Moving out on a Budget
Whether you are buying your first home or moving out for the first time, in the current economic climate, everything is about your budget. When you are just starting, you may need to furnish an entire home or a room if you are moving into a flat or house share. Without the expense of hiring a van or your deposit, these things can become very expensive without even thinking about them.
If you have been saving for some time for the deposit for your house or are moving into a rented house or flat with a partner or friend, it can seem a good idea to move towards independence as soon as the initial costs are covered. This could leave you feeling a little stressed when you realize how much furniture and other items you will need to furnish your home will cost.
What Will I Need?
First, let us assume that your deposit and initial costs are covered. After your initial costs, it would be wise to factor in hiring a moving company. Alternatively, the cost of hiring a van to transport any furniture and items you are taking with you.
After this, you should make a list of affordable home furniture you will require for your home. If you are moving into a flat or house share, making a list of what you are each going to purchase or working together and dividing the cost will make this process easier.
Many people will think of the most important things, bed, wardrobe, tv, sofa, kettle, microwave. However, not everyone will remember storage solutions or other necessities such as cutlery, can openers, and bottle openers.
These little things may not seem like much, but the costs mount up quickly when you are first moving. Again when you are moving, if moving alone, you will need to try and make a list and account for everything. This becomes more important when moving in with someone or joining a house share but is still helpful when moving alone.
How Do I Budget?
Some of the best ways to budget for moving out is to start with the things you already have and cross those off your list. If you can take your bed, that is one thing taken care of. Next, do you need more large furniture? A sideboard, wardrobe, storage unit, coffee table? If so, the best way to make this fit your budget is to look for cheap home furniture.
Finding cheap home furniture is easier than it ever has been, with so many different websites offering all kinds of furniture fitting all different aesthetics. You can purchase anything from side tables to a sofa; you can find almost anything at an affordable price.
Of course, another way to find things on a budget is to look secondhand. Whether you look on social media marketplaces or in charity shops, you can often find some excellent deals and even items for free.
If you want to buy everything new, the best thing to do when planning your budget is to determine how much you are happy to spend. Assign this budget to different items, whether you can afford $300 for a bed or $600 for a sofa. You should see what you can get from cheap home furniture stores within that budget; look below your budget too.
Most online stores offer discounts for new members or first-time purchases. So another way to make the most of your budget is to group items and take advantage of deals on affordable home furniture to give you more money for other necessities.
When moving into a house share, it is also worth seeing what other people have or if there is anything needed to add to the joint home. Whether this is new pans or a new kettle, this may help not only you but the house as a whole.
When buying things for a shared home you are setting up, split the cost with the person you are moving in with. Alternatively, work together financially to purchase the things you all want. That way, you fit everyone’s aesthetic.
What Else Can I Do?
When moving for the first time, the best thing you can do is save more than you think you will need so you have a fallback. It is easy to save the initial costs and jump straight into buying or renting a home without thinking about your budget for everything else that you need.
Saving for an extra month or two and taking your time to put everything together before signing the papers for your first home would be a fantastic start. This will help to ensure that even using cheap home furniture stores to purchase your furniture, you will have enough to buy all you need.
If you have a place to store bigger items, it is also worth taking advantage of different events that run at sofa stores or department stores to get what you need. Having storage can make all the difference when moving out.
This will prevent you from waiting several months before your sofa or bed is delivered from the store you have ordered them from. Again, waiting can help you arrange delivery of items for the date or day after you get the keys to your new home; this way, you do not have to store items but do not have to do without them either.
Summary
In summary, one of the best ways to budget when you are first buying or renting is to work out what you have, what you need, and what you can afford. Remember, when first saving to move, you should work out a budget for items you need.
It is best to discuss with the person you are moving in with if you are moving in with someone and work out your joint budget and items you both need from this.
Shop around and take advantage of deals and different delivery options. Take your time and make sure you have a good budget to work with, even when using cheap home furniture stores to get what you need. Make lists and tick off as you get things; this way, you know you have not forgotten anything you need.
Most importantly, enjoy the build-up and the process of saving and buying the furniture for your home.
