by Tina Pollard

Created on: January 20, 2008

Points to Ponder When You've Decided to Move out of your Parent's House:

You've decided to move out of your parent's house. Are you ready?

Unless there are tragic or unavoidable circumstances that have forced you to move, this should be one of the most exciting times of your life. This is the beginning of your independence. This is where life as you will make it, begins.

#1. Will you live alone or have a roommate?

Living alone will mean that you have to absorb the entire financial burden of running a household. In return for this extra expense, the place you live is yours to do with as you please. Whether you stay up late or go to bed early no one is affected but you. The food in the refrigerator is yours and it's unlikely anyone will eat the leftovers you'd planned to have for dinner. If the bathroom needs cleaning, it's always your turn.

Having a roommate, even someone you've known for years and with whom you share most of your social life, is a different story. Yes, they will share the financial burden, but can you really live with them? There's an old saying, "You never really know someone until you've lived with them." Nothing could be more accurate.

Chris and Jake had been friends since they started elementary school. After high school they became roommates. "When we talked about moving in together it was all about the parties we would have and how cool it would be to bring girls back to our own apartment," Chris shared as he loaded the last of his boxes into a U-Haul. "Everything started out great, but I don't know, I guess I got tired of constantly having people in my house. They were eating all my food, sleeping on the sofa every night. Would you believe someone actually used my toothbrush? I've had enough. I'd rather live alone."

This scenario is all too common. The problem is that for the term of your lease, you're stuck with that person. Try to think beyond the good-times. Can you live with the person you're thinking of making your roommate? Are they a slob while you're a neat-freak? This isn't going to change once you live together. Are they dependable? Can you count on them to stay for the duration of the lease or will you be looking for a new roommate half-way through the lease?

#2. Expenses

Kari could not believe it when she found out how much her new car insurance premium would be. "I don't know if I can afford to live on my own now," she said after getting off the phone with her insurance agent.

So many times young people moving out on their own have

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