Moving for the First Time

Has the time come for you to leave home? All My Sons Moving & Storage performs apartment moves for young adults itching to get out from under their parents’ roof. 

Whether you’re moving for college, relocating as a young professional, or have just decided that now is the time to launch into independence, your very first move can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time. At All My Sons Moving & Storage, we understand that relocations are emotional events, and our moving team can provide customized moving support as you get ready to cross into this important stage of adulthood.

All My Sons has been moving families, individuals, and businesses for over 30 years, so here’s major moving advice from the pros to take with you into your very first move.

The first step to living on your own is creating your budget. Even if you have had a job for a while and pay some of your own expenses, living by yourself calls for your own written plan.

How Do You Create Your First Budget?

Grab a spreadsheet, find a favorite budgeting app, or crunch the numbers on paper.

• Add Up Your Monthly Net Income: Add up your paychecks for the month. If you have irregular earnings from income sources like gig work, write your best estimate for how much you typically earn in a month. 

• Write Out All Your Regular Bills and Expenses: Find all your monthly bills and subscriptions. Don’t forget to set aside money for annual and biannual expenses. 

• Estimate Amounts for Variable Expenses: The cost of groceries, dining out, shopping for fun, or putting gas in your car. 

• Compare and Adjust: Every month will be different, so track your expenses well for at least 2-3 months before you declare your budget in great shape. Ideally, you should have 20-30% of your net income left over at the end of the month to use for savings. 

If your expenses are overwhelming your income, look to cut spending by reducing your bills or find ways to increase your income.

How Much Money Do You Need to Make in Order to Move Out?

The income level you need to pull in to live comfortably on your own will vary based on where you are, what kind of lifestyle you want to lead, and what goals you have for the future.

MIT makes a living wage calculator that shows the hourly rate necessary to cover basic needs for yourself in areas across the United States. Knowing the living wage of the area you want to live in will help you determine what baseline income you need to aim for.

A popular framework for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule, where you spend 50% of your budget on necessary living expenses, 30% of your budget on wants, and put away 20% of your budget into savings and investments. This means that if you’re making $50,000 in salary, you can afford to spend about $2,000 just on living expenses. This might work out perfectly in Oklahoma, where the average rent of a one bedroom apartment is about $1,076 per month, but it would be inadequate in New York, where you might be shelling out around $2,692 for a one bedroom apartment. 

How Do You Move Out When Finances Are Tight?

Some young adults will see those numbers and feel disheartened. While they’re eager to get out of the family home, there’s just no way to crunch the numbers so that they work.

Don’t despair, there are a few ways you can make your escape even when you’re not pulling in a lot of cash.

• Get One or More Roommates: Splitting the burden of rent is the first and most effective way to cut back on living expenses, provided you can find a good roommate match. Search an online site like Roommates.com, Roomies, or Roomster, or use local social media groups to look for like-minded individuals who are roughly the same age as you. Make a list of the lifestyle factors that are important to you and arrange a coffee meetup or a phone call with prospective roommates to get to know them.  

• Seek Emergency Housing: In the event that it is unsafe or detrimental to your mental health to stay with your family, you can seek local emergency housing to help you move out. In most places in the United States you can dial 211 to connect with social services in your area. 

• Find an Unconventional Rental: Rather than seeking a traditional apartment, find a furnished room to rent, a guest house, a mother-in-law suite, or a tiny home. You might also try looking for jobs that provide housing such as becoming a live-in nanny, caretaker, or property manager. 

• Ask for Help From Friends or Family: If you are on good terms with your family members or if you have friends ready and able to help, then ask for help. Friends or family members might be able to set you up with starter furniture, co-sign on a lease, or provide funds to help with moving. 

Lucrative job offer letter in hand? Don’t start packing boxes just yet. You will need significant funds to get you out of your parents’ home. Before you set your move date, determine how much money you will need to set aside for the move itself. 

These are the typical expenses involved in moving.

• Moving Supplies: Boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, and tape. According to data from All My Sons Moving & Storage, a family on the move spends an average of $145 on packing materials. You can save money on your move by searching for free or low-cost boxes in your community and using household items that double as moving containers. 

• Security Deposits: Before you can move in, you may have to pay fees or deposits that are not part of your regular rent. A security deposit might be refunded to you when you move out, provided there is no new damage to the apartment.

• Truck and Equipment Rental: For a DIY move, you will need to reserve moving equipment like a truck, cargo van, or trailer. The base rental charge for a small truck or cargo van, which may be sufficient to move you out of your childhood bedroom, is typically about $20-$25 per day, plus mileage, fuel costs, and any damage waiver options you elect to take. If you need a larger truck, the base rental rate will increase. While you are renting equipment, you should also look at renting dollies and hand trucks, which will make your move much easier. 

• Movers: If you do a DIY move, you might be able to get away with treating your friends to lunch. However, when you hire professional movers, you can save yourself significant time and energy on your move, not to mention your valuables will be handled with care by experts. All My Sons performed roughly 82,000 local moves across the United States for people in one bedroom or studio apartments in 2025. The average total cost to move apartments fell between $631-$1771. 

• Storage Unit Rental: Renting storage can make a move easier by supplying a place to put items during the transition period. You can also elect to use storage long-term for items you want to keep but will not have immediate space for in your new apartment. 

Watch out for the hidden costs of moving such as changes in insurance premiums, membership startup costs, and stocking the fridge. 

You’ve got a balanced budget, a full moving fund, and now have the freedom to set your move date. Time for apartment hunting! 

• Set the Max Rent Budget: Conventional wisdom suggests that you should only spend about 30% of your gross income on rent. Many landlords will require that you make 2-3 times the rent before they approve your application. 

• List Needs and Wants: Before you start searching online or in person, list your needs and wants. You might need a space that allows pets or has an in-unit washer and dryer. It also might be nice to have amenities like a co-working space or a complex pool. Write out your non-negotiables and your nice-to-haves.

• Visit Apartments in Person: Once you have a short list of apartments that meet your desires, visit complexes in person. Look at model units and check out the local neighborhood.

• Ask Questions: Make a list of questions to ask the leasing agent when you visit in person. You should ask about late payment penalties, pet policies, and how to break your lease if you should suddenly need to move out. 

• Make Your Application: Gather your application materials like your proof of income, references, and rental history. The average apartment application fee is about $51, but yours may be more or less depending on where you’re looking to rent. As a first-time renter, you might need a parent or other relative to co-sign on your lease to qualify for certain rentals.

Before you can move in, your apartment complex might require you to have some utilities in your name. Compare service providers in your area to get the best deals on your utility bills, or ask your prospective apartment complex for recommendations on who to choose.

• Electricity: A one-bedroom apartment typically pays an average of $90-$134 in electricity costs every month. The local climate, your location, and how energy-efficient your appliances are will all determine how much you pay for electricity. 

• Gas: Some households will use gas for heating and cooking instead of electricity. 

• Internet: If you work from home or want to be online for gaming, streaming, social media, or surfing the web, then you should look to set up internet service as soon as you move in.

• Water and Sewage: This utility is typically handled by local municipalities. 

• Trash: This might be included in your rent or paid as a separate fee. 

• Renter’s Insurance: Sometimes required by apartment complexes. The average renter in the United States pays about $13 a month or $151 per year to cover their belongings. 

• Cable, TV, or Streaming Services: Can often be bundled with phone and internet services. Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ might have policies that require you to purchase a separate subscription for a new household. 

Now that you’ve chosen an apartment, you’ll need to start furnishing and supplying it with all the things that make a space a functional home. 

Essential Furniture

You can save money on furniture by shopping secondhand, taking hand-me-downs from friends and family, and shopping during major sale seasons like Memorial Day weekend, 4^th of July, and Black Friday. 

• Bedframe and Mattress: An apartment isn’t home without somewhere to sleep.

• Nightstand: A place to store your bedtime items like your current read, your phone charger, and your alarm clock. 

• Couch: A space for guests to sit when they come over or to lounge after a long day.

• Dresser: Keep your clothes somewhere safe. 

• Coffee Table: To fill the extra space in your living area.

• Bookshelves: For your physical media collections like disc media, photo albums, vinyl records, and, of course, books. 

• Desk and Chair: If you work or study at home. 

• Dining Table and Chairs: You will need a space to eat. If you are living alone in a small studio apartment and have a bar space in your kitchen, you might be able to get away with a single barstool. 

Essential Appliances

Most apartments or rental homes will come with some appliances installed and included with your rental. Find out what you might need to add before you move in.

• Microwave: This essential cooking appliance will be a lifesaver when living on your own. Make sure your apartment comes equipped with one, or add it to your shopping list.

• Washer and Dryer: Your apartment can come with these included or may have a hookup for them. Micro apartments may not have space for them, and you will need to factor going to a local laundry center into your budget.

• Coffee Maker: Make the mornings bright with your daily caffeine fix and buy one of these for your kitchen counter. 

• Refrigerator: Often included in apartments and rental homes, but if you are renting a small room you might want to get a minifridge for your space.

• Vacuum Cleaner: Keeping the floor clean is now your responsibility. Get this critical cleaning appliance for your broom closet. 

Essential Kitchen and Dining Items

The big stuff is out of the way, but all the little expenses from small necessary items add up. Remember, you can save money by thrifting items or accepting hand-me-downs. These are the items that make a functional kitchen. 

• Silverware and Dishes

• Pots and Pans

• Napkins

• Kettle

• Can Opener

• Trash Bags

• Kitchen Towels and Hot Pads

• Dish Detergent

• Sponges

Essential Bedroom and Bathroom Items

These are the items to keep stocked in your new apartment so you can adequately sleep and keep up with hygiene. 

• Sheets and Pillows

• Shower Curtain

• Bath and Hand Towels

• Toilet Paper

• Laundry Basket or Hamper

• Laundry Detergent

• Cleaning Supplies

Apartment obtained and essentials gathered. Now you should start looking to pack and move the items that are in your room at your family home.

Not everything that served you in childhood and adolescence will need to come with you to your new home for independent adulthood. 

Before this move, you should sort your belongings into the following categories.

• Discard: Items you no longer want that are not in good condition should be responsibly disposed of. If you have bulky items to throw away, consider calling Junk.com to get fast and eco-friendly junk removal services. 

• Donate or Sell: Items in great condition that you no longer desire to keep should be sold on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, eBay, or at your grand decluttering garage sell. Some items like books and clothes you can take to certain thrift stores for cash or store credit.

• Leave Behind: If your family is not clearing out your room after you leave, you may be able to store some items you’re not ready to part with at your family home. You can come back for these items later or allow your family to keep them indefinitely.

• Store: For some young adults moving out, storage at home is no longer possible. You can hang onto valued heirlooms and childhood artifacts in storage and keep items on hand without them taking up space in your new apartment.

• Keep: Your most precious memories and beloved treasures deserve a spot on the moving truck and a place in your new home.

With everything sorted, it’s time to make your move.

A little extra planning goes a long way in helping to curb the moving stress. Here are a few basic moving tips to help first-time movers get settled into their new home with ease.

• Create a Moving Checklist: Write out a list of tasks to complete during your move, starting with gathering quotes from professional movers, connecting utilities, and making a list of parties to notify of your upcoming move away from home. Check out our Moving Checklist for First-Time Renters. 

• Pack With Unpacking in Mind: You should separate essentials to pack LAST and unload at your new place FIRST. These will be the items you’ll need to make your home a functional space as soon as possible, and they include items like toilet paper, kitchen utensils, and bedsheets. You can pack non-essentials like off-season clothing, holiday decorations, and décor item FIRST to be unloaded at your leisure.

• Carry a Bag on Your Person: During the move, you should carry a backpack with your most critical move items like important documents, your medications, a first-aid kit, and a boxcutter. These are the items you need to have directly on hand during a move. Do not pack them into boxes.

All your stuff managed to make the migration, plus all the new items you’ve bought for independent adulthood. Now what? Break down the box-maze and start the next chapter of your life, of course.

• Unpack and Decorate: Hopefully you packed with unpacking in mind and you’re able to set up your new home with all the items you need to make it a functional living space. Once the essentials are in place, you can decorate to your heart’s content and make your apartment a cozy, joy-filled home.

• Explore Your New Neighborhood: Find your new local haunts like the coffee shops, bars, bookstores, libraries, gyms, hobby shops, rec centers, and places of worship. Discover your favorite restaurants, go-to shopping spaces, and your community resources. 

• Make Friends: Yikes, how do you make new friends as an adult? Everyone benefits from finding their people in a new neighborhood. Show up at events, try social apps to make connections, go to networking meetings and mixers, and be ready to make the first move if necessary. Remember, every friend, romantic partner, and co-worker you’ve ever had was a stranger at one point. Say hello and shake some hands!

• Throw an Apartment-Warming Party: Invite family and both old and new friends to see your new space and help you celebrate this next season of adulthood. Play games, share drinks, and accept housewarming gifts and well-wishes.

As you leave behind your family home, take great care of the precious memories coming with you and choose All My Sons Moving & Storage to help with your first move. 

Our company has been performing apartment moves for young adults just like you for over four generations. We remain committed to the traditional values of transparency and attentive customer care. Get a quote from All My Sons, and embark on your independent adulthood with the company that will treat your belongings with the same courtesy we would give to a beloved family member.