Moving Out of Your Parents Home – We all love our parents. They are wonderful beings who endlessly love us from the minute we’re born. From being right beside us since we took our first breaths to our victories and setbacks, their love and care are ever-present.  Still, at times, parental love and attention can become a little overwhelming.

With our parents always being right beside us, it’s not uncommon for some individuals to dream of a time when they can leave their nest and move out of their parent’s home. However, few actually put in the work to make this dream a reality.

While I adore my family, I’ve always been someone who grabbed life by the horns to see where it would take me. I believe that’s what led to my decision to move out of my parents’ home as soon as I had the means to do so.

As someone who left their family’s nest at the ripe age of eighteen, here’s my guide on how to successfully move out of your parents’ home and take control of your own life.

Let’s dive right in!

Moving Out of Your Parents Home

1) Start a Side Hustle

When you move out of your parents’ home, you’ve got to take up a lot of new financial responsibilities. Starting a side hustle is one of the many ways you can save up funds to make this change a bit smoother.

If you’re not sure where to begin, there are plenty of ideas available online covering easy side jobs from home to help you get started. Whether you wish to take up tutoring, selling old clothes or freelancing, many side hustles can help you build your savings.

A side hustle presents an excellent opportunity to explore your passions and talents and potentially monetise them. If you find something you’re particularly good at, you could even turn your side job into your full-time career.

At sixteen, I started my first side job as a private tutor along with taking up a few shifts at a local restaurant. Initially, balancing both of these activities with school was a bit challenging, but I was determined to make it work. I began by creating a schedule for myself, and after a couple of hectic weeks, I actually learnt how to stick to it.

As the months went by, I started budgeting my expenses and saw my savings grow. If you want to get a head start on moving out, I would definitely recommend picking up a side hustle.

Balancing a side job alongside your other daily activities requires adept time management skills, however, I promise the rewards are more than worth it.

2) Learn Some Essential Life Skills

When you start living on your own, you need to be ready for anything that life sends your way. For that reason, you need to dedicate time to developing a variety of life skills that you may have taken for granted while living with your family.

Mastering the basics of activities like cooking, budgeting, cleaning and maintaining a home are but a few of the many life skills needed to make your transition to independent living a smooth one.

By learning to prepare your own meals, you can cook healthy food for yourself, save money that would’ve been spent on dining out and improve your health. Through budgeting, you can learn how to manage your finances effectively and effectively plan for future spending.

I feel that it’s easy to take cleaning and general maintenance for granted when living with your parents. If you’re planning on moving out, you need to learn how to carry out simple repairs and keep your living space clean, or things can get messy really quickly.

I remember spending my summers asking my parents to teach me all the life skills that I knew almost nothing about. One of my most treasured memories is from the summer when I asked my dad to teach me everything he knew about repairing cars.

We had a Nissan Altima and she was a beauty in her prime. However, after driving her around for over five years, we began noticing the occasional breakdown. However, my dad, a die-hard car enthusiast, always made the repairs himself. (Having his own garage business certainly helped.)

That summer, he taught me how to order Nissan parts online, change her tyres, top off the oil and replace old and damaged parts. During those first few days, there was a bit of yelling. However, it soon transitioned into a lovely bonding experience that brought me closer to my dad.

3) Pre-Move Preparation

Pre-move prep time is what I like to call the countdown to freedom. I believe that the way you use the period of 4-6 months before you leave can make a big difference in your entire experience.

Use these months to carefully plan out all essential details regarding the move such as finding a suitable living space, budgeting for the move, organising your belongings and keeping all your essential documents in order.

An organised approach is always the best when it comes to pre-move preparation. Make a checklist of everything that needs to get done and then start doing them. From getting your address changed on official documents to purchasing essential items and setting up utilities, you need to think about every aspect of your move and how it’s going to get done.

I remember the month before I moved to be quite hectic. My parents had decided to give me the old Nissan the previous year, as they had just purchased a new car, and unfortunately, it was due for the MOT. While I did not appreciate adding this extra task to my checklist, I did understand its importance.

Over a single weekend, I remember spending hours on my laptop looking for the best price MOT in my area and ordering essential items for my new home. Suffice it to say, the weekends before my move were quite stressful, but I felt having a list to follow really helped me focus and actually get things done.

Before I knew it, it was packing day, and I was leaving my parents’ home. It was a bittersweet time. I was glad to finally receive the independence I had been craving for the past few years. Yet, I felt a sense of melancholy at having to say goodbye to my childhood home.

4) Make Smart Financial Choices

Once you’ve moved out, you will have to take full control of your finances. Since you can’t rely on your parents as much as you used to. You need to learn to make smart and informed financial decisions.

Begin by creating a realistic budget that covers all your main expenses. Account for every detail from rent to groceries, transportation costs and entertainment. Track your spending to find any areas where you might be able to cut back and save. When you’re living on your own, it’s easy to forget that your funds are limited, that’s why you need to use them responsibly.

While short term loans may be available for when you need them, it’s best to avoid falling into unnecessary debt by prioritising your needs over wants. I’ve also found that building an emergency fund can really make a big difference.

About 5 months after moving into my new home, a flat about 25 minutes away from my parent’s house, I started experiencing some car trouble. While I did know how to perform basic car repairs and maintenance, this time it seemed like the damage was beyond my skill set.

It hadn’t even been a year since I moved out and I was already facing financial struggles, despite my preparation. While I could’ve easily asked my parents for help, which I am sure they wouldn’t hesitate to provide, I simply didn’t want to. This was my problem and I was determined to handle it myself.

Fortunately, I had my emergency fund to fall back on. Over the past months, I have been adding a small portion of my income to a savings account just as a precautionary measure. My emergency fund really rescued me from what may have quickly evolved into a financial emergency.

By being mindful of your finances and spending your money responsibly, you will be able to maintain stability and independence.

5) Consider Adopting a Pet

If you’re an animal person, you’ll understand that there’s no feeling quite like the joy and companionship a furry little friend can bring to your home. I’ve always loved animals, but my mom’s quite allergic to many of them, so we stayed a pet-free family.

I still remember how excited I’d get when I used to visit my friends’ homes and have the opportunity to play with their pets. Whether they had a dog, a cat or even guinea pigs, I couldn’t wait to interact with them.

While I will always encourage getting a pet, I feel it is essential you do thorough research on all the responsibilities involved before you begin the adoption process. Pets are living creatures that require food, attention, time, money and veterinary care. Before committing to pet adoption, you need to ensure that your lifestyle, financial situation and living space are suitable.

About a year and a half after I’d moved out, I realised that my life had become rather monotonous. Sure, I was passionate about my job and had a lovely home to come back to, but it just felt like something was missing from my life. It was only a few days later, as I drove past a local animal shelter, that everything clicked.

I had always felt a bit lonely since leaving my parents’ home. However, I’d convinced myself that it was just initial anxieties from leaving the only home I’d ever known. An animal companion seemed like just what I needed to perk up my spirits and add a new purpose to my life.

Although I had decided to adopt a dog on that very day, I spent the next three months doing my research and making my home pet-friendly. Based on my pet budget, I then researched the best dog food brands, dog clippers, toys, leashes and other equipment for my new pet.

Two weeks later my little Coco, a white Maltese, made her way into my home and carved a permanent place in my heart.

6) Plan for the Future

The funny thing about time is that it has the unique ability to make moments appear fleeting or endless, entirely based on our state of mind. Before I knew it, it had been five years since I moved out of my parents’ home.

It had been a good five years, plenty of ups and downs that I now look back on fondly. In fact, I remember barely noticing time pass for myself. However, when I visited my parents’ later that year for my dad’s birthday, I couldn’t help but notice just how much had changed.

My mom had started to use a cane and my dad’s hair had begun to turn white. While those five years may have felt like a mere blip in time for me, they seem to have had a visible impact on my parents. Seeing them age, albeit very gracefully, helped me put things in perspective.

As much as I look forward to the future, it is important to make note of its uncertainty as well. When I saw my parents, I saw two hard-working individuals who gave every day their very best selves. However, they were not the type of people who bothered with legal assurances, taking each day one at a time.

While this was a conversation I had hoped to put off for a later time, seeing the visible proof of them growing older made me reconsider. The weekend after my dad’s birthday, I drove down to their house and had a gentle conversation with them about working on their estate plan and other important legal documents.

After weeks of convincing, we all agreed to work on them together. After a bit of research, I learnt that there were a fair number of online legal service provider options as well. Deciding that would probably be the easiest option for us to work with considering our living situations, I reached out to Zenco – a trustworthy online legal services provider and started the process of setting up my parents’ estate plan.

Planning for the future is often not a pleasant topic of conversation, but I do not regret bringing it up. I love my parents, and I want them to live long and fulfilling lives.

Living My Best Life

This year, I will be completing a decade since I moved out of my parents’ home. Living independently has certainly been a long and interesting journey that gave me the opportunity to live a life on my own terms.

I am still immensely close to my parents and often make time in my life to visit them every month. With Coco by my side, I’ve made quite a life for myself. I’ve used the past eight years wisely, explored new hobbies, met new people and indulged in countless new experiences.

I’ve found that the key to living an independent life is just knowing that it’s okay to make mistakes. I’ve certainly made my fair share of them, however, I’ve also learnt a lot from them and I look forward to continuing to live my best life.