Moving Into an Apartment

Post Reply New Topic

I'm currently living with my parents and am looking at potentially moving out and into my own apartment in January. I lived in a dorm while I was in college, but that's the most experience I have with living on my own. I do my own laundry, can cook just about anything if given an adequately detailed recipe, and I think I have basic housekeeping skills. I will be applying for a disabled transportation service. I'm on SSI and will be receiving financial assistance from my parents, no job. What are other skills that I need in order to live on my own?

Paying bills

Taking prescription drugs regularly

Cleaning

Cooking

Fix house

Talking on the phone

safety precautions and fire prevention is important. (locking the door so people can't come in your house when you're away or at home).

Check your mail. Pay your bills (unless those are going straight to your parents). Make lists of grocery items you need, then buy them. Get help with budgeting if you need that. Do your laundry on a weekly schedule. Wash your sheets. Make sure you turn the oven and stove off when you're doing using them. Etc.

Do not cook anything and then take a nap or go to sleep. I learned this the hard way when I had my first apartment on my own when I was 19. I was cooking late at night, put the pot on as low as it could go and I set my alarm to sleep for an hour. I woke up to the sound of an explosion and smoke filling my entire apartment nearly to the floor where I was sleeping on a futon.

The explosion was the sound of the fire department bashing in my apartment door with a battering ram and ax.

The power had gone off and then back on while I was asleep for that hour rendering my alarm clock inoperable. The food on the stove had started on fire.

Don't try to store in your head everything you have to do if that's not something that comes natural to you. There is no shame in writing out or coming up with some other form of organizational cues at whatever level of detail you need to keep you healthy and effective without getting overwhelmed.

My walls are full of calendars, bulletin boards, post-it notes, etc., that help me stay in control of my life rather than feeling controlled by it. And often in having things visibly laid out like that, it makes it more apparent what skills or improvements would be most strategic to prioritize and what's not really so important to worry about.

I wish you luck in your new apartment.

I am sure your parents will help you in the transition.

Have you applied for SSI yet?

Thank you for the tips, everyone. I'm making a list of things I need to work on and things I need to make sure I can manage on my own.

Congratulations on getting your own apartment.

I’m glad for you.

I kept a note on the inside of my door for a while, so I would see it as I was leaving. It said something like "check both doors! Stove? Lights? Keys?"
Also had my address written on it until I remembered my new one.
You may look into housing subsidies.

I hate to be a downer, but if you get financial support from your parents that can allow SSI to cut your benefits. Like if you get into an apartment and your parents are paying a lot of the rent for you, then they can cut your amount because they base it on like how much rent and bills you are paying...if someone else is covering those then they can cut your amount.

Another option, it would take longer than by january but you can also apply for subsidized housing because SSI qualifies you. In that case you would pay a portion of your rent and the rest would be subsidized but they would not be able to cut your amount...in that case your parents could still help you via like helping you get furniture and stuff and help you out if you need help on bills from time to time. But if your parents are paying some of your rent the SSI counts that as a resource and can cut your amount based on what they calculate your parents are paying.

That said IDK what sort of financial position your parents are in, If the are able to support you more than the SSI cuts may not make much difference. But just wanted to warn if your parents are financially supporting you while on SSI they can cut it based on the amount of money they support you with. Sorry if that is repetitive but I kind of learned the hard way that they deduct based on counted resources, which parental financial support is something they do count.