Moving Out of Your Parents’ Home

If you feel like you are ready to take on a more independent lifestyle, you can afford to do so both financially and emotionally – it’s time to move out of your parents’ home and start a new journey of independence. It might be scary and exciting, just remember – some good planning will ensure that your transition is as smooth as possible.

• What You Take
If you are moving out of your parents’ house for the first time, chances are you don’t own a lot of the necessary stuff such as furniture, bedding, home accessories. You might feel tempted to take or, rather say, borrow something owned by your parents till the better times. But think about all the gaps you will leave in the interior that your parents (as well as you) are so accustomed to by now. A couple of missing towels is one thing, but a missing couch might be too noticeable. You may try to utilize some of the old no longer needed stuff stored in the attic or the basement. You can also use the things that your parents were planning on discarding, or whatever they have in abundance (many moms have way more china or towels that they need or use). You can take your personal things (books, CDs, clothes, computer) and things that were given to you as a gift. You should leave the items of shared use ( a toaster or a big screen TV in the living room) – your parents’ life does not end with your departure and they will still be using those things.

• What You Leave
You will still visit your parents frequently so you might want to see your bedroom unchanged – with all your favorite childhood toys, trophies and posters. However it’s a rather selfish approach – maybe you should check with your parents first about their plans for the room. Maybe they want to turn it into an extra guest bedroom, or a home library, or a home office that your father has been dreaming about for the past 20 years. So you might have to sort through your things and whatever you are not taking could be donated, sold at a garage sale, thrown away or packed and stored in a public storage facility (unless there is some extra space in the attic).

• How You Move
You are unlikely to have a lot of stuff that needs to be moved – so maybe you shouldn’t bother to get a moving quote from a large company with 4 movers/6 hours minimums. Renting a moving van should be sufficient, sometimes it’s more than enough to borrow your father’s car and transport your things in 2-3 trips (provided you are moving within the same town). You want to save on moving expenses so that you have funds remaining to buy new furniture that you will need since you are beginning a new life almost from scratch.