first apartment at 19

Hello I am now a 20 year old in Miami that did the big leap to move out and here’s my tips/experience/advice:

-Cost of Living : Fortunately I had the advantage of moving out with roommates which helped a lot with rent and paying all the utility expenses, so if you’re planning on moving out at a young age, especially in an expensive city, I highly recommend roommates wether it’s your friends or people you find online. Aside from that, also know what your income can afford, make sure you have a steady paying job or a secure savings account that could help you when you’re not financially stable.

-Roommates : In my case at the time that I needed to move-out I had friends that were also looking into moving out on their own as well so we eventually just ended up finding an apartment together and my boyfriend did also move out with me. In other cases I’ve seen many people post applications for roommates on facebook or websites, especially amongst the younger community since there is a lot of college kids (if you live near a university) that need housing.

-Initial-Moving Expenses : One thing I will always regret was not preparing for my move out enough and thinking I needed all my furniture on the first day. In reality I put myself in some debt when I could’ve easily just bought the necessities and along the way bought more furniture instead of getting everything all at once. You really only need a bed and your amenities, the other furniture can wait until you have the finances for it or if you’re planning on moving out save as much as you can.

-Where to find furniture/decorations: A big part of me wanted to have the Pinterest aesthetic thrown all over my apartment but I realized that it was my first apartment and it was a one-year lease which meant it would be very temporary. For the most part I tried my best to not spend an insane amount on decoration and textiles so I shopped mainly on Amazon, Ikea, and even Shein which had nice small decorations.

-Overall Experience and Advice: If I were to do this whole experience again I would probably avoid such a large amount of spending that I did when initially moving in, and also researched more on groceries and meal planning so my expenses wouldn’t be so high. I definitely think bulk buying cleaning supplies and some toiletries is very beneficial because there’s so many items that lasted me the whole year. I should’ve prolonged my apartment search and not had been so materialistic when looking for an apartment because obviously rent was going to be higher, especially in the area where I settled. When moving in with roommates, doesn’t matter if it’s your boyfriend, friend, stranger, you really have to be aware if this person is a good match to live with because it can really become chaotic and toxic if you don’t feel comfortable in your own home because of any conflict. I will always emphasize the importance of choosing your roommates wisely because you will have to follow the leasing contract with no way out. It’s not always going to be a smooth ride but always make sure you and your roommates are a match.

Thank you guys and I hope this helped!