After your freshman year draws to an end, you get to enjoy your first blissful "college summer." In other words, you get to enjoy four months of doing pretty much whatever you want, unless you take an online class (if you do... take an easy one). The best part is you don't have to dread going back to high school because in reality you will be returning to one of your favorite places on Earth.
So, the summer is going great and all of a sudden it's time for you to move back to school. But this year you are moving into an apartment instead of a dorm, which in theory sounds amazing. But here are the nine things you don't understand until after your parents leave you and you are actually supposed to sustain yourself.
1. You need to cook for yourself. Regardless of how tired or hungover or busy you are you do need to feed yourself eventually. Eating out is great in theory, but then out of nowhere your bank account is practically nonexistent. So yes, even though you swore to yourself you would not be the kind of person who eats Lucky Charms three nights in a row, you probably will be. If possible, invest in a commuter meal plan for those extra busy nights when eating is the last thing on your mind.
2. You need to clean your room. Now that you live in an apartment, most likely with some of your friends, it is important to realize that your mom won't be tidying up your room while you are at school. So if you leave your bed unmade, dirty clothes on the floor, cups of water next to your bed and a bag of Goldfish spilled across your desk... it will all still be there when you get home.
3. Yes, you may get clean in your shower, but your shower is not always clean. Make time to clean your bathroom and more importantly your shower. You don't realize how disgusting showers can get, so take the extra 5 minutes. You'll be glad you did.
4. It's okay to tell your roommates it is their turn to vacuum. Living with other people can get complicated very quickly if you are not honest with them. If you are always the one cleaning your kitchen and unloading the dishwasher... SAY SOMETHING. Being passive aggressive is awkward and ineffective. If you aren't getting paid, you aren't the maid.
5. You can say no. If your roommate asks to have a pregame on a Thursday night, but you really need to stay home and study say no. You aren't going to please everyone in life, so don't always try to be the cool, down with everything roommate. Eventually, you will regret it when your apartment becomes the non-stop party.
6. No one is there to take care of you when you're sick. Unless you want to be sick in bed crying into the phone to your mom who is multiple states away, you should take care of yourself. Be proactive. Take vitamins and if you think you're coming down with something... Go to the doctor. (Yes, contrary to popular belief, you can go to a doctor appointment on your own.)
7. You're fridge isn't going to fill itself. Living on your own means that your fridge will not be stocked to perfection every day by your mom. Instead, the grocery shopping has now fallen to you. If you don't make time to go grocery shopping, your life will consist of eating EasyMac for dinner and then eating another bowl of it when you stumble in drunk a few hours later. To avoid this carb catastrophe, try to make weekly trips to Kroger and stock up on some meals that can't be microwaved. And try to make an effort to get a ride to the grocery store because the bus is not always an ideal situation. Avoiding the token bus creeper tends to be a little more difficult with bags of groceries hanging from your arms.
8. Thrift shopping is okay. As college students, no one is expecting you to have an apartment fully furnished by Potter Barn or West Elm. And as much as you may want that adorable Anthroplogie throw blanket, it costs as much as a month worth of groceries, so please splurge on smarter things. That being said, it is totally fine to pick up your dresser off the side of the road and your chairs from a local thrift store.
So enjoy that college meal plan while you can and never take your time at home with your mom for granted because although living on your own is great, it is hard.
