Everyone lives on their own at some point and for most it's when you get to college. Living in an apartment especially showed me that this isn't my mom and dad's house anymore, and things are going to change really quickly. Here are nine signs you have reached the point that you really are on your own.
1. There isn't dinner waiting for you when you get home.
Every day I hoped I would come back to my apartment and hope that Mom would be there, waiting for me and a nice plate of lasagna would be sitting on the table, but nope, another night of frozen pizza for me.
2. Cleaning your own bathroom and buying toilet paper is a real thing.
Yeah, I had to clean my bathroom at home too, but in my apartment, I'm the ONLY one who does it. At home, there was always the option to throw the task to one of my brothers, but if I don't do it here, I'll be showering in my own filth soon enough or run out of toilet paper if I don't buy the 50 Super Pack because who thinks that one person can go through toilet paper that fast???
3. No one is here to tell you going out on a Monday night is a bad idea.
We all know that there are going to be college parties, but none of us realized they would happen every night of the week. But hey, drink some water, wake up a little earlier, and that 8 a.m. class the next day won't seem so bad...
4. Grocery shopping is a lot harder than Mom makes it look.
I know that I would go grocery shopping with my parents all the time and we'd be in and out in under an hour. My roommates and I are lucky if we actually get the things we had on our lists before we leave Walmart.
5. Binge-watching Netflix all night is okay.
Everyone needs a break from studying and Netflix is the best solution. Binge-watching "How I Met Your Mother" for the second time is sometimes a little more necessary to your well-being than that shower you needed.
6. Speed showers and complete darkness are a must when you pay the water and electric bill.
Taking less than ten minute showers have become habit ever since we all started paying for our own water. And that light you think you need to turn on to make coffee in the morning? Nope, don't need it when you can feel the counters to make your way to the coffee pot and save an extra $3 on an electric bill that month because your parents aren't covering that fee, either...
7. Your roommates become like a second family to you.
You may not live at home with your parents anymore, but your new roommates are always willing to watch a movie or eat spaghetti with you most nights.
8. Just because you have your own washer and dryer doesn't mean you're more inclined to do your laundry.
That T-shirt doesn't smell that bad to wear again this week, does it??? Might as well because no one is going to do my laundry for me!!!
9. You call home a lot more than you thought you would.
Living away from mom and dad makes a person realize that calling them every night isn't that out of the ordinary. And ending every phone call with their reassurance that living on your own is a good experience and "it's training you for the real world!"
