The Big Move

I was sitting here thinking back about when I was still at home with my parents. I knew at some point I would be moving out to my own space. I was working a minimum wage job back then and kinda made a plan in my head. I decided every pay period I would purchase something I would need for my home (and store it under the bed and in the closet). So one week it was glassware, one week dishes, one week pots and pans and so on. I used to joke that I moved from a bedroom to a home and had what I needed. That strategy actually saved me a lot of time and energy. One other think I would have done, looking back now, would be to try to have a savings account for emergencies only. Not a "put and take" account where you put money in this week and take most of it out over the next 2 weeks. As a matter-of-fact, I urge those who are thinking of moving from a family home (to a spot where a mortgage or rental payment will be due) to take the amount of the rent or mortgage and put it in a bank account for 6 months. If that 6 monts is a struggle for you to maintain your other bills and obligations, it is not time to move. If everything was financially about the same, it may be a safe time to move. Once you move, if something happens job wise or your cash flow decreases, you will have that 6 month reserve that will keep you from panicking until you can stabilize your funds. This is not something that is necessarily taught in school. Some of this we learn from getting it wrong. But one person's experience can be another person's road map. Life holds many twists and turns. By making smart decisions and listening to sound advise, the ride of life can be smoother and less complicated. Your future self will thank you.