Since I accomplished many life goals I set myself, new ones have quickly emerged. I have now achieved educational and career success but all of that is shattered when I turn the key to my home, greet my parents, and climb the stairs to the room I’ve had since I was seven. I am 27 years old – it’s time to get my own place.
I have lived with my parents for two years now and although I have been able to save an absurd amount of money, I feel like a perpetual college student home for summer. Here’s how I know I am ready to leave the nest, and if you agree with most of these statements, you, too, should start looking for your own place:
- Your parent’s home is far from where other young professionals hang out.
- You find yourself staying at work longer because you don’t want to go home. (There is nothing worse than finally making it home and getting a call for drinks in the city.)
- You spend your free time researching apartments on sites like Trulia, Zillow and Craigslist.
- You have no space for your new appliances purchased for your future apartment. (I currently have a cooking set, a mixer, food processor, and the ever- important wine cooler.)
- Extracurricular activities with significant others are stifled due to your living quarters.
- Your bedroom can only fit a twin or twin extra- long bed.
- Your many clothes no longer fit in just one closet.
- You are sick of the awkward conversations you have with peers about living with your parents.
- You are sick of the awkward conversations you have with your parents when you come home drunk or wake up hung over.
- Most importantly, you have saved enough for move out!!
Our contributor, Ashley Ward, is a 27 year old professional who finished graduate studies in 2012 and then moved back home. She has lived with her parents for the last two years, saving for an apartment, and is now ready to move out.
I already know it’s not the best idea; but since I’m pretty set on it, how would I plan to move out after my high school graduation? If I have enough money saved up; is it plausible to move across the country and get an apartment with a few roommates? How do you think I could balance school and working enough hours to pay the bills? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Hi Meghan,
We have many posts about the cost of moving out on your own. Here is the
most recent one. We’d advice you to have both a job and a roommate apartment lined up before you set out across the country. Check and double check everything as carefully as possible so you don’t get taken. Keep in mind that if the apartment sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, check back to My First Apartment next week. We have a post coming up from another 18-year old who moved out the wrong way.
Balancing full time school and almost full time work will be hard, but many people have done it. Just know that you won’t have much free time for fun.