# Moving out! Tips?



## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

I am in the current process of gathering money and stuffs to move out with my girlfriend (we have been together for years and we lived together as well for years), I am wondering if you guys have any tips, what I should avoid, what I should know or any useful tips.

I will probably move out in about 6-12 months from now. Both of us are in school, she is in nursing and I am about to start my Major in Finance. I work a lot and I can easily balance school, work and social life (girlfriend included). I have no issue running two jobs since I plan to take an extra year for my Major. My girlfriend works part-time, she will probably help me paying stuffs, but she will not pay as much as me. She will probably give me $150-$200/month. And I take the money from tips I am making at one of my job and use it to fill up the car.

I will probably rent a 3 1/2 at around $800-$950/month (I don't want to live in a old building, neither brand new, somewhere 2-7 years old).

Worst case scenario, I can bring in a paycheck around $1680/month after taxes (of course minimum wage job, 50 hours/week).
Best case scenario, I can bring in $2110/month after taxes (this is if I get the job at the local bank I am trying to get).

So monthly fixed expenses: 

- Rent: $800-$950
- Debts (student loan): $62
- Cellphone, internet and TV: $125-$150
- Gym: $42

Total fixed expenses: $1029-$1204

Other monthly expenses:

- Food: $250-$350
- School tuitions: $180
- Appliances (if it doesn't come with the apartment): $125-$150 (financing)

Total other monthly expenses: $555-$680

Total expenses: $1584-$1884

Free cash flow: $96-$226 (that's excluding what my girlfriend gives me)


So worst case scenario I can still make it and best case scenario too, and remember my girlfriend helps me each month with about $150-$200.

Also, she has around $3500 in her TSFA (she got it from loto quebec ) which will be her emergency fund and I have around $6000 that I can quickly turn into cash. I still plan on saving as much as possible.

Any feedbacks!?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Just my opinion..but with your calculated monthly expenses..your are going to start to bleed financially very quickly.

You are bringing in $1680 in wages (after tax I presume) and your estimated gross expenses are 1884?

That's a $204 shortfall already, and you are not counting in things like car repairs, car expenses such as insurance
and other things, even if you are counting on tips for the gas to put in it. BTW..you should never count on tips..
they should be a bonus, if you get enough.

You really shouldn't count on any money coming in from friends either. If you can't afford it on your own and have some money left over at the end of the month..you really can't afford the lifestyle you are estimating.
$550-660 what are these"other expenses"?

Also if you are renting a condominium town house, there is heat and hydro as well. These can be significant in the winter months.

I just received my natural gas bill for dec 5 to jan7. It was $200.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Appliances will come with the apartment so you can exclude that from your budget. Include renter's insurance and car insurance. For the car, you also need to include maintenance. And like Carverman said, you need to include utilities if those are not included in your rent (depends on the apartment). 

Don't get cable. You can watch almost everything online.


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

$1680 is my montly income after taxes and i will probably go with the lowest expenses which is $1584 im still good with that. And that is the real minimum income i can bring in like i said worst case scenario i can bring easily at least $150-$200 more.

And cable is included in the $125- $150 (internet, cellphone and tv bundle)


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

And I was saying you should drop cable, which would reduce the overall monthly cost for your internet/cellphone.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Spudd said:


> Don't get cable. You can watch almost everything online.


It all depends on how many included gigabytes you have with your internet provider within the monthly billing cycle. 

For instance, I have Wind. While it is cheap at $29 a month,they have a 10 gigabyte cap at full bandwidth.

If you exceed that in a billing cycle, (and it doesn't take much..watch a couple movies and they cut back the bandwidth so watching anything like a movie or youtube is PITA! I prefer to minimize my internet movie or youtube surfing and watch satellite tv. Yes, the satellite is a also pain in the butt, because the dish collect wet snow and the signal drops out, but still cheaper in the long run than watching movies online.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

SkyFall,

This is a bad idea.

Unfortunately:

You don't make enough money. 
Your girlfriend doesn't make enough money. 
You don't have enough savings.

It looks scary on paper - which means it's even scarier in real life.

I hate to say it, but I would not advise moving out at this time.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

carverman said:


> PITA!


Pita's are good.

But they can be a PITA to make. :biggrin:


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

do you _have_ to move out? KaeJS is right... once you add in the expenses you haven't accounted for, you'll be losing money. You already have a student loan, you'd be deepening that if you move out.

Not to cast doubt on your abilities, but working 50hrs/wk plus school plus homework plus social life plus everyday chores plus CMF lurking is a pretty busy schedule. Your grades may suffer, you may become burnt out. I think it would be better go in knowing you can work but don't have to, rather than setting yourself up so that you have to work a lot.

If you're set on moving out: why disregard older (cheaper) accomodation? You'd only be renting; it won't be permanent. You'll be a student, not some high level executive. I lived in a 90 year old house when I was in college. My room was chilly in the winter, but other than that, I can't say that my quality of life suffered. Just gotta check it out beforehand, and talk to the existing tenants if you can if there are any problems to be aware of (as you should with any rental.) 

Any place can have problems, regardless of how old it is. I know someone who bought a condo last summer. Earlier in the year, the condo board had to replace a few of the columns that support the balconies, and re-do one of the concrete patios for a main floor unit. The building is less than ten years old. 

That's my feedback.


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## DanFo (Apr 9, 2011)

I agree your a little too tight to be moving out at this time. there just doesn't seem to be enough margin left for any unexpected expenses


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

well I guess I gonna have to save more money heheheh thanks guys!


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

SkyFall,

Here's a comparison:

I purchased a $235,000 home.

I put $50k down. ($185k remaining)

I have weekly accelerated payments with bundled property tax at $272.18/week. ($1100/month)
My Gasoline costs are $400/month.
Rogers Services: $200/month.
Insurances: $150/month.
Condo Fees + Water Heater Rental: $150/month.
Food: $200/month.
Entertainment: $200/month.
Utilities: $300/month. (When I don't have a $700 water bill)

That's a total of $2,700/month for expenses.

I make $2,050/month at my job, + $1500/month in rental income, + $50/month in investment income.

My total income is $3600/month.

As you can see, I have a $900 surplus each month.

Not only that, but I also have $22,000 in liquid investments, plus a $5k unsecured Line of Credit with a $0 balance.

^^^^^^ 

I am still scared and worried about my finances. Some days, I am shitting bricks. Stuff adds up quickly (like $700 water bills) or the roof, or you need to buy a shovel, or a few lightbulbs, or a new broom, etc. etc.....

I would strongly urge you to re-evaluate. You will be so much happier down the line if you can stick it out and save for a couple years. Expenses pop up out of nowhere. What happens if you get in a car accident? It could be completely unrelated to your home.

What if your girlfriend gets in an accident? That's completely unrelated to you at all! But it's going to affect your finances negatively and in a big way.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

KaeJS said:


> SkyFall,
> 
> I hate to say it, but I would not advise moving out at this time.


 I read that he was thinking about moving out around 6 -12 months from now.

Maybe he has no choice with the current living arrangement. 
Be as it may, he's treading on thin ice when he moves out with that kind of budget. 
If he had some savings, maybe he might weather a bad month
or two, but if he doesn't..going to "Payday Loans"..aka the "Loan Sharks" will definitely get him into financial difficulty.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

KaeJS said:


> Utilities: $300/month. (When I don't have a $700 water bill)


:biggrin:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> I read that he was thinking about moving out around 6 -12 months from now.
> 
> *Maybe he has no choice with the current living arrangement. *
> *Be as it may, he's treading on thin ice when he moves out with that kind of budget. *
> ...


 ... not sure where he's living now - at his girlfriend's home or her own place or his home? Agree he maybe treading on thin ice - the margin for unforeseen or unexpected events that require a financial dent is far too thin ...at 20 something what's the rush to move out and be on one's own. Isn't the new trend for GENX/Y smarts is to move back "home" to save $$$? :biggrin:


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> Isn't the new trend for GENX/Y smarts is to move back "home" to save $$$? :biggrin:


That's what I'm doing, and it's saving me boatloads. I put away 70-75% of my net income last year.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... not sure where he's living now - at his girlfriend's home or her own place or his home?


Probably doesn't matter..if he wants to be on his own and not dependent on his friends or parents?.
Unlike some that just move out without a clue of how they are going to cope in the big and expensive world out there, this
young man has a PLAN and at least some kind of attempt at a financial budget. Kudos to him. We need more like him to
show the others in his generation that if you have a Plan and ambitious..it can be done, even if you have to count your
pennies at first..wait..there will be no pennies..nickels then..until they are removed from circulation as well and replaced with
this crappy plastic money, that you can't fold and sticks together.



> Isn't the new trend for GENX/Y smarts is to move back "home" to save $$$?


Well what does it matter if it's gen X/Y or Z..maybe he can't do that..or doesn't want to do that?


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

Barwelle said:


> 1. working 50hrs/wk plus school plus homework plus social life plus everyday chores plus CMF lurking is a pretty busy schedule.
> 2. Your grades may suffer, you may become burnt out.


*1.* You forgot FB/Google/TV/Twitter/YouTube. :biggrin:

When does energetic SkyFall sleep?

*2.* Count on it!


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

^^ Oh, of course, how could I have forgot those? When does he sleep... that's a good question.

Then also, with a name like Skyfall, there must be time allowed for at least one Bond movie a week....


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

..and he shouldn't forget some time for his CMF "friends", who have all kinds of good advice for him.

But being a young man, he doesn't need that much sleep. Managing a tight timetable between work (two jobs?), school, gym and gf..(if she is still in the picture at that time), will certainly be a challenge. 

I would suggest he sets up a time management schedule as well as a budget.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

Sky-Fall watching would fall under non-virtual 'social life', hence the reason I did not include it.

But without proper sleep, I'm afraid no activity will be done to the best of his abilities, especially the study part.

*carverman:* he said he's lived with gf. for several years, so he's no teenager anymore.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> ..*and he shouldn't forget some time for his CMF "friends", who have all kinds of good advice for him.*
> 
> But being a young man, he doesn't need that much sleep. Managing a tight timetable between work (two jobs?), school, gym and gf..(if she is still in the picture at that time), will certainly be a challenge.
> 
> *I would suggest he sets up a time management schedule as well as a budget*.


 ... I think your wise-man's advice (no offense-intended) would be valuable in the General Personal Finance Talk section too - how about moving up there sometime? 

Re


> Well what does it matter if it's gen X/Y or Z..maybe he can't do that..or doesn't want to do that?


 ... of course it doesn't matter it's GEN X/Y/Z or Boomers :biggrin: for that matter - but for "young" people who are trying to save some money - living at home for awhile may help. Barwelle can attest to that. Of course, only if one is able to or wants to. And yes, kudos to a "plan" and seeking out CMF fo tips/advice.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> *carverman:* he said he's lived with gf. for several years, so he's no teenager anymore.


Ok..something doesn't make sense then..if he has a good relationship and the gf is working part-time, and they have been together
for "several years", then why move out when you have friends with benefits? 

This is starting to make as much sense as KaeJs enormous water bill.:biggrin:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... I think your wise-man's advice (no offense-intended) would be valuable in the General Personal Finance Talk section too - how about moving up there sometime?


More like "wise-as*? I just look my own finances, because I am forced to. So, I have no real words of wisdom..just an opinion..
from somebody who has been through the whole wash and squeezed financially by life's "wringer".


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

He wants to move out together with the gf, not to/out of the gf's place [my understanding].


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

Alright let me go more into details, I am 21 y/o few years ago I had a huge fight with parents, I had to move out. Fortunately, my girlfriend's parents at the time let me stay at there place for few weeks until I find place. But time goes by and I finally end up staying. They have a huge house and the basement is like an apartment (the only thing that is missing is a kitchen). So that explain the '' I live with my girlfriend for a while '', but the thing is I go to school in downtown Montreal and work near downtown....to get there I always have to drive at least 25mins (no traffic) I have to cross bridge that's why in rush hours it's a pain! Also, since I don't really sleep (4-5 hours, max 6 hours) I do my stuff at night I can't use the kitchen because at 2 am wanting a steak is not right according to her parents (I can't say sh*t) also they have two dogs... which mean at night if I do one little noise they start barking like crazies! I pay a rent of $125, which is nothing. I often wake up at 5am, I can't make breakfast because of dogs...

The reason I want to move out is I am not feeling it's my place, I can't do what I want ...I really want to be closer to work and school (my future job will probably be in Montreal also).

I am a very organize person, I can really stick to a budget, but like you guys said...some expenses are just unexpected... so what I think I will do is I will wait a little bit longer and keep saving my money and see what will happen. I will maybe go for a cheaper place.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> *More like "wise-as*? *I just look my own finances, because I am forced to. So, I have no real words of wisdom..just an opinion..
> from *somebody who has been through the whole wash and squeezed financially by life's "wringer*".


 ... no, I would call that a "smart-axx" then. :tongue-new: Since you've gone through the "financial wringer" in "real" life, then that makes your "opinions" (depending how the reader wants to take it or not) all that much credible and valuable. :encouragement:

*TO.gal:* ... sounds like he's living with the g/f at her home (parents) and they want to find a pad of their own. Maybe SkyFall will clarify this for us. But good to know SkyFall knows he needs to "save" more $$$ first as per his post #11.


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

If you can get a cheap place close to where you work (or with good public transport access), is it feasible to sell your car? You'd get whatever money you could sell it for, plus it would probably be cheaper to bike/walk/take public transit than to pay gas and insurance, and have to account for unforeseen auto expenses.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Based on what you said they saved you from the street and probably not crazy to have you there , I would do the right thing and move out or try to settle things with your parents.I personally would leave the girlfriend where she is ,if she wants to contribute to a few groceries when she sleeps over then that's great .


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

marina628 said:


> Based on what you said they saved you from the street and probably not crazy to have you there , I would do the right thing and move out or try to settle things with your parents.I personally would leave the girlfriend where she is ,if she wants to contribute to a few groceries when she sleeps over then that's great .


I won't leave my girlfriend, we live like we have been married... we are use to our lifestyle (together), actually her parents loves me it's just the fact that it's annoying to have parents looking over your shoulders all the time (my girlfriend's)...

But anyway as I said I will take my time, because I don't want to do something stupid and put myself in a financial hardship I will swallow my pride and go with the flow as long as possible and see what will happen... 

To everyone, I really appreciate all the tips, advices, etc. Thank You.


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## newfoundlander61 (Feb 6, 2011)

Having been married for a while now one piece of advice to save issues regarding money is to have one account and make it a joint account.


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## JustAGuy (Feb 5, 2012)

I'm curious why I haven't seen any mention of having room-mates.

At 21, what possible reason could you have to need a 3 1/2 bedroom all to yourself? Are you claustrophobic? If you want the independence, with finances, I'd look at making compromises to what your criteria are. Maybe you can get by with a 2 bedroom instead? Maybe you can get a room mate? Cut back on the gym and do something like running instead which is free? Drop the cable? Look at living in walking/biking distance to where you work/school so that you don't need to rely on paying for gas/repairs/insurance on a car? There are lots of things that can be compromised here.


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

what? 

3 1/2 here it's one bedroom, living/dining room, kitchen and 1/2 is a bathroom....


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

I was wondering what you meant in the op by wanting a 3 1/2... Haha. 

JAG's train of thought is still valid though. A shared 2 bedroom apartment is usually cheaper per person than a one bedroom. If you and the lady can manage having a roommate. 

Or you could look for people who are renting a room in their house out (as opposed to a whole apartment) and see if they'd be ok with a couple. 

Or just stick with the most frugal option! (Stay with her parents. Call it getting to know the family REALLY well...) it is nice that you two kind of have your own living space.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Barwelle said:


> A shared 2 bedroom apartment is usually cheaper per person than a one bedroom. If you and the lady can manage having a roommate.
> Or you could look for people who are renting a room in their house out (as opposed to a whole apartment) and see if they'd be ok with a couple.


That may be a difficult thing to deal with if you have a lady friend as well. Most people renting out a room, would only be interested in renting to a single person (male or female). Besides..she lives with her parents, so it's not an issue with her..but it's an issue with the OP. 



> Or just stick with the most frugal option! (Stay with her parents. Call it getting to know the family REALLY well...) it is nice that you two kind of have your own living space.


I think from his last "reveal", he has some issues living with her parents. If he works nights and comes home at odd hours of the night, the two dogs bark and disturb everyone sleeping. He can't fry himself some breakfast, because the kitchen may be "off limits" to him as it's the gf's parents kitchen and not his to use at that time of night.
So his current lifestyle doesn't seem to be congruent with the family he is living with at the moment. I certainly would feel uncomfortable in that kind of living arrangement.


Here are his issues as I see them:

1. He's not comfortable with the two dogs. I don't think her parents will get rid of the dogs that bark when he
comes in the door, so that's a problem.

2. He's not comfortable having to use the parent's kitchen (stove, pots and pans and dishes) in the middle of the
night or in the wee hours of the morning when he comes home from work and want's to fry himself an egg or two.
(GF is sleeping, parents of Gf are sleeping, and so are the dogs at that time of night.)


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

carverman nailed it! hhahahha!


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## Charlie (May 20, 2011)

if you can't swing moving out just yet consider:

---get a hotplate/microwave in your living area so you don't disturb her parents at night
---up the monthly rent. Seems counterproductive, but at $150/mo you're basically there for free especially if they pay for much of the food. 

Moving from low/no rent to higher rent is never a good financial decision. But it's rarely a financial move! 

Your proposed budget is very tight. I suspect mine was just as tight when I moved out. Yours is particularly worrisome because it requires full time work while going to school.


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