I am really getting fed up with my parents and all that they are, and I am looking to move out within the next year or so.

I was wondering about any tips that anyone could share. Whether it be experience, things they learned through others, and so forth.

Even if you don't to move out straight away, it's best to start looking now, to get an idea of the rent in the neighborhoods that you would prefer (dunno how it is with advertisements where you live). Think about questions like: Do you need a big bathroom with windows or a small one, is a one room flat enough or do you need a seperate bedroom? Are you going to have a pet or will you bring a existing one?

Also start thinking about whether you are going to live alone or having a flat mate. That is going to have an impact on your finances as well (rent is probably half then, but electrical bills will be higher). If you have friends that moved out already, ask them about their living expenses to get an idea about bills etc as well. You can also start to write down you own monthly expenses (food (if you buy your own, otherwise try to figure out how much your parents spend on food for you), clothes, phone, "extras" (e.g. going out with friends, snacks)) for a slight overview and add them to the fictional/future bills.

Hah well, I've moved 13 times in the last 10 years and that included moving out of my parents' house three times (and also living with a total of about 20 different roommates over the course of that decade). What do you need to know? lol :P

I second that it's a great idea to start budgeting now, since the biggest and hardest thing about moving out is definitely the cost (and keep in mind that if you don't have much of a credit history, you'll probably need a cosigner). You gotta think about a security deposit on top of your first months' rent on top of moving costs (renting a truck, or gas) and application fees, groceries, internet, whatever other monthly costs you already might have, gas and insurance if you drive, etc...

tl;dr save whatever you can as early as you can, and try to get a good feel for the cost of living where you want to be! Most landlords, at the absolute earliest, won't post vacancies until 60 days before they're available, but it depends a lot on the landlord in question. My roommates and I just moved last week and we didn't find a new place until 2 weeks before our lease ended! (Also definitely consider if you want roommates, and if so, who! I know a lot of ppl say that living with your friends is a bad idea, but it depends on a lot of factors just like anything else. I've lived with most of my friends at some point or another and loved it for the most part, and I've also lived with complete strangers; there's pros and cons to both.)

Likewise, if you own a lot of stuff, I recommend paring it down, really think about only the stuff you'll need/use the most, and set aside the rest. The stuff that I've kept has become that much more important and useful to me because it's survived the test of time. Believe me, busting ur butt to move all your crap into a new place only to realize you only ever touch half of it is... painful, lmao. I mean, unless you can hire a moving company, but I've never done that so idk.

Hopefully I'm not over-explaining anything you already know. I know I only mentioned a couple of things, but I don't want to assume and make this too long and full of redundant advice lol. Like I said, I've done this a lot, both moving a couple of miles across town as well as thousands of miles across the country and everything in between... so if any particular questions come to mind, feel free to ask me anytime (: And good luck!! Moving is always a little tricky, but living with your parents when you're fed up is way worse. Good for you for thinking ahead and taking steps to get out of there.

Are you considering getting your own place or moving in with someone/trying to get roommates? I have some good and bad experiences with roomies I can share if that is the case.

I have been looking! Thank you for your advice! :)

Wow 13 times! How old were you when you first moved out? How did you sustain the money to help you do that? That's my main issue. Is finding all that out.

I would def want to live with roommates, so share away!

Well... really, the only way I've been able to do it is by living with my friends and/or partners. I've never been able to afford living alone.

The first time I moved out, I had just turned 18 about ~6 months prior and was going to college, and I moved in with my boyfriend at the time. The student loans pretty much made it possible, we were both working at least part-time, were receiving food stamps as well as loans, and both of our parents pitched in at a couple of points. The first move after that was because our rent was going up (pretty typical).

Eating cheaply and/or getting food stamps can help (I've been on them 2 or 3 times) but it varies a lot depending on your job and where you live. The first time I was on food stamps, we somehow were receiving around $200/mo for both of us (it's pretty unusual to get this much). The last time I applied for food stamps they had just made a bunch of cuts in the budget, I was making WAY less money than the first time, and they gave me a whopping $20/mo.

For the most part, my friends and I just try to stick together and split costs as much as we can. The times that I've had to move it was usually because rent was going up or the lease was ending for some reason or another. I can't honestly say that I have been able to sustain the money to live on my own because I'm chronically ill, and without my friends' help I would have been on the streets... but even my much more able-bodied friends who work full time can't afford their own place on top of repaying student loans and stuff. I live in the Midwest USA, which is pretty cheap, but even here, I really don't know anyone who can afford to live alone. I had one friend who had her own place for a year, but then she changed jobs and had to move in with one of her pals (she'd been a receptionist at a chiropractor's office).

But yeah... basically, roommates, lmao. Either that, and/or if you can luck out and find a job that actually pays a decent wage, just clinging to it.

OKAY...so upon meeting them whether you're moving in with them or you get a place and look for roommates do not be shy about asking questions. You wanna get to know them as best as you can before deciding to move in. My previous roommies were complete slobs...a mother and daughter. They never cleaned up, their hygiene was not the best, they hoarded stuff and left it everywhere and they also would buy the cheapest toiletpaper/papertowels ect when it was their turn to restock. (They also didn't work so they never left the house...they did pay the rent, though ty to state assistance helping people who can work)

They moved out about 2/3 weeks ago and it was seriously such a joyous day for me LOL. My boyfriend and I found one roommate to move in and she's super quiet and neat and it is such a drastic change I LOVE it. Basically you want to cover some of the basics below.

• Check home for cleanliness. (Specially the bathroom..)
• Is the other person/people neat in appearance?
• Check for drugs/alcohol use. (I made sure to include no drugs and minimal drinking when looking for a roommate.)
• Cover the rent and what it entails making sure everything is split. (rent, net, gas, electricity, home used items)
• Do they have pets and are they house trained/cared for? My previous ones had a cat...and the litter box was so disgusting.
• Washer/dryer is a plus
• Are they party people/out all hours/loud/ect?

I find nerds usually make the best roommates tbh LOL some of the above depends on your personality as well and what you like, but the above are things you def wanna look into. If I think of anything else I'll add it, but let me know if you have any questions! :>

Honestly, after all the roommate situations I've had that were terrible, I would strongly recommend you only live with people you can get character vetting for. Like, friends of friends or people you find through social media communities or Tumblr are good, but don't just move in with anyone. You need good references from trusted sources. I made the mistake of living with total strangers too many times and I know it sounds obvious but when you're desperate you just don't think about it and you go for whatever you can afford. I ended up homeless for a bit from moving in with someone who turned out to be an absolute nightmare of a person who terrorized me out of the apartment and I don't want anyone else to go through that.

Also, be really good about labeling boxes if you don't take them all with you when you go or stow some of your stuff with friends or in storage. It makes things a lot easier. I'm lazy, I threw a lot of stuff into random boxes at the end of my last move because I was rushed and now that I want my dad to send me a specific item from one of them... I don't know which one to tell him to look in. And this is 100% my fault. Don't be afraid to overdo it or even make lists of every specific thing in a box if you think someone else might have to go through it for you and so you can prioritize what boxes to unpack first.

Seconding what has said. I've had some bad experiences with roommates (and as a lodger), but a friend of mine went through an awful time when he had to move into a student flat with people he didn't know. If you can't move in with friends, try and get references from past landlords/ roommates/ employers even. In the UK, there's a website called 'rentchecks.com', which you can use to credit check someone (when I was a lodger my landlady had me use this website before I moved in) - I assume there's a US equivalent?

Money wise, you're going to need at least one months rent (at the very least), security deposit (1- 1.5ish months rent), letting's agency fees (maybe?), money for bills, property taxes, furniture basics, food basics, and maybe money for a moving van. It's a lot to think about, but there's a really great 'master' moving post on tumblr here that should cover everything you need :)

I can totally relate to this, ha. I've wanted to move out, but have been struggling as well.

Personally, I would just look earlier, and prepare to watch the market! Are you looking for a house, a condo, an apartment? Are you wanting to rent or buy? In the long run, buying is always the best option, because it's a long term investment and it'll always have money coming in, whether you live in it and sell it later on, or even rent it out.

And what's your financial situation at; if you don't mind me asking? Are you working currently and have like some money put away?

How far are you wanting to move? Different towns, states, country?