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20 Things to Do Before Moving Out of Your Parent’s House

1. File as independent on your taxes. We’re a while away from tax season, but remember to file as independent on your taxes. This means that your parents can no longer claim you as a dependent and will no longer receive a tax break from the government for housing you. What it means for you, is that you will no longer be considered part of their tax bracket. This means you’ll have a better chance at applying for financial aid, health insurance, car insurance, etc.

2. Important Documents. Get as many of your important documents (social security card, birth certificate, tax forms, etc) as possible while you’re still living with your parents. You will need this information when you move out, so find a secure place to store them.

3. Learn to cook. Obviously, cooking skills are not going to come overnight! Checkout some cook books, online recipes, or even watch a couple episodes of Chopped. The more fast, cheap, and easy meals that you’re able to prepare before you move out- the better. Here’s my Cooking 101 post.

4. College. If you are going to college or planning to go to college, talk to financial aid about becoming an “independent student”. If the school classifies you as independent, financial aid will pay for a greater portion of your education. Also please don’t have your parent’s call the school on your behalf, start taking initiative and making these calls yourself. As someone who worked in a college call center for four years, a good 80% of the phone calls I got were from parents, and legally a college can’t tell them anything.

5. Accumulate furniture. Check out thrift stores, Dollar stores, and especially yard sales. Buying all of your furniture at once can be expensive and stressful, but accumulating a few pieces over time (space permitting) can be a more effective way.

6. Doctor’s appointments. Start making your own doctor’s appointments! I love this script by @spectrumsuperhero that’s applicable to all of your doctor’s appointment needs.

7. Start building credit. At 16, you’re probably too young to apply for an actual credit card, but having some credit before you move out will help you loads in the long run. As you might be aware, some landlords ask that their tenants have a credit score before renting to them. Don’t be discouraged! It’s just something to think about.

8. First Aid. Learn some basic First Aid. I’m going to toot my horn and link my post because I sat through literally six hours to get certified in this stuff, and if I do say so myself, my post is rather thorough. 

9. Learn to clean. Learn some basic cleaning skills- how to wash dishes, how to vacuum, what sprays clean what. These may seem like simplistic things, but many people grow up not having to do household chores. I guarantee you that not every apartment you live in will have a dishwasher, so learn some dish skills now! Learn to clean.

10. Go Shopping. Make a shopping list and go shopping at your local supermarket or grocery store. Crowded stores can sometimes be unnerving, remember the more practice you get at it, the more at ease you’ll be. 

11. Learn to wash clothes. Doing laundry is something that I never did while living in my parent’s house, and the first few times doing it on my own turned out… interestingly. Get your laundry skills in tip-top shape!

12. Get transportation. Get yourself a mode of transportation that does not require your parents. Biking, walking, and using public transportation are all ways that you can get where you need to be. Get as familiar with public transportation around your city as much as possible. 

13. Separate bank account. Still sharing a linked bank account with your parents? Get yourself a bank account that they don’t have access to. One of the first steps towards moving out and “Adulting” is being able to take care of your money. 

14. Build your resume. Keep working on and updating your resume, even if you already have a job. You never know when you’ll need to find another one, and you don’t want to hastily throw together your resume with little notice.

15. References. Similarly, get yourself a list of professional references. These references can be teachers, guidance counselors, family friends, etc. References are useful for job applications, housing applications, and networking. Always ask before putting someone’s name down as a reference.

16. Health insurance. Start learning about what health insurance coverage you currently have- how expensive it is, how it’s paid, how long it lasts, etc. Find out if you will be able to stay on this insurance after moving out of your parent’s house. 

17. Buy a First Aid Kit. A First Aid Kit is a must have for whatever apartment, room, or house is your next home! Spend $20 and buy a decent sized one that includes things like cold compresses, burn creams, and gauze.

18. Buy a Bed. The average person sleeps around 229,961 hours in their lifetime. That’s a lot of time in bed! Buy yourself a comfortable mattress (you should replace your mattress every 8-10 years), luxurious sheets and/or a memory foam pillow. Nice beds can be expensive, so start saving up for one now.

19. Learn basic repair. Get yourself a toolbox and learn some basic repair. You can find extensive articles online about everything from unclogging a drain, to tightening screws, and using caulk. Get familiar with these tools now, because you never know what type of landlord you’ll end up with. They could come promptly when requested to do repairs, or they might not.

Here’s something quick for you, because this is something I just had to do myself – it’s my script for making a doctor’s appointment. I hate the doctors and I hate making appointments, but I can help to make it very quick and painless for you.

Before you even touch the phone, you’re gonna need a few details. Grab a notebook and pen and your calendar (app) of choice and get them in front of you. The receptionist might ask you to confirm your identity by asking you for your address or date of birth. Make sure that you have both on hand. Yes, I would recommend you write down your date of birth and put it in front of you – you have no idea how often someone’s asked me for it and my brain just blanked out, like I’d never been born at all.

If you’re anxious, take some deep breaths. Virgil the Vigilant from Thomas Sander’s videos has a great technique: breath in for four seconds, hold for seven, breathe out for eight. Then, dial the doctor’s office and wait for the line to pick up. Depending on the quality of your doctor’s office and the demand, you might be put in the queue for a while. 

When the receptionist answers the phone, start by saying: “Hello, my name is [INSERT NAME] and I’d like to make an appointment.”

If you need or want a specific doctor, add: “I’d like to make it with Dr. [INSERT NAME].” If not, don’t bother with this step. If the receptionist asks, just reply with “Any doctor is fine.”

You can also order blood tests on the phone the same way if a hospital or other service requests it – or, if you’re like me, if you need to take a regular or semi-regular test for monitoring purposes. Instead of saying you need a specific doctor, say: “I’d like a nurse’s appointment to take a blood test for [INSERT INSTITUTION/REASON HERE].”

The receptionist will then give you a date and time. Check then and there with your calendar (app) that you have free time to attend the appointment. If not, say: “I can’t make that time and date, is there any other time or date available?”

Repeat until you have a time that works for you. When you’ve settled on a date and time, write that thing down or put it on your calendar (app) so you won’t forget it. Then say: “That time’s fine, thank you.”

Make sure you say thank you, then hang up. Congratulations! You just made a doctor’s appointment. 

Additional tip: always make sure to repeat date and time when confirming. Say something along the lines of “ okay, [insert time and date] is fine”. That way you can avoid any possible misunderstandings or mistakes on either side.

First Night In A New Apartment Checklist

Cleaning:

Paper towels

Cleaning supplies

Bleach cleaning wipes 

Plastic gloves

Trash bags

Sponges

Vacuum

Mop

Scissors 

Eating:

Disposal eating utensils and/or plates

Water/other beverages 

Portable snacks (protein bars, trail mix, bags of chips, etc)

Hygiene:

A couple changes of clothes

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Toilet paper

Bath towel

Bath products

First aid kit

Bedding:

Blankets

Pillow cases

Bed sheets

Pets:

Pet food

Pet treats

Pet bed

College was interesting, draining and challenging. I learned a lot and I hope this helps you. If you want me to elaborate on a subject please let me know.

1. SEEK HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT. There are a lot of people that are here to help you, guide you and support you. You are not alone, we are here for you. Learn to seek the help you need because it can come in handy when shit gets bad.

2. NOT EVERYONE IS YOUR FRIEND. You’ll meet a lot of people in school and you’ll probably hang out with them and that is cool.It is important to choose who you hang out wisely, they can make or break you. 

3. GET INVOLVED AT SCHOOL. College is not only about studying, it is also about building yourself, get involved, build clubs, create events, write for the newspaper, get creative, volunteer. You can even work at school if you want.

4. SAVE YOUR MONEY. It is very tempting to go out with new friends and spend and consume, it is okay once in a while but PLEASE SAVE YOUR COINS. It will come in handy when you need it the most and you never know what can happen. Create a separate savings account from your checking account. Learn to manage your money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. YOUR SAFETY IS IMPORTANT. Protect yourself mentally, physically and spiritually! My one mistake was not to protect my safety. It is highly you let people know what they are doing is making you uncomfortable, you are allowed to say no if a partner wants more but you don’t, you are allowed to cut people off if they are not making you feel safe. If people are influencing you in a bad way, cut them off before you get yourself in some deep shit. College can change people for the better or worst, your choices are the one that determine which path you are leading yourself on.  Don’t allow anyone to peer pressure you into something you do not want to do.

6. GET YOUR PRIORITIES IN CHECK. Make sure you know where you are heading, at least have an idea. Don’t let yourself get caught up with the amazing things college has. If you know you have an essay due tomorrow don’t spend the night partying. Make small attainable goals each week and follow them through.  

7. BE ABLE TO CORRECTLY MANAGE YOUR TIME. Time is precious, you have a lot on your hands. Utilize it correctly. Create a simple routine you are able to follow everyday. GET YOUR FUCKING 8 HOURS OF SLEEP, it changes everything I swear. 

8. CREATE A SELF-CARE ROUTINE FOR EMERGENCIES. You’ll have horrible days and that is not preventable, the good thing is that you get to help yourself deal with them. I usually turn off my phone, go home earlier then usual, take a bath, cry if I need to, eat a full meal, sulk on my bed, listen to music, isolate myself, write, draw, dance or do nothing and go to bed earlier. I allow myself 24 hours of sadness and then I tried to move on by talking to my therapist about or anyone who is able to listen. Sometimes we just want to be heard and that’s all we need. 

9. YOU ARE ENOUGH. Fuck anyone who tells you that you need to change a part of yourself to carter to them. You are enough, what you wear is enough, my college is in a WEALTHY neighborhood in Montreal and everyone wears the best things and have the best things while I don’t. It bothered me for a bit because I wanted to fit in. But I realized that I am alright the way I am. People do not care honestly, you can come in pjs at school and nobody will mind.

no, seriously! I know how nothing in adult life works, but I have learned it by calling up the customer service division of whatever agency I am having a problem with and then just asking about whatever the problem is, emphasizing my complete lack of knowledge about the thing.

my actual literal script for these interactions: “Hi, my name is [name]. This is my problem: [problem]. I don’t know how [adult thing] works. could you explain how [adult thing] works?” it fucking works every time.

me: I keep getting conflicting information as to whether my therapist is covered by my health insurance. I don’t know anything about health insurance, so this is very confusing to me. could you explain why this might be happening? health insurance customer service: it’s because your normal health insurance is X company but your mental healthcare is subcontracted out to Y company, and Y covers your therapist but X doesn’t. just always bill Y when you go to your therapist and you’ll be fine.

me: I accidentally put the wrong date to pay my credit card off and I’m afraid it will post before I get paid. this is my first credit card so I don’t know what I’m doing. could you tell me when it will post? customer service person: it will send a message to your bank today, but your bank won’t respond to it until tomorrow when you get paid, so you’re fine. and even if it does bounce, the fee is only $25 and you qualify for a waiver.

me: I went to an urgent care place that said they’d take my health insurance, but now i have a big bill. I don’t know how billing works: can you explain why the amount is so much for such a routine trip? customer service person: it’s because you were out of network at the time. however, since your insurance hasn’t covered the cost of care, the urgent care people should refund you for the cost of the services you paid for. me: [gets actual check in mail for the $200 I spent on testing my pee]