How To Move Out At 18 – Guide

Everyone has different reasons on wanting to leave home and moving out at 18. Issues with family, the thirst for adventure in a new city or the need to have your own place.

But, making the jump out of your parents house and managing your own monthly expenses at such a young age is a big decision and comes with unique challenges which need to be seriously considered ahead of time.

For instance, it’s quite likely that when leaving home for the first time, your budget is very low, and you have no credit history.

If you’re 18 or around the age, we’ve put together a list of tips that you can take with you to help you plan ahead to give you the best possible chance of success when you leave home and your family.

Let’s get into it!

Discuss The Move With Family and Friends

With regards to telling loved ones that you’re moving, try to let them know well ahead of the move.

Parents, siblings and close friends should be the first to know and if possible, try to let them know sooner rather than later – especially your parents as they are here to support you.

They may also give helpful advice on how to move out at 18.

Find a Part Or Full-Time Job

The most important things about moving out and making it by yourself is to have an income in order to deal with the cost of living. After all, without money or savings, you’re not going to be able to pay rent, utilities, essential items such as food or any other living expenses.

If you’ve never had a job before, it will seem daunting – especially if you don’t have a degree. But, not having a degree isn’t a blocker for many kinds of jobs that are suited for an 18-year-old.

Check out local cafes, restaurants, bars and eateries to see if they need staff, or local shops, supermarkets and other retail spaces to help pay for bills.

Have A Side Hustle

Even if you have a job, having some money come in from your spare time is never a bad idea to boost your disposable income when living in your own apartment. There are many ways you can make a dollar or two, but a few suggestions from us are:

• Earn pay through freelance blogging or website article writing
• Drive for a service Uber, Lyft and or other such services
• Deliver food for apps like UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub and others
• Sell your art and crafts on a website like Etsy
• Get paid for babysitting, cleaning, or mowing lawns
• Freelance graphic design, proofreading, and writing on a service platform like Fiverr
• Ask your parents for advice

Get Your Bills In Order

Part of moving out is having to pay bills. Knowing that most money will be spent on things such as your smartphone, internet, power, water, car insurance and other living expenses will help you plan what you spend.

There are affordable options for many of these (provided you have a steady income), but you’ll have to do some hunting around to get the best deals. If you already have a provider, consider switching anyway, as new customers usually get special offers.

Also, be aware that when you move into your first unit/apartment, usually you have to pay a rental bond (security deposit), which usually works out to be four weeks’ worth of rent. Speak to your parents for advice on this.

Make a Budget

Part of living independently is making a budget for what you can afford.

It may be tempting to just go with the flow, but you’ll need to keep a pretty good eye on money with things such as utilities for example, and other things in the short term to make sure that you’re spending costs are less than you’re earning.

Start by making a list of all bills, the month’s rent for your apartment/unit and your monthly spending on other activities. Mark these as the absolute essentials to cover as re-occurring costs. Then, you can put together your average grocery spend, and finally what luxuries and recreational things you allow yourself.

These should be the lower priority. If this is your first time budgeting, there are plenty of apps you can find that will help you keep organised.

Find Somewhere For The Long-Term

If leaving home as an impulse or having to do so quickly, you’ll likely be depending on friends to put you up for a few nights.

If you plan to have your own living space, then the best advice is to hold off as long as you can to get your affairs in order and find a place that you can rent for the long term.

It will be much harder to search for somewhere to rent if you’ve already moved out.

If you can’t afford a place by yourself, talk to friends and see if anyone wants to split the rent and become housemates in a share house.

Determine your transportation

The location you live in with impact how easy it is for you to get to work. Make sure that wherever you end up, it was reasonable transport links to get around. If you have a car, you’ll have a lot more reach, but bear in mind that maintenance and insurance will take a serious bite out of your finances.

Save, save, save

Nothing is for certain in life, and even though you may have tied down a place and a job, it doesn’t mean you’re on easy street.

Remember, the more money you have to start off with, the less you will have to rely on your parents for additional funds.

Putting aside what you can spare every month is very important, as it might just come in useful one day.

Car repairs, doctor appointments, dental work, a broken phone – anything can happen at any time and will cost money, so start saving early .

Start An Emergency Fund

No matter how much you plan things out, the universe can sometimes throw a wrench in your plans. That’s why it is best to start an emergency fund for those unexpected expenses.

Ensure you save money for things like car maintenance, sickness, dental procedures to help support yourself, and all sorts of other unexpected bills that can be detrimental to your livelihood if you don’t have the money to cover them.

Bargain Hunt

You don’t have to look far to find all kinds of vouchers and special offers in your local supermarkets and with online shopping.

By investing a little bit of time, most people can end up making huge savings on their daily lives and even find items online for free!

By living frugally, you’ll give yourself more space to save on your paycheck.

You Can Get Free Stuff

Furniture is one of the biggest expenses when it comes to moving on a low income, which is why many people choose to sell or even give away items that they don’t want to move.

Join local Facebook groups and you’ll soon see that there are quite a few freebies you can use to deck out your place.

Other websites like Gumtree are also handy for finding free stuff.

Learn To Shop And Cook

Instead of always eating out, learn how to shop for basic needs and groceries and prepare meals for the good of your wallet and your health.

You’ll spend less money and have better overall health if you prepare meals for the entire week using groceries. As with most things, you can find a range of apps and websites that can teach how you to shop and eat well on a budget.

Prioritise

It’s a harsh reality, but you will need to make some compromises if you want to move out when you’re 18 and have enough money to live adequately. You might have to give up some of the luxuries you enjoyed while being at home with family, as your disposable income is likely to be low – especially if you’re saving.

But don’t worry! The time will come when you’ll be able to bring the extras back into your life, even if it takes a few months!.

Good luck!

Whatever the circumstances of your move, we wish you all the best!

On a positive note, moving out for the first time at 18 is exciting and when you decide to do it, remember not to rush into things too quickly. Talk to your parents and friends for advice before taking the plunge to start building your life away from home.

By taking note and living with the above tips, you stand a great chance of building a life for yourself in your new place.

And, if you ever need help with moving, ZOOM Removalists Sydney is here to assist when you move house, feel safe in the knowledge that we are here to make your dream of moving a reality.

To help work out the cost of things, if using a removalist you can even try our free moving calculator to start building a better idea of how much you may have to spend on moving your belongings.