Congratulations on your college graduation! If you’ve just recently graduated or you’re about to finish up with school, no doubt you have a lot on your plate.
Like most new grads, you’ve probably been engaged in a lot of different important life choices, including what job to take, whether to go to grad school and if you should break up with the person you’re seeing or go long-distance. Finally, there is the all-important question of whether to move back in with the parents or strike out on your own.
Living independently after graduation is a path a lot of new graduates make. If you’re lucky, your university has a good network of employers who come to your school to recruit or advertise on your campus job board.
These jobs aren’t local. Most of them will require you to pick up and move somewhere new. That can be intimidating, and moving to a new state, meeting new people, and starting a new job can be a lot to digest.
Life after school away from home doesn’t have to mean living alone. In fact, living alone is probably not the best way to go if you want to meet people and stay active socially. Taking on roommates or joining a house with an open room is a great way to ease into an independent, “grown-up” life without all of the responsibility of managing a plan by yourself.
Planning for a successful start in a new location takes work. Here are some things you can do to make sure you set yourself up well from the start.
Sorting Out What’s Yours
Most parents hate the idea of kids moving out of the house. While it’s a nice milestone in any family’s journey, your parents probably get nostalgic thinking of the days when you were all under the same roof. When you go off to school, they probably kept a lot of the stuff you accumulated over the years. Sports trophies, posters, yearbooks, and your old bed.
One of the first things you should do to prep for the big move is to sort through your old stuff and decide what’s coming with you. Only take what you’ll use and enjoy in the new spot. Of course, not everything that doesn’t make the cut should be thrown out. There are old keepsakes you’ll want to look back on years from now.
A nice way to bridge your journey into independent living is to book a storage unit where you can keep your things for an affordable cost. Local storage facilities can offer leases for a bargain, and now that you’re making a paycheck, paying for one shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
Having a storage unit also takes the stress off of taking too much stuff to your new place. New beginnings are best done uncluttered by a bunch of possessions. Start with the bare essentials and start buying higher-quality items you’ll use for years.
Think About a Storage Unit Near Your New Place
If you’re pressed for time and won’t have the days you need to sort through all of your things, then think about getting a storage unit in your new location. Shifting everything into a storage unit will be a lot less stressful than moving everything you own into a small apartment or a room in a house.
A lot of people are surprised to learn just how affordable a self-storage unit is, and how convenient they are. Chances are you’ll be able to find a storage facility within a few minute’s drive from where you live, and you can go back and forth and outfit your new place in your spare time. It’s great to hold seasonal things as well so you don’t clutter up closets or a garage with things like skis or winter jackets.
What You Should Buy First
One of the biggest issues with moving into your first place will be what you need to buy. As a fresh grad, it’s probably a long list. We advise opting for quality because these can be things that you will use for years. You’re going to need:
- Kitchen supplies
- A good bed
- Shelves
- Containers
- Bathroom supplies
- Cleaning supplies
- Sheets/Covers/Pillowcases
- New towels
- A TV
- A desk
- Laundry supplies
The list goes on and on. Yes, you’ll probably have some things you used in college, but when you’re starting fresh, make a good impression on whoever comes over by having nice things around the house.
You may even have to act extra grown up and buy things like rugs and area lamps for your new place, depending on how big it is and how much of the decorating burden is on you.
If you’re up for decorating, living independently can be a lot of fun because you have more space and more money to decorate with. Buy some nice art and spend a little extra on your sofa and chairs. You won’t regret it.
Stay on Top of the Chores
One of the things that will get you a good return on your time is staying on top of household chores. Keeping a clean space will go a long way to help you feel confident about living away from school and without your parents.
In the current climate, odds are you’ll likely be working remotely to some extent. Most companies and other organizations have adjusted work policies during the pandemic to allow most employees to work from home completely or on certain days of the week.
That can be a big adjustment for some people because work is where a lot of us get the social interactions we need to feel connected to other people. Sometimes working from home can get lonely.
Buy a nice desk and create a work-from-home space that you’ll love being in. A nice desk and chair are the building blocks of any home office. You also can buy nice lighting as well as all the tech and other accessories you need to be successful in your new job.
If you’re looking for a storage facility to store your belongings, Storage Shack of Spokane has got you covered in this department. Here at Storage Shack of Spokane, we offer a wide range of unit selections and top-notch security. To learn more about our self-storage facility, please check out our website at https://storageshackofspokane.com/.
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