For the past two weeks, I have been housesitting. This includes staying in the house while the family is on vacation and checking their mail, feeding their pets and watering plants. It’s basically a way for criminals to know that someone is home and it won’t make their home a target. It’s really a smart idea. Of course, I am biased because I get paid to stay somewhere other than my home for the time being.

I currently still live at home with my parents because even after graduating college... I cannot afford to move out. In my house, there are five other people. This means that there is hardly a quiet/dull moment unless no one is home. So, when I am housesitting, I am able to go to a quiet house. One where I can do whatever I want: watch TV loudly, jam music, eat whatever, and lay around. I am not the type to throw a party in a house that’s not mine (I’m not the type to throw a party in my own home, either). Plus, a party would be loud. My happiness is in the solitude of not having a lot of people in the house with me.

But, now after housesitting for not one but two houses in two weeks, I am realizing how much I am missing out on not being on my own yet. Since I am the oldest, I am called on to get my brother from football or my sister from softball. My other brother drives but he works when it’s time to pick them up. But, when I was housesitting, I didn’t have any of those responsibilities. I wasn’t called on to pick my brother up. Actually, I was barely talked to. I had to call them to find out what was going on. I wasn’t needed — It was nice and freeing. But also, it felt weird. It kind of felt lonely to be honest but I had my Xbox, my HBO Now, my iPad, Netflix and my iPhone.

So, now when I get paid, I am trying to focus on what I am using my money towards. So, instead of buying Taco Casa everyday, I can save that money I would have used and put it towards moving out.