Does anyone know?
I tried googling this all summer. I moved out of my student accommodation and lived with my parents over the summer. We were still in a pandemic so not much was going on. I quit my student job, to reduce confusion on my employment status for tax purposes, so I spent my summer searching the internet to help me prepare for being a completely independent adult. I didn’t find things on what I was looking for, so I improvised.
Firstly, I needed to move out. My work is 2 hours away from my parents, and there was so much uncertainty on whether I’d need to work on the facility or if I could work from home, so I decided it would be easier for me to live independently, near my work, just in case. It took me 4 months to find a place, there were no properties. (Some background, where I am is very rural. There are little villages, and a lot of green spaces). I was living on Rightmove, constantly calling agents, trying to book viewings (which I seriously recommend you do). It was war. This preparation was already on a hard level, it didn’t help that I wasn’t as fully financially educated as I am now, but that’s a lesson.
Living with my parents meant, I barely spent my own money. I took that to my advantage, because since I decided not to work over the summer, I saved it for my deposit and any other fees that could come when signing a tenancy agreement. I also designed my own budget spreadsheet, where I predicted what my monthly expenditure would be, and use it to keep myself on track for my financial goals. This was one of the best things I did for myself, because I quickly fell off the rails on my first pay-check, but the spreadsheet has humbled me and my friends, and has helped me figure out a financial balance in my lifestyle.
Another thing was list out things I wanted and needed to buy with my money. I was looking at predominantly unfurnished places (personal big mistake), which meant I would need to buy all my furniture in the first month. This was helpful, as I spent a lot of time looking for deals that I would use when I found my new place. It also helped me prioritise what I needed now, and what I could buy later after saving up.
One thing that google suggested, was try and make friends. I knew some people in my graduate scheme, as they were on the placement scheme with me a year earlier, but making friends didn’t seem to hurt. My work put us in a Facebook group, and I happened to send a message about the housing crisis, and this person responded to me privately, to introduce themselves. From then we became so close, that when we finally started work, people thought we knew each other from uni or our childhoods, when we only knew each other just over a month. Now we hang out weekly, and I shared my budget with them, and we use that template to keep each other working towards our financial goals. If I didn’t meet my friend through that, I would have made more from social events or sports clubs. Either way, having a friend in the same boat, makes this start in life less daunting.
Moral of my story:
- Understand your living situation- Do you intend to be alone, with your parents, with strangers? Budget? Basic needs? What are you looking for?
- Prepare a budget- It helps so much. If you follow it properly, you won’t need to worry about important payments, as the budget has already spent that money, so whatever’s left is your own.
- Prioritise what you need first- You don’t need that new car, if you don’t have a bed in your new place
- Make a friend- It makes the idea of moving less daunting, find them by whatever method
