Living On Your Own For The First Time After four long years of all-nighters, hectic interning days and sleeping through lectures, you’ve finally graduated! To your surprise, despite what your parents, professors and advisors have been telling you for years, you’ve shown someone you learned a thing or two at school and landed the job of your dreams. So what now? It’s time to take on a new challenge—living on your own. Whether you lived in a dorm or at your parent’s house, you may have never fully experienced the luxury of living on your own. It’s a nerve-wracking, but equally thrilling and rewarding experience. However, it takes a good deal of work and planning to not only find your own place, but also maintain it. Here are a few helpful tips to make this life-changing transition a little easier. Read Your Lease Carefully Before you pick up the phone to ask your local Tucson movers for help, read your new lease very carefully. The lease to your new home or apartment may be one
of the most important contracts you sign. Many say that property management companies are comparable to used car salesmen; they don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind. When meeting with a realtor, you might find it wise to bring your parents or another adult who has had experience in renting their own home or apartment. However, if you find yourself going in alone, just be sure to stay on your toes and ask questions. The words “standard lease agreement” don’t mean a thing. Read the lease or rental agreement thoroughly. If something seems a little off or misguided, ask your realtor or seek help from an outside source you can trust. Budgeting So your new job has promised you a good starting salary. You realize getting paid on a salary basis is definitely a lot better than the hourly rate or minimum wage a lot of part-time jobs offer. While it is a much larger paycheck, you’ll soon realize that money doesn’t always go as far as you think. It’s time to start working on a budget to figure out what you need, what you want and what you can live without. Between paying for your new apartment, electricity, hiring a Tucson moving company, water and other utility payments, you’re pretty much left with a small
allowance. Whatever is left over will more than likely be just enough to pay for groceries and fill up your gas tank. Let’s not forget the cable bill you have to pay because you want to be a well-informed adult who watches the news every morning (and the Wildcats basketball). Truth is, the more money you make, the more money you’ll be tempted to spend. This is why it’s incredibly savvy to start a budget and plan accordingly every month. For years your parents scolded you for never putting money into a savings account, and rather than hearing the inevitable ‘I told you so,’ prove them wrong and map out a plan. You’ll quickly see how easy it can be to cut out unnecessary expenses like fast food, Starbucks, and everything you’ve ever purchased from an infomercial. Those $20 charges add up quickly. If you find yourself sticking to the plan you’ve set out for yourself, reward yourself in a reasonable manner. Grocery Shopping As a kid, you loved coming home to a freshly restocked refrigerator. Your mom always knew exactly what cereal to buy, what cookies you liked, and she usually bought the good brands. More recently however, your diet for most of college consisted of Ramen Noodle soup, Hot Pockets and off-brand soda. Grocery
shopping for one can seem difficult or intimidating. With so many options available at grocery stores, you may feel overwhelmed. Not to mention, you’ve got to learn to shop accordingly to maintain a steady budget. You’ll learn to ask yourself, “Do I really need the jumbo size” You’ll also start to see that there truly is no difference between generic brands and the brands you’ve been eating most of your life, except the price. One way to keep your grocery store trips short and successful—look through your fridge and make a list of all the things you do need. Try to limit yourself to only buying what’s on your list. This is a great line of defense when it comes to those tempting impulse items cleverly placed around the cashier. Depending on your lifestyle, you may choose to shop weekly or bi-weekly. This will heavily influence the amount of food you purchase as well as your budget. Unexpected Expenses Unplanned and unwanted expenses truly are the worst. Whether it’s a trip to the emergency room, car repairs or house damages, you can never be too prepared.
Suddenly all those times your parents begged you to start a savings account make sense. You may have started a savings account in hopes of buying a new car one day or a home of your very own. Until that day comes though, you’ll see how frequently unexpected payments can come up.
Much like setting a budget for grocery trips and other expenditures, you should practice consistency when it comes to saving. Consistent saving is the best way to build up an emergency fund. Ultimately, these unplanned events will occur whether you like them or not, and as a young adult, it is important to start building up healthy spending and saving habits. And if somehow you avoid these blows to your bank account, the dream of that new car may become a reality sooner than you thought. One thing is for sure; you don’t want to be caught moving into your new apartment all alone. Don’t risk damaging your furniture. By calling local Tucson movers, not only are you avoiding an unwanted trip to the furniture store, but another unexpected expenditure to a doctor. Offering free estimates, full packing services, loading and unloading, My Tucson Movers will work quickly to get you into your new home or office. To find out more or for a free moving estimate, visit MyTucsonMovers.com.