LIFE UPDATE: I MOVED!
hi everyone!! by now, i'm sure you all already know that I MOVED! i shared this news with you guys this past week on instagram and your responses blew me away! i am so thankful for the support you all give me!! ok now let's get on into the post!
ok! so where to begin?! i don't even know! lol. i guess i'll start out by saying that i had set a personal goal that i wanted to move out before my 27th birthday (coming up in october) i also wanted to have a certain amount of money saved up before moving out - i'll touch more upon that later during the Q&A - and i pretty much met that goal. so those were two reasons why i wanted to move out and the final reason, the real reason i truly was able to move out, is because i was offered a kindergarten job for next year!
since i knew i had a job secured for next year, i would't have to worry too much about being able to pay rent each month. keep in mind, i get a paycheck from teaching AND from blogging. i'll be honest - some weeks by paychecks from blogging are more than my paychecks from teaching. that being said, i still wanted to wait to know that i had a job for next year because my blogging income isn't consistent. i wanted to be sure i'd have a consistent income on top of my blogging income before i made the plunge.
i looked at a bunch of different apartments online and read all of the reviews. after looking online, i narrowed it down to a few apartments that i actually wanted to go and tour. after touring the one that i ended up with, i fell in love with it!
i ended up signing a lease for a 1 bedroom apartment. i'm living ALONE and i'm so excited about it!
ok now i got a TON of questions about moving so i'll go ahead and answer them now!
q: are you taking your cat with you?
a: yes! some of you probably know this by now from my instagram stories! they are technically my cats and my mom didn't want the responsibility of cleaning the litter box (i don't blame her!! lol).
q: are you scared to live alone?
a: sort of!! i had nightmares on my first night alone! lol. it'll be an adjustment for sure but i'm ready for it!
q: are you renting or did you buy a place?!
a: i am renting! everything around here is SO expensive and i am not ready to buy yet! one day!
q: what were your top priorities when looking for a place?
a: i wanted to love the area that my apartment building was in. i also wanted to love the actual building, not just my apartment itself. i was deciding between a one bedroom and a studio. the studio was a tiny bit cheaper at a different apartment building. i toured the other apartment building and did not love the location or atmosphere of the place. the studio was also realistically not going to be enough space for me and my clothes LOL. after touring these places, i knew the place i chose was the right place for me because i loved the atmosphere and the vibe going on there. i also love that the apartment i ended up in has great natural light and a great view! another important factor about why i chose this apartment is that it has a concierge/doorman 24 hours a day.
q: what made you want to move out? and why stamford?
a: i'm 26 years old and i made the goal to move out of my house by the time i was 27. i sort of answered this above but i just felt the time was right and once i knew i had a job secured for next year, i thought it was a sign that it was time to move out. i went to school really close to home so i never truly experienced living alone or living away from my parents. before i get married and move in with my future husband, i wanted the opportunity to experience living on my own and to experience budgeting and saving money on my own.
i chose stamford because its a great location and i know a bunch of people who live there. there's tons of restaurants and places to go out in stamford and i'm still at that age where i'm into socializing and going out to new places! there is so much to do in stamford and i love that aspect of it! my mom's family also grew up in stamford so i'm very familiar with the area!
q: where are you buying furniture from?
a: i got my bed from wayfair! i also just bought my couch today from wayfair as well!! i got my table from ikea and also my counter stools from ikea!! i also got my floor length mirror from target (on sale today!) i got my rug from home goods but found the same one from target here!
q: did nick help you find your apartment?
a: i told nick a couple weeks ago that i was ready to start looking for apartments! he did a bunch of research for me so i was able to narrow it down to a few that i liked! he came with me on the tour of the apartment that i live in now!
q: any tips on saving money?
a: i talked about this a bit yesterday on my instagram stories. i actually have been using the app called digit to help save more money. i like this app because it automatically takes money out of your account or paycheck and you end up forgetting that you even have that money! you can set different goals in the app and you can let the app know how much you want to save. i have a goal for travel, rainy day, and now one for rent! i highly recommend looking into this app to help you save some money!
i knew that i wanted a certain amount of money saved up before moving out. my goal was $30,000 in my savings. i ALMOST made this goal before moving out, i was like $3,000 short. i was still confident in how much i had in my savings - i've been told that i need to have up to 6 months rent in my savings. i knew i had that so i'd be covered in case something went wrong.
i definitely think you should set a goal for yourself and if moving out is something that you're looking to do - make sure you put money in your savings every time you get paid. keep in mind - i am NO expert and i spend money like its my job. i am notttt a good budgeter, i'm just sharing what worked for me. i would have SO much more money saved up if i didn't spend the way i do. i will definitely have to cut back in my spending these next few months and that will be a challenge for me for sure.
q: did you move in with your boyfriend?
a: nope! i've touched on this subject before but my parents are very old school and don't believe in moving in together before marriage. i want to respect their wishes, and like i said above, i want to experience living by myself before taking the next step in my life. you can read more about this subject here!
q: how are you condensing your life from living in a house to an apartment?
a: oh gosh this is HARD for me! lol. i went through all of my clothes and separated them into categories. i have clothes that i give to my cousin that i think she might like. i have clothes that i sell on poshmark and i have clothes that i donate to goodwill! i have about 15 bags filled with clothes lol. i definitely could not bring all of my clothes with me.
i went through my clothes and decided what i'd bring with me to my apartment. anything i didn't think i'd want to bring with me, i would separate into the three categories. i definitely still have a ton of clothes that i'll be bringing with me lol. it was a wake up call and really opened my eyes to how many things i had that i didn't really need! do i really need 5 white tshirts? lol. but anyway, that's how i condensed all of my clothes!
q: what will you miss most about living at home?
a: seeing my parents everyday! it will definitely be weird not seeing them. but i do plan on coming home once a week for dinner with them and to see jack and kelly too. i will also miss the view from my bedroom window!
q: is this a forever home?
a: nope! just a period in my life where i want to live alone in a place i love!
q: did you use a moving company?
a: nope! i got my bed frame delivered right to my apartment. and my mattress came in a box which was super convenient. my dad is going to help me move my dresser and book shelf from my bedroom at home to my new apartment! i packed my clothes in suitcases or just carried them into my apartment from my car!
q: how can you afford on a CT salary to live without a roommate?
a: i have been living at home since i graduated college so i have been saving money since then! i have been working since i was 22 years old (i worked before and through college too!) so i was able to live at home rent free and save up!
i also make money from blogging and i'll be honest, there are weeks where my paychecks for blogging are way more than my paychecks from teaching. so i have my savings, and two incomes coming in each month. like i said above, i made sure i had at least 6 months of rent saved up in my savings account before moving out! i'll be able to continue to add money in my savings while living out as well.
alright! that was A LOT. i think i've covered everything but i'm sure there'll be some more questions, so feel free to ask me anything!
thanks so much for reading!
xo, lauren
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