Whether you are moving back home just for the summer, or moving back home after graduation, it can be a bit of an adjustment. When you’re living at school, or in an apartment, you pretty much have all the freedom to do what you please… well, to a certain extent. Things change pretty quickly when you go from living on your own, to back under your parents roof. And, not only that, but it can be a little stressful to pack up everything you’ve accumulated, and move it back to your childhood bedroom. But, there are ways to make moving back home a little bit easier.
Making the move back home really isn’t the worst thing. You may lose a little freedom, and the feeling that you don’t have to answer to anyone, but you can save money, you don’t have to deal with roommates, you get home cooked meals, and just the comfort and love of being home.
You may or may not have a job, but regardless make sure you set goals and a time frame for yourself. Is this move back home just a temporary one until you get a job? Is it for a year or two? Writing down your goals within a given time frame will help you work towards what you ultimately want.
If you haven’t gotten a job yet, spend a good amount of all your new free time beefing up your resume and applying for jobs. Once you get a job with stable pay, it will be much easier to get a grip on your budget, and set a plan to move out.
It is a good idea to make sure your parents know what your plans are. Don’t keep them in the dark about what you are up to. Let them know what your plans and time frame are for living at home. If you are paying rent, discuss maturely what will work best for you.
You may not be in high school anymore, but your parents are still going to want to know where you’re going, who you’re with, what time you’re leaving, and what time you’ll be home. This is especially true now that they see you in-person more often, and know more about your daily routine when living at home.
Throughout your 4 years in college, you may have obtained a rather extravagant social life. Parties upon parties, campus events, organization meetings, and more parties were always part of your schedule. But, now you have a lot more free time, and your college friends aren’t as accessible. And this is OK. It’s just a part of growing up. Don’t try to force your social life you had at school into the social life you have at home, because they are so different.
After living on your own at school, whether it’s been for just a year, or three, you may have forgotten what it is like to live with your parent’s rules. Realize that things will be a little different, and you may not have all the freedom that you were used to when you lived on your own. You may not be able to stumble in at 4 a.m. with no recollection of how you got there in the first place. It may be frustrating to go from no curfew to having to be home at a certain time, but remember you are back at your parent’s house and there are different standards there.
Understand what they expect of you, and in general just be courteous in following those rules. Compromise with them. If they are being a little to uptight, explain to them that you’ve grown up a lot in the past couple years. You’re not the same stupid teenager you were in high school. Check in with them. They may be a little bit more lenient with your “curfew” if they know what you are up to throughout your nights out. Keep them informed, and don’t go AWOL. They will blow up your phone, and possibly send out a search party for you.
When the spring semester ends, and everyone parts ways, it can be easy to forget to check up on your college friends. Be sure to send a text, or even call your friends from school to see how they are doing over their summer break. You’ll miss them, but you’ll see them soon enough.
Summer jobs are probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Whether you’re scooping ice cream or working at a restaurant, there is nothing like having extra cash in your pocket to actually do fun stuff over the summer. It’s never a good time sitting on the couch wishing you could join your friends for a weekend away, or even go to the mall and buy that cute dress you saw. If it’s not the perfect or most enjoyable job, remember it’s just temporary, and you’d be really bored without it.
You haven’t been in your hometown in several months, and now you have a lot of free time. Enjoy your surroundings, and do things that you miss when you are at school. Do you have a favorite bike trail you enjoy? Is there a volunteer position you’ve been really wanting to get involved with? Or are there new things to do and see in your hometown that you haven’t been able to check out? Don’t let this time home go to waste.
You’ve probably grown a lot since the time you moved away to school. You may have totally changed your career path, or didn’t have as much fun as you thought you were going to. Take the time you have during the summer to really think about what you want for the rest of your college career. Do you need to step up it up in your studying? Do you even want to go back to the same school? Are there things you wish you did, or got involved with? Think about what you really want, and make it a point to accomplish those things in the upcoming months.
Packing is very rarely a fun process. It feels like yesterday you were up and down the elevator with carts full of bins and bags of all your belongings, and now it’s time to do it all over again.
You’re probably going to end up with more clothes than you came to school with, more dorm decor, and a bunch of random things you don’t even remember how you got. Toss it. Your bedroom at home does not need to be as cluttered as your dorm room, and you probably don’t want it that way either.
If you go to school far away from home, you’re going to need a place to store all your dorm room items. You’re most likely not going to want to ship them home, only to lug them right back. Contact storage facilities local to your college campus, such as PODS, Manhattan Mini and Compass Self Storage. If you’re moving home post-grad, you might need to lug your stuff back. There are rental trucks available for you to transport all your belongings safely back home.
There’s no doubt that when you move all your accumulated stuff home, it’ll take a couple weeks to get everything organized and in shape. But, this is also a good time to completely organize your home bedroom, and throw away or donate the things you no longer need. That way, when it comes time to pack everything back up to move back to school, you won’t have to rummage through a mess.
Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll have a smooth move home, and an enjoyable time being back. Happy moving!
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