3 Lessons I’ve Learned from The First Three Months of Moving Out

I turned 23 earlier this year and found out that my parents would be moving across the country, and I had to either move with them or move out on my own.

My girlfriend and I had looked at options where I’d live with a friend, but when all of those fell through, I realized I needed to make enough money to move out.

She helped me with my writing, I got better, and made enough from free-lance writing to help us move into our apartment. There have been a lot of lessons we’ve both learned, but here are the main points.

1. A lot of planning goes into cooking.

Living with my parents, I didn’t have to rely too much on my cooking abilities in order to survive. I had extra money to buy my own food, or I’d come downstairs to a fridge full of food.

My girlfriend Roselyn and I would make our usual Wal-Mart trips for groceries and food. Everything adds up, especially if you both love eating good food.

The initial startup for our kitchen required a lot of planning. Brand new pots, pans, silverware, foods, seasonings, desserts, meats, bread, chips, etc. We just recently started watching YouTube videos to mentally prepare for meals to avoid making any mistakes and being as accurate as possible.

It’s refreshing to stock your own inventory at home, but it takes a lot of work too.

2. Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness and being organized depends on you.

I know a lot of people who live on their own or with roommates and have filthy apartments. I’ve been almost embarrassed for them when coming over and made sure that I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

My girlfriend and I both have a very high standard for cleanliness and being organized. We make sure the dishes never stack up too high, the kitchen is wiped down, and our personal spaces are tidy.

It doesn’t take too much work to stay on top of things. For example, doing laundry, cleaning up after ourselves, and not letting things get too out of hand.

Chores with my girlfriend are split down the middle, and we always help each other with chores, so things don’t get too overwhelming for one person.

3. Be prepared to build furniture and do a lot of home improvement.

Neither my girlfriend nor I were very hands-on with home improvement before we moved out. We were forced to build a lot of Ikea furniture, install a curtain rod, and build a coat and shoe rack.

Being moved out is the most that we’ve ever YouTubed videos on building things we had no idea about. It’s great because we’re both in it learning together, and nobody is the “expert,” so it’s a great learning experience.

Things may break or not be built to a standard, and it’s our job to keep everything in balance, improvise, and make it work.

Final Thought

Living in the real world without either of our parents has been a wild ride. There are tons of new things we picked up on, challenges we had to overcome together, and adulting things we knew came with it.

If you’re not ready for a lot of responsibility, especially bills, consider staying with your parents and waiting until you’re completely ready.

The freedom of owning your own place is exciting, challenging, and definitely well worth it when you’re doing it with the love of your life.