I'm currently trying to move out of my parents house and

>>18142459

>go on craigslist and look for apartment listings
>call each place within your price range and ask to see it even if it doesn't look great
>go check them out and figure out which ones willing to take you
>apply, and put down a deposit
>call the power company and ask to put the power in your name
>call gas and water and internet and other utilities you want (like cable) and ask for it as well
>dont be afraid to say 'hey this is my first time getting an apartment, i move in on X day, how do i get this set up?' you arent the first one to have this happen, they'll explain it
>then make a list of e verything you need to buy
>go to the store, and instead of going straight for those items, go down every single fucking aisle and see what else you might need to buy that you hadn't thought of.
>anything you do need, but not immediately, put on a new list to buy over time

thats pretty much it.

>>18142459
You're gonna need some basics

Think about when you shower, or cook, sleep, etc
what do you use?

Many things can be bought at a thrift store or craigslist, other things you'll need to get from walmart

File: Finance Flow Chart.jpg (2MB, 1665x3441px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1665x3441px

>>18142459
Start following this guide OP to help you manage your finances. Start now before you are in a hole sucking dicks for rent.

>>18142510
Extremely helpful

anymore graphs?

>>18142517
No but google r/personalfinance. They have a wiki that's full of great information.

>>18142459
Will you have a roommate or live solo?

If you have a decent dollar store nearby, set aside an hour to just browse up & down the aisles. 75% of the stuff you need for basic day-to-day living is there.

Read your fucking lease. Keep a copy of it where you know it's safe. Write the number of your local tenants' rights organisation on it. There are a lot of scummy landlords out there.

Learn to cook. It doesn't have to be fancy, but learn how to put together meals from basic ingredients. Your body and your wallet with both thank you.

Introduce yourself to your neighbours. Be friendly with them. You never know when you'll need their help with something.

You don't need a vacuum cleaner. A broom will do. You don't need a dishwasher, especially if you're living alone. A sponge will do.

>>18142646
On the note of sponges
Invest in sponges almost exclusively. Have paper towels handy, but unless it's a staining liquid or something well beyond a sponge, use the fucking sponge. Had to drill this into my roommate to cut expenses. Same with dishrags, have them handy but don't burn through them

>>18142607
possibly but im considering going it alone

Set up your bills with automatic online payments. This took some of the stress about bills away for me.

Not OP, but how much money would you suggest having put aside before moving in to an apartment for the first time?

>>18143963
Have AT LEAST double your rent, you want to be comfortable.

Learn to budget.

Create a spreadsheet and keep track of how much you spend on average, per month, on each of the following things:

Rent (including heat, electrcity, etc)
Car (insurance, gas, headlight fluid, etc)
Household supplies (soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc)
Groceries
Ordering in/eating out (I make this a separate category because it really shows how much more expensive it is than homemade food)
Pet stuff (cat litter, dogshit bags, etc)
Beer/drugs

(Of course, these are suggestions. Keep track of whatever categories make sense to you & your lifestyle)

That way, if you're having trouble making ends meet, it's easy to see exactly where you can make changes.

If you're going to have a roommate, there's a ton of advice for that, too:

Talk BEFORE you move in about certain things, like, for example, who's going to do which chores, who's going to be in charge of making sure the rent cheque gets to the landlord, what's an acceptable amount of time for dirty dishes to stay in the sink, how often you think the bathroom needs to get cleaned, how often (if ever) you're going to have parties, whether you're cool with a boyfriend/girlfriend being over all the time, and whether you're going to share groceries or do the right/left divided fridge thing.

Especially if this is your first time with a roommate, you're for sure going to get pissed off about some stuff you hadn't thought to discuss beforehand, which is normal. Don't move in with a friend unless you'd be ok with that friendship ending. It doesn't always happen, but it's a significant risk.