Moving out for the first time can seem like an awesome idea, but there are always a few things you should know so it doesn’t become a horrible idea.
1. Different Costs
Before moving out, creating a budget can help you bring all the costs of moving out and your new living expenses together.
Ongoing Costs
Renting can be pretty expensive. Make sure you have enough money saved up to support yourself as you will have a lot of ongoing costs once you leave home like rent, renter’s insurance, utilities(water, gas, electricity), food, and transport.
One-off costs
One-off costs include things like removalist fees or costs of hiring a movie truck(if you use a removalist/moving truck), rental bonds and connections fees for internet and utilities.
Most of the time when you renting, you will be asked to pay a few weeks of rent in advance as well as the bond as a security deposit.
2. Choosing a place to rent
Where you are looking to rent can affect your budget, depending on how close you are to certain facilities like big shopping centres, schools and public transport.
To choose the best place for you, here are a few tips:
- Check out real estate websites
- Call real estate agencies in the area to get a current rental list
- Student notice boards and magazines
- Ask friends, family and workmates
3. Share Houses
Sharing a house can be one of the easiest ways to save money when you move out. Splitting rent and expenses with other people can end up being cheaper than renting a unit by yourself.
You and your roommates can decide how you’re going to:
- Pay for bills
- Sharing the cost of utilities and rent
- Paying for food
4. Moving out checklist
Here is a checklist of things you may need to do before you move:
- Utilities – Electricity, phone, internet.
- Furniture – Check to see if the place is furnished or if you need to buy furniture (brand new or second hand)
- Insurance – Check online for different quotes on insurance.
- Budget – Make sure to complete your budget before moving out, making sure you have enough to cover any one-off an ongoing costs.
- Removalists (If needed) – Book and pay for removalists or arrange to have friends and families help you.
- Bills and any loose ends – Pay any existing bills and change/cancel any memberships you have.
- Sell any unwanted items – Selling any unwanted items can be used towards helping you pay for items at your new place, as well as having fewer items to move.
- Redirect your mail – Make a list of everything that gets posted to your old address and redirects it to your new place. For a fee, Australia Post can redirect everything for you until you have made sure that you have changed addresses on it all.
