Moving out

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Just to clarify, I'm 25. I decided to post here because I figured most people in here are already living independently, and thus you may know a bit more about what I'm writing about. (Maybe, it's just a guess)

For the past few years it seems like my life has gotten better, and now I have a opportunity to finally move out from my parents. I've been away from home a few times before in my life, but nothing this (hopefully) permanent. What I find calming is that I have a job, and a stable environment around me with people who care about me. This gives me hope, that when I'll get a bad day, or week, maybe even a month or two of potential depression, I have people I can reach out to that can help. Even though I'm good now, I know it can change quickly sometimes, and I stress that I do not ever, if possible at all, get into the mindset I was in a few years ago.

However moving out will be a big deal for me. I'm trying to think up strategies for how I will manage life on the outside. (I'm so funny, not...) Such as always make sure to have frozen meals in the freezer for days when I don't have the energy to make lunch myself, find easy to cook receipts for dummies (I am not a cook kind of person), make routines to for example to only do my laundry at Tuesdays or to clean parts of the apartment on Wednesdays and not all at once.

My question to you is: Do you have any good ideas, tips or possible strategies I can use when I move out?

The last thing I want to do is screw up.

Always pay your rent and utility bills before you spend a dime on anything else. It sounds like common sense, but it's easy to get carried away and one binge can put you in debt over your head. Miscellaneous expenditures, clothing, recreational spending, etc., should always wait until AFTER the essential roof-over-your-head necessities are covered.

Get receipts for everything. If you're not good at organization, that's okay, just shove them into a big manila envelope with the year written on it in Sharpie. You may never need them, but it's a life saver to know where to find them if you do.

When you start grocery shopping, take note to search out things that are not just easy, but inexpensive and that you can tolerate repeatedly without getting sick of, so you can make a regular list and keep within a budget. And don't forget the cardinal rule of grocery shopping - NEVER shop while you're hungry, so you aren't prone to impulse purchases.

And don't look down your nose at coupons and dollar stores. You'll be shocked how much they can save you.

What has saved me time and again is using my bank's automatic bill pay service to make sure that things like rent and utilities are always paid on time. Writing and mailing checks is one of my big stumbling blocks in life. If your employer offers automatic payroll deposit that makes things even easier.

Cooking ahead and freezing easy things is a budget-saver for me. If I don't eat properly I get really squirrelly and much more prone to melt-downs, so that is important.

Best wishes!

Excellent advice from Willard and Marky9.

I find a piece of software called YNAB (You Need A Budget) quite useful.

It is a system for planning how you will spend your money ahead of time and then verifying your actual spending patterns. This prevents you from falling into the trap of just spending "a little bit here and there" and finding you can't make a key payment for something.

Even with a system like that, keep Willard's advice in mind. Paying systematically for housing and utilities is one of the best ways to keeping happy and reducing stress.

I would recommend getting a ledger book and a pen and writing down EVERY single expense. Write down what the expense is and how much. For example, say you bought a bag of potato chips for $5 at Joe's Market. Write down "bag of chips, $5" and NOT "Joe's Market, $5". Then calculate your new money balance. Do this every single time you buy something, or pay rent/utilities. You will see where your money is going and what adjustments you need to make. I always used to run out of money halfway through the month, then I did this and realized that I was buying lots of takeout food and candy. So I stopped, which wasn't easy.

Thank you, these are all very good advice.
I sometimes have issues remembering that I need to take care of my hygiene, do you know ways to remember that?

Put a reminder alarm on your phone or tablet to go off daily to tell you to bathe.

Make t a part of your daily routine.

Mine is: wake up, make breakfast, take a shower, get dressed for work.

I sometimes have trouble with this on weekends and holidays, because that routine is broken, but it works for work.