7 Things You Need to Know Before Moving Out

Staying alone sounds fun. Everyone yearns of having independence and privacy. Especially if you are a 20 year old who is trying to figure out this life. Most people move out after highschool, some after campus and some after getting a stable job. Also, people move out for different reasons.

We have those that moved out because they wanted total independence. Then there are those that wanted a place where they can bring their friends anytime and have a party or something. And there are those that just wanted peace of mind. You do realize there are some families that are toxic and not conducive for ones peace of mind.

For whatever reasons one moves out, there are things that one needs to put into consideration so as not to regret the move later. As the adage goes, “one who fails to plan, plans to fail.” That fully applies here. A lot of planning goes into it before the decision of moving out is made.

I am sure, you might be wondering what are the things one needs to know before they move out. So, here we go:

1. Moving out needs proper planning

Planning is everything when it comes to moving out. You don’t just wake up one day and decide you are moving out. No. You have to plan how you will get the rent. How you will pay the bills. And also, how you will feed your self.

You need to have a source of income for you to make this decision. Everything will rely on money; bills, food, rent etc. If you are a campus student and you have applied for HELB, you can use part of it to sustain yourself.

You can also find some jobs that you can do to save up some cash before moving out.

2. It gets lonely

Staying alone might look fun, like I said. This could only favour the introverts or people who enjoy their own company. But for extroverts, be sure of plenty loneliness. You will miss the noises and talking to others. Some have even confirmed that the loneliness made them feel depressed at some point.

However, you can prevent this loneliness by having a radio or a television at your crib. This will help your mind to be distracted and focus on the entertainment other than your deep thoughts.

3. You’ll be broke 

You will be broke, I promise you. There are months when you will go broke till you have the thought of going back to your parent’s house.

But it’s normal to be broke. What you need to do is to have a budget. Budget for everything, especially food. No matter how broke you become, just ensure you have food in the house.

Some people go broke because of poor budgeting. At the start of every month, you should make sure all bills are paid and budget for food, save some cash for emergencies then relax.

4. Curtains are expensive

Most people start their lives by covering their windows with bedsheets. It is just the course of life. Curtains might seem cheap but in real sense, they are very very expensive.

You might buy everything you need in the house. But end up forgetting to buy curtains. Sometimes we don’t forget, the prices just get us by surprise and we end up postponing to buy them.

Well, there are things that might look cheap, not only curtains, but when you ask for their prices, you get shocked. Such is life.

5. Eating healthy is hard

At our parent’s house we are able to eat different type of meals per day. A balanced diet and healthy meals. That might not be the case when you start staying alone.

Healthy foods are expensive. From fruits to ‘mboga za kienyeji’. Ngwashe is even more expensive. These are things that we ignored while we were staying at our folks houses, but out here reality hits so hard.

6. Moving in with a friend is not always a good idea

You might be thinking of moving in with a friend so that you share costs. Well, that might sound like a good idea at first. But as you continue staying together, you’ll realize that there are some traits that you don’t like, or you can’t tolerate anymore.

It is normal for people to cross each other’s lines. You might find that your friend is the type that brings lots of visitors on the daily. Worse, you might happen to have a roommate that keeps on giving you exiles everytime.

Bottom line is, find a way to just stay alone and enjoy your space.

7. Don’t leave your parent’s house in bad terms

They say east or west, home is the best. When you finally make that decision of moving out, make sure you live your parent’s house in good terms. You might return anytime. So, make sure they are comfortable you moving out and that you don’t show them ‘madharau’, even if you had some misunderstandings.

However: Don’t rush to move out if you don’t have a plan or source of income. There is no right time to move out of your folk’s house. Take your time. As long as they haven’t chased you out of their house, don’t be in a hurry to leave.