Moving Out & Renting – Wise, or Stupid?

I pretty much moved out when I was 18. As per every usual teen on their way to university – I moved into halls in my first year. Little did I know I was essentially moving out of my family home for good. When I tell people I live out / stayed out post graduating, a lot of people don’t agree with my choice. They think it’s insane that I could possibly pay hundreds each month for (what probably goes towards) someone’s pension when I have a nice cosy room at home and a family which I’m close to. So, why did I move out? And what are the pros and cons for moving out?

Before I graduated, I seriously considered moving back home for at least a little bit just because that seemed to be the typical route people took after graduating, but actually – after talking to my parents, we all agreed that it might be a better idea in my case to move out. 1. Although I live in London (well, the border between London and Kent), because I’m so far out of the centre the transport links from where I live into the city are what you call abysmal. So getting to and from work would be a surprise each day as I won’t even know if the trains would be running. 2. I work seriously long hours, I get in before 8am, and I leave after 8pm, living close to the office at this junior stage makes life a lot more manageable than having to do a deadly commute each morning. Plus, if I finish work late, I don’t have to travel a long distance alone, which isn’t always the safest (a point from my dad). These were a few of the main reasons we thought – you know what – maybe I should move out. Also, I am blessed in that I am able to live out and save a good amount simultaneously.

Before you jump towards either option, there are a few points to consider…

And a quick disclaimer – I don’t believe there is a ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ decision here. Both have their pros and cons and the ultimate decision will vary from person to person!

Con: You’re essentially paying for someone else’s lifestyle
When I met my third year university landlords, they let me know that we were paying for their pension. I won’t lie and act like I didn’t feel so type of way or some type of cheated. When you live out – your money is seeing no returns. When you have a mortgage – your property is (likely) going up in value, you own it and it’s yours. When you live out – your lifestyle hangs in the balance of your landlords, because you’re staying in their place. Of course you also have your own rights – for example if something breaks you rarely have to worry about it yourself. But at the end of the contract or during your break clause – they have the power to kick your ass out.

Pro: You live a faster paced life
Obviously time doesn’t change between living and home and living out – but I’m sure many of you that have lived out can agree that when you’re living out – life just seems to move at a faster pace. When I go back home it brings me back to school days, time stretches out, the area is quiet, and it is truly a place to be when I want to wind down. But when I’m out (including living out for uni and now living out for work), life just flys by, there’s always something to be doing, places to be going, and time just runs away from you. Now, it depends on your personality type – but at this age, a fast paced life is a life for me. When I’m older and ready to have kids and settle down, then I’ll retire to that slower placed, residential type of life.

Con: It makes it harder to save
When you’re thinking about moving out or staying at home, you need to consider living within your means. Two things I value include saving and experiencing life. I value savings not only so that I can get myself a nice big home one day soon, but also because you never know when life will bite you and you will need a cushion to fall back on. Experiencing life is a big one for me also – and in this case I’m speaking specifically about travelling, soaking up other cultures and learning more about the world. If I couldn’t live out and do these two things – then I wouldn’t. Because in that case I’d class it as an insensible move (given what I value, of course – some people couldn’t care less about saving and/or travelling and put living out above all).

Pro: You have more freedom and independence
A great factor to living out is that you have all the freedom and independence in the world. I mean, this all depends on how you grew up, some people have all the freedom and independence they need at age 13, some people never get this until they move out. Although I do have freedom and independence when I’m back at home, it’s not the same. I can’t just get up at 11pm to go and buy a drink from the off license (my parents will strongly recommend I wait until the morning), I can’t just be out and about for however long I like, wherever I like, without haven’t to keep others informed. It’s not as easy just to do whatever the hell you want – because that’s (understandably) not the way things fly when you live with parents who will naturally worry. This factor is a big one – as a lot of people I know that have moved on put this on their list as the biggest thing they miss.

Pro: It pushes you to mature
Ending off on a pro – moving out pushes you to mature. Suddenly you’re handling your own bills, cooking for yourself, doing your own food shops, keeping your own place clean – and so on. Now when I go home I have a lot more appreciation for the little things – be it just a clean kitchen, or a loaded up fridge. And because of this, I’m also better able to clean up after myself and help out around the house when I come home, because I appreciate these little things.

These days when people are shocked that I live out I really don’t bother to explain my thought process behind it. At the end of the day it’s an individual choice and nobody truly knows another’s thought process/financial position/living situation, etc. I really have no regrets when it comes to moving out – I get to be close to the city, close enough to home that I can still visit often and essentially I get to do what I want. It’s a pretty nice feeling.

What are your thoughts? Share your opinions in the comment section below, or if you want, hit me up on my social media profiles listed below.