What's Next For Us?

And no, I'm not talking about Drake's new song. I'm talking about our living situations!

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We all know how annoying it is when things pile up on top of each other during the school year, especially when it’s our last semester of school.

That bittersweet feeling of almost reaching the finish line, and you’re so close but also so far away. But our minds are so focused on what we’re doing at the moment, and trying to complete school, that we completely skip over what we're supposed to do after we leave! I know I have…

Not only do we have to polish our resumes and find jobs, but where the hell are we going to live?!?!

I know everyone’s circumstances are different, and you might be able to stay with your parents or family until you can get to a point where you can afford to live independently. And there is absolutely no shame in that! If you can stay with your parents or family, without ripping each other’s heads off, of course, please do so.

But if you are looking for a place after college or haven’t even thought about it yet, here are a few things to consider when shopping.

First things first! MONEY

Before looking into anything and having hundreds of people flooding your emails with their listings, make sure you have the funds to live on your own. If you’re planning on moving in with someone else, like a friend or S/O, set up a game plan of how much you are willing to spend monthly on rent. You need to have that in order, otherwise, sit your ass down on your parent’s sofa and start saving.

Check to see if Amenities are included in the rent

• Gym

• Parking

• Laundry room in the apartment, or at least In the building

And trust me, you’re going to want an in-house laundry… We all know the amount of laundry college students bring home to their parents. You’re going to have to learn to do it yourself from now on! And consistently.

These are the things we don’t really think about when deciding to live on our own. At least it wants an initial thought of mine when I began looking at apartments. I found out that some places charge extra for parking and other important things that we might not think about because we might have had them when living at home.

You're not just paying rent!

Something you might not realize is that it's not just rent you're paying. It's also a security deposit, rental insurance, utilities, additional pet fees, and/or parking fees.

Then you have to think about moving costs when you move in or move out.

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Yeah, it's a lot and definitely adds up!

Make sure you plan to see the place in person before committing to anything

This might be self-explanatory, but I feel like I need to include it. Saying it plain and simple, I feel like 9/10 times the photos of the listings are not what you expect to see in real life.

Think about the Wish.com expectation versus reality memes. Sometimes that’s what listings do to renters. What you see isn’t always what you get, so keep that in mind when shopping.

Once you see the listing in person, you might not like the area or how far away it might be to work/school.

And photos don't account for noise... or annoying neighbors.

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If you’re moving in with a S/O or friend, keep in mind it's not just you anymore

This one I think is very important. It’s always one thing to talk about moving in together, but it’s another thing actually doing it. Especially if you’re planning on moving in with a partner, it’s all fun and games playing house until you're both faced with a problem.

But once you’re out of your parents’ house—real life hits different!

Now you have to consider budgets, grocery shopping, cooking for you and whoever you’re living with, and so much more. Regardless of who you’re moving in with, you’re no longer going to be dependent on your parents or family to do the things you didn’t think of doing before.

And throwing someone else in the mix… forget it. This could be a good trial run for you and Boo to see if things can work out long-term.

As a senior, I, too, am preparing to leave the nest. Of course, we all have different circumstances, but these are just the things that I’m thinking about and considering when apartment hunting, and I thought: *Maybe this could be helping someone in the same boat as me*

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Or maybe not...

Well, whatever floats your boat, happy hunting!