you that the crime rate is incredibly high. Actually, I learned that they can't. So go to the local police station and request crime rates and demographic statistics. You can also find a lot of this info online. For finding that apartment, you can try websites like rent.com or craigslist.com, or just hit the local newspaper. I was lucky enough to have my boyfriend already in Ohio, so I could stay with him while we looked at apartments.

Remember that the realtor's job is to get you to sign a lease at the end of the day, so don't be pressured into anything. If you really don't see yourself living in the apartment community, don't bother paying for an application. Most applications I encountered cost between 35-50 dollars, and that's non-refundable. If you're ready to apply and the realtor mentions a holding fee, ask about the details. Is it refundable if you decide on another apartment? Will the fee be applied to your first month's rent if you sign the lease? Make sure to ask these too - Under what circumstances do you get the security deposit back? Let's say something happens and you have to move - how do you get out of the lease early? You may have to pay the next month's rent ahead of time, or pay a fee for breaking the lease. Get all this info ahead of time before you find yourself surprised with fees you didn't ask about.

And the first thing you should do the day you move in is clean. Clean it top to bottom. If the office said the apartment was cleaned, ignore them. Anyway, cleaning again won't hurt a thing. I cleaned the bathroom first before I touched anything in my apartment.

4. Read the Fine Print! - This applies to everything - loans, leases, statements, etc. You may miss something important that could cost you money in the end. For example, my new bank sent me a statement with a $20 check print fee that I was never told about (I can also get nice checks for $7.95 for 4 boxes from a third party!). This kind of thing happens a lot, so it's also really important to be confident when you have to make a complaint. I called the bank, and they gave me my money back.

5. Keep Records of Everything! - Bills, your lease, loan balances, etc. This is important to help out in case someone tries to tell you that you didn't pay for something.

6. Comparison Shop - This works well with food shopping. You'll get weekly sale flyers whether you want them or not, so you may as well use them. Compare prices on whatever you need. More often or not you'll find a product that's cheaper at one store. Also watch for sales - waiting to save 20 cents may seem silly, but it really adds up. And remember that just because something is cheaper, it may not be better. Consider how many ounces, servings, or pieces you get for the price before you buy. 5 cents here and 10 cents there really adds up over time.

7. Keep Yourself Healthy - You may be under a lot of stress when you start a new job and go through moving at the same time, but don't let that destroy your health. You may have to also wait a period before your healthcare kicks in (mine was 90 days), so try to keep yourself as healthy as possible. Get all the sleep you need, take your vitamins, and try to eat a balanced diet. You may be tempted to live off of ramen noodles and easy mac since you have a strict budget, but you may find yourself sick more frequently. Eat balanced meals and your body will be happier.

8. Visit Home - Your parents miss you - go see them! And parents feed their kids!

9. Most Importantly - Have Fun! - You're moving out, this is a huge experience in your life! Enjoy it! Being independent is a great step into adulthood. It's going to be hard work, but you're going to be so proud of yourself. Just make sure you think about your decisions before you make them, and you should be fine!

Good luck!