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Surviving out of home – how to avoid becoming a hobo

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So, you’ve decided to move out of home. Whether it was because of work/study commitments, family issues or you’ve just decided to grow up – you’ve chosen to leave the nest. Good for you! Living on your own can give you a great sense of satisfaction as you must rely on yourself to survive, and you can meet some great new people. If you’re moving out of home, be sure that you are aware of all the things you’re leaving behind: mum’s famous roast dinners, the free laundry service, full refrigerator privileges…the list goes on. You’ll have to face the fact that things won’t be as peachy when you’re living out of home. But this doesn’t mean that you’ll have to live the rest of your life on a diet of canned food. The following guide will give you a little help on how to make your out-of-home life manageable and enjoyable. I’ll be discussing two vital areas: who you live with, and your finances. So read on, and hopefully learn something about the endeavours of independent life!

Moving can be alot less complicated

Roommates: A Tricky Issue

If you’re going to be living with these people for a long period of time, you better be able to get along with them. What’s more, they should be responsible and reliable, and offer something to the household. Do they have a steady job? Can they cook? Do they know one end of a broomstick from the other? These are some of the questions you’re going to have to ponder if you’re looking for people to move in with you. The prospect of moving in with your bestest bestest buddy might excite you immensely, but if they’re a lazy slob who needs their mum to make their bed you might need to reconsider. You can invite your best friend over anytime you want, but the person you’re living with should be someone you can rely on to hold down the fort.

Broom-phobia anyone?

Which brings me to the question: what do you do if a housemate isn’t pulling their weight? Are those dirty dishes from taco night still sitting there, even though it isn’t your turn to wash them? Is your housemate STILL waiting to get paid, due to an ‘error’ with the bank? You might be the kind of person who is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt…or you might run a tight ship and scream for their head on a platter. An important exercise would be to put yourself in their shoes. Sometimes, life gets in the way and things don’t get done. Here are a few tips to follow to help reduce conflict in your new home:

  • Even if they are your best friend, your landlord needs to sit down with you and spell out how everything’s going to work (rent, chores, guests etc). Money can change relationships, so don’t slack off and think that your landlord won’t mind – they will.
  • When it comes time to host a party at the house, establish ground rules with your roommates (start and finish times, BYO policy etc). Get permission from the people you’re living with, and perhaps remove or hide objects/items of furniture that would not improve with the scent of vomit on them.
  • Learn to compromise. Sometimes people just can’t do what was asked of them. If this simply means that you have to do an extra load of dishes, don’t let it make you overreact. Just make it clear to the person that perhaps they could return the favour to you next time. Of course if there’s a roommate constantly slackening off, perhaps it’s time to give them the boot!

Managing Your Finances: Squeeze Every Penny!

Things cost money. An amazing revelation, I know. If you’ve decided to move out of home, you need to have a good idea of your regular expenses and weigh these against your (and your roommate’s) income. Household items you took for granted will need to be bought by you instead of your mum now, which will hopefully make you a little thriftier than usual. Here’s a rough breakdown of what you could be spending in an average week:

“Pretty please mum” begins to fail as you get older.

  • Rent: $150-200. This obviously depends on where and who you’re living with.
  • Food and groceries: $70-100. Again, this will vary depending on how many people you’re living with, and your willingness to eat Home Brand tinned sardines.
  • Car expenses: $40-50. Fuel, insurance, rego. Cars need a lot of upkeep and if you use one to get around, you must pay the price. To cut back on costs, try car pooling with mates to uni and filling up on cheap days.
  • Mobile bill: $10-15. This will depend what sort of plan you’re on. Pre-paid is a cheaper option if you’re looking to curb your pointless texting.

I haven’t included every day expenses and going-out money, so you could already be looking at around $250 a week. Also, there’s bound to be some unexpected bills along the way that can really hurt your pocket. Your car might break down. Your microwave might need replacing. A hobo could steal your shoes. It’s always wise to have some money saved up for a rainy day. Here’s a money saving exercise that I use, it works wonders! Grab an empty water bottle, and simply fill it with as many $2 coins as you can! Make a habit of checking your wallet every day for spare change, any $2 coin you have should go straight in the bottle. Get this: when full, a 600mL water bottle can hold around $900 worth of coins! I couldn’t believe it either until I tried it. Give it a go!

Hopefully you now have a slightly better idea of what’s involved with moving out of home, and you’re more ready than ever to start making your own decisions! Like how long you’re allowed to stay up! Not that I still have a bed time…ahem…


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