So, you’re finally moving out of your parents’ house! Packing your bags is a bittersweet experience, but it does makes you feel that you’ve finally reached the point where you can stand on your own and call yourself a legit adult.
However, getting a flat is only just the beginning. Living on your own is exciting, but it isn’t all peaches and cream as some deem it to be. If you want your living transition to be smooth, you have to be responsible, and you have to adjust to the realities we’ve listed below:
1. You have to pay your monthly dues.
Your rent, electricity, water, internet, and cable connection won’t pay for themselves. Unlike the time when your folks took care of these things for you, you now have to take note of billing due dates every month.
2. You need to stock up on food.
The refrigerator isn’t a magic box that will refill itself when it runs out of food. You’ll need to do your groceries regularly if you don’t want to go hungry.
3. The dishes won’t wash themselves.
Nope, the sink isn’t magical either. You’ll need to wash your dishes if you don’t want creepy cockroaches invading your new home. If you’re always too tired from work to deal with dirty kitchenware, disposable plates and utensils can suffice, but remember that it’s always cheaper and more environmenta-friendly to just make it a habit to keep things clean.
4. You’ll want to prepare home-cooked meals, but then you’ll end up being too lazy to go through with it.
Let’s admit it. There will always come a time when you’ll be too tired to cook, and since you’re living on your own, you won’t feel like it’s worth it. Here’s what we recommend: Do it once a week. It’ll make you feel better about yourself, whether or not the dish comes out great.
5. There will always be laundry to do.
Now that you’re on your own, you need to think of how to deal with the growing mound of dirty clothing in your hamper. You may opt to have a washing machine installed in your bathroom if your building manager allows it, go home every weekend to do them, or you can just drop them off at your nearest laundry cleaning station.
6. You’ll need to clean the bathroom regularly.
Your bathroom probably gets the least love from you. You may think that it’s probably clean since it regularly gets wet, but that’s far from the truth. Unless maintained, your tiles can grow molds and mildew which can be dangerously slippery, plus bacteria can easily breed in your toilet bowl. To avoid getting things icky, give your bathroom a scrub at least twice a month.
7. You’ll need to take care of yourself when you get sick.
Let reality sink in for a bit: Mommy won’t be there to make you chicken soup at the slightest sniffle. You’ll need to be responsible enough to do something about your physical situation. You’ll need to book your own doctor’s appointments and remind yourself how many times you need to take your prescribed meds in a day.
8. You’ll learn how to budget your money.
Since you’ll be paying for everything, you’ll learn how to properly manage your finances. If you want that new skirt you saw in your favorite boutique, you’ll need to wait for next payday since you still have other things to pay for. Delayed gratification is one of the greatest lessons that living alone can teach you.
We’re not trying to scare you with the things we’ve listed, but these are what you have to face once you make the decision to move out. In spite of all these, finding and maintaining your own place is a huge reward in itself; independence tempered with responsibility teaches you that with hard work and discipline, life can be pretty good. So don’t be afraid to grow up. Instead, take it as a challenge. You’ll learn more than you can imagine.
PHOTO: Pixabay
