Moving out is a big deal for most college students. It’s a time where most of them say goodbye to a care free life and move on to where they take on a heavy load of responsibilities. Planning to move takes a lot of time, planning, and budgeting. My advice to most students is try to plan ahead. Signing a lease last minute is a recipe for disaster. The initial cost of moving out to your own apartment can be hell if you don’t have money saved up. The initial cost of furniture, appliances, kitchenware, food, and toiletries can be insane.
My biggest suggestion is to plan ahead and to budget for the cost. A big solution to most of your problems is to ask the landlord if the place is furnished and ask what it comes with. Most apartments should come with a refrigerator and a washer and dryer. Some apartments won’t come with microwaves or lights in the bedroom, so that’s one thing you should plan for. If it doesn’t come furnished, I would suggest going to Craigslist or seeing if the local mission mart has anything that might help. The local Goodwill store or mission should also have kitchenware and a lot of things that you need. New pots and pans should not be your priority when moving out, you should be thinking about the cost of transportation and food because these will be the biggest expenses during your stay.
In my experience, I spent about $300 on my initial move-in cost. My place was furnished but I had to pay for a stand-up light, sheets, trash cans, toiletries, towels, kitchenware, food, and more. My payment may seem a lot, but I split a lot of the expenses with three other people. So if you are moving in by yourself or with just another person, plan to save up a bit more than what I did.
