Adulthood is unavoidable. Renting out an apartment is just one way someone initially transitions into this oh so important stage of his or her life. Here are some "life lessons" I've learned from renting for the first time so you can avoid making the same mistakes that I made.
1) Never under any circumstances of EVER wash your sheets at midnight.
I guarantee you will be too lazy to make your bed at 2 a.m. when they are finally dry and will just end up sleeping on your lumpy old couch.
2) Accept the fact that your washer/dryer/dishwasher/mind will break at some point.
The sad news is that it will always be around the time when you've allowed the dishes to pile up or haven't done laundry in weeks. It knows when you need it most and then, like a bad boyfriend, it will fail to be there for you.
3) You will never be able to perfect that Pinterest dish so don't even try.
Just do yourself a favor and set your expectations as low as possible.
4) You have too many ____ and not enough ______.
You can fill the prospective blanks with almost anything. Too many nails and no hammer or too many pillows for one couch. We are all hoarders and it doesn't get any better when we move in on our own.
5) Your Wifi will be shady... always.
Getting good Wifi is like a unicorn when you're living in the apartment. No one's ever seen it happen.
6) Cooking for one person is way harder than it sounds.
Huge emphasis on the way. If you make a lasagna for example, you will have that lasagna for weeks so you better love that lasagna.
7) Skipping class is almost inevitable when you live in an apartment.
If it's raining, or cloudy, or shows any other type of weather forecast except clear and sunny, you will want to stay home. You will definitely miss the days when you used to be able to just stumble across campus and in two minutes get to class in your sweatpants.
8) Bathrooms don't clean themselves.
I know, such a surprise that there is no magical bathroom fairy that will clean the bathroom while you're at class. What a shame.
9) Security guards are completely different than Residential Advisors.
If you get in a fight with your roommates or neighbors over a petty issue you can't just go down to the security guard and complain. I guarantee they won't hand you a lollipop at the end of your twenty minute crying fest and go deal with the issue. They aren't paid to be your personal therapist like most RAs are.
10) No meal plan = grocery shopping.
Not like I was surprised by this fact but I was surprised by how much I would NOT want to get up and go to the grocery store. Not only do you probably have to walk a mile or so just to get there, but then you have to actually spend more than $5 on food.
11) The microwave is and will continue to be the most important appliance in your household, treat it lovingly.
If your microwave ever breaks just expect to starve because there's no way you are going to be able to eat for the next week unless you fix it.
12) The bigger backpack you have, the better off you'll be.
When you have class, you can't just pop over to your dorm and pick up something you forget. Odds are that you'll have to trek across campus so I recommend you either learn to pack lightly or plan accordingly.
13) Never drop your mail key.
Odds are you only have one and if you drop it down an elevator shaft you will have to sell your kidney in order to afford a new one.
14) Screwdrivers and duct tape are necessary supplies.
The only thing that is more important than these items is that beloved microwave.
15) Even if your apartment is "furnished" you will still have to somewhat furnish it yourself.
Lamps, carpets, and trash cans do not come included. So unless you want to be tripping on your pile of trash in the dark, I recommend going out and buying all of the essentials.
16) Toilet paper is and will always hold the title of being your least favorite thing to buy.
Not only is it slightly awkward purchasing it at the store but it's even worse to have to carry it back to your apartment. If you don't make a separate trip to the store just for toilet paper, you will drop the bulky item at least five times trying to make it home.
