Living on your own has its everyday set of trials and triumphs, and if you are anything like me sometimes you take more losses than wins...But fear not you are not alone. We are all just trying to find our way through adulthood, not to mention stay alive, stay healthy, get through school, work and still find time to smile. These are the realities that we have all faced when learning to live on our own for the first time. And if you are soon to be living on your own, here are some things you should prepare yourself for.
1) Food Costs Major Money and Does Not Buy Itself
When you start to buy your own groceries, the price on every avocado or bag of salad is very important. Being healthy on a budget is hard, and having enough food to feed yourself all week is even harder. Gone are the days where when you finished that box of cereal, or the milk the next day there would magically be more! Nope! You slowly realize there are not food fairies restalking your food or kitchen for you, when you run out of food, you actually are out of that until you find time to make it to the grocery store to buy more! Gasp
2) Snacks Are Just Added Expenses
You learn that just having the bare minimum, and basics to cook cost major money, so of course the first thing to go are the stockpile of snacks in your cabinets. Surprisingly snacks cost more money than the basics. We no longer, have mom's pantry full of snacks, and endless garbage to binge on when we are tired. No longer do we have snacks to satisfy our late night chocolate or sugar cravings. If you get lucky, some weeks you find the money and space to buy one thing. On the brightside, reducing snacking can make you healthier, and open up space in your cabinets!
3) Every Nook, Corner, and Cranny Has a Purpose
Space is at a premium when you live on your own. Whether you share with a roommate, or can only afford a small studio, every little space must have a purpose and be utilized to the fullest of its ability. Under the bed is full of stuff you don't know where else to put. That weird shelf in the kitchen becomes a spot for your utensils. The awkward space you have between the couch and your wall doubles as a spot for the floor lamp, as well as for all the extra blankets to be put. Whatever strange gaps there are, they no longer have no purpose.
4) Decorating/Furnishing a Home is Expensive
Furnishing and decorating your first place costs money. You won't believe how much a poster for your wall, or just a picture frame is! And if your money is to be allocated correctly, its probably going to go towards food. However, you do need somewhere to sleep, sit, or have guests sit...So stores like Ross, T.J. Maxx, Goodwill, Salvation Army, are your best friend. And if you are willing to craft, and do some fixing up garage sales, estate sales or Craigslist are perfect. If you live in a city street corners always have stuff, and sometimes some awesome stuff for free!
5) No One Cooks Like Mom
One of the hardest lessons is that cooking food is hard. Unless you have a God given natural ability, or lots of money to order out every night invest in a cookbook. Not only do you need to learn how to utilize ingredients properly, but you need to know how to combine them in a way that doesn't force you to throw it away and waste your money. If I have learned anything, its that spices are your best friends and your worst enemies. Too much you will have to throw it away, but the right amount can make anything good. And when in doubt, for the love of all things good in this world, just use a recipe or cookbook if you don't know what you are doing! Save yourself some time and money.
6) Getting Sick Sucks
Not only is there no one there to take care of you, take you to the doctor, or make you food when you are too tired/weak to get up. You also need to go out and buy yourself medicine, tissues and groceries to make it through this sickness. For some reason when you move into your first place, you don't think to buy or stockpile all the medicines you could possibly need for when you have indigestion, a cough, congestion, allergies, headache, cold, cramps or a sore throat.
7) Cleaning Up After Yourself Matters
Keeping your place clean, dust free, smelling nice, and that way for more than a day requires you to clean up after yourself. All those surfaces collect dust, and must be cleaned as well as your rugs and carpet. Every time you cook, drink water, or do dishes. Someone has to do those dishes and then put them away. You need to remember to clean your sheets and pillow cases. You need to remember to pick up your dirty clothes from the ground, and put them where they belong. You need to not just leave your shoes, socks and coats everywhere or else they will get lost. If you try on a million different outfit options in the morning, clean it up right away. All these things you never thought about before, but matter so much.
8) Utilities Cost Money
You always knew that turning off your lights when not in a room was good for the planet, or using little amounts of water was. But did you know the amount of water you used, leaving the lights on, how many channels you have, wifi, and all that stuff costs money? Yah...those long showers cost someone money, and so does the five loads of laundry you do. Oh and having your trash, recycling and composting bins taken every week costs you money too. So maybe be mindful when those first bills come, because making a household run and keep running costs your money now (not just rent).
9) Unexpected Events and Expenses Happen
And then there are the things that happen that you can never see coming that just plain cost time and money. The first time a guest overflows the toilet, and you need to clean the carpets, and buy a plunger for every bathroom for future reference. Or when your fire alarm is malfunctioning and you have to have someone come out and look at it. Or when no matter how much drano you put in your drain, it just won't unclog, so you need to call a plumber. All these unexpected house emergencies, cost time and money.
10) Google and YouTube Are Your Best Friends
One of the most important things you learn, is that knowing how to shut off the water, reset the breaker, use a drill, spackle a wall, or fix any number of things in your house or life can be found on the internet. YouTube how to videos, google tutorials, will always be your best resource and friend when navigating the obstacles of living on your own.
Fear not my friends, we are all going through these. We got to stick together because learning to live on our own takes time.
