This thread came at the perfect time for me ;) gonna start living by myself for college

yay im so happy loona, its my second year but im only now moving out. i know it sounds lame but i really want this thread to be helpful to anyone currently facing the issue, or perhaps will do it in the near future and will remember that this thread exists < 3

also sirkill1 its all about finding the golden middle, and youre completely right to say so yourself. i think im ready to live alone, but my nature is along the lines of "meh ill do it tomorrow", so thats something i want to work on in the near future.


I JUST GOT INFO AND 99.99% I FOUND AN APARTMENT, THE ONE I SPOKE OF, AND ITS A COMPLETE BEAUTY... HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING GREAT TOO

some of these tips might depend on budget and access but i'd suggest the following get consideration on where they fit in your priorities.

1) before you buy a thing, make sure you know the safety measures and cleaning requirements, things like heaters are great at first, but if you live alone it's just you and a fire hazard. So fire alarm maintenance, proximity to plastic and electronics, and knowing what you can't put on top of it are all things you have to consider and actively think about, even when your toes are super cold.

2) semi connected to number 1 because the heater example works, long term fixes are sometimes the cheaper option too, you can add a layer if you're cold and take one off (normally, what you do in your apartment is your business) and solve most of your issues that are just down to comfort with a pair of socks or opening a window, rather than spending money on heaters or high power fans.

3) buy what fits the apartment already, if you have a microwave, but no oven, don't buy a massive amount of perspex glass, and don't touch metal trays, seems obvious but browsing while shopping can make you do weird things.

4) your water and electricity are finite. Don't fall into the trap of just assuming it's fine if you leave your PC or your lights on while you're out It directly damages the budget you have in the short term and if you're foolish it'll damage the long term too. They're both the kind of bills you'll never hit a net-zero on, so don't play that game with either.

5) buying cheap and breakable is just actually less of an issue compared to buying expensive and complex. Especially early on, you're going to be exhilarated and full of energy when you get to making it your home, but if you won't actually use it on a day where you've had 4 hours sleep and are suffering from a headache then don't put it in the home.

6) buy sets, Ezeth mentioned that cutlery and plates etc aren't expensive if you do your due diligence, would suggest that you go for a standard cutlery 'set' that you can find in general stores and save the flair stuff for maybe a once every two or three week purchase once you're settled. No one goes and buys all their funny or cringe coffee mugs all in one day.

7) don't sleep and work in the same room, you'll stop sleeping because you'll never be out of 'work' mode. This also happens if you get into a game long term, since routine builds habits. So I'd say keep anything like a desktop or a work laptop in a different room.

build your skills and confidence as slow as you need too. If you're not confident at cooking, just make sauces or spice mixes that you're confident you like and can add to anything that you eat.

9) vegetables get the biggest shelf, shit food gets the smallest.

10) don't treat your bed like a couch. You spend several unconscious hours on that thing, if you store stuff on it all the time you'll wear it out and in 6 months time your crooked body won't thank you for it.

11) if your rent makes you skip meals, check your budgeting and expenses. You're alone, so you don't have flatmates that you can payback next month. If you're choosing between food and housing, there's something you need to fix asap.

yeah this is a useful thread for me too

good tips guys

I really appreciate all the tips, and I'm very pleased to see others lending a helping hand with their tips, and others finding them useful <3

Icky made a lot of valid points. I talked to the landlord, our contract will actually take in all of the electrical and water bills, so I have a fixed price (can take hour long showers where I contemplate on life)! that's a good tip for anyone, to read into their contract because there could be a lot of hidden fees (like even community service fee, where you pay because you have a common patio or even that your trash is utilised or recycled). Better make sure than then find out you have to pay 15% extra because of the fees :P

Also what Akina said may be simple, but it really all comes down to whether you stress about things. As Icky mentioned, don't overdo things!!! I'm planning to take things slow, and even though I want to buy myself a few things to make it feel more homely, I definitely want to spend the first 2 months-ish on seeing whether my budget keeps up, and I will manage with everything for the long term.

A lot has been covered already but I would also like to say that stressing out is a big problem living out of home because youre never going to be able to make the right decision with a heated head just as it was mentioned above, it's always good to make sure that you keep about $50 a week or so into your savings for anything that may come up in the near future, including any bills, medicals and stuff like that,


Also prepare your meals for the week at the start of the week so you make sure that you're eating or have a meal there for when you are hungry, I'd also suggest to keep everything locked at night because no matter who you know or how well you know them you never know what theyre going to do behind your back or what they're not telling you already, just be vigilant in all cases, spend your money as wisely as possible and maybe even come up with a shopping list to go and get each week, don't change it up too much as it might affect your budget on a massive scale, when you start to work or if you're already working you always have to make sure that you are doing okay mentally and not putting yourself under the hammer too often,


Living out of home is a chapter in life that I cant explain to anybody that hasnt done it before except buckle up, think smart and hold on, you got this

OKAY BIG UPDATE TIME

foremost I wanted to thank everyone who gave their tips so far, shared their knowledge and made this thread a nice place for people who actually had, or will have, the same issue as I did before.

I've been living alone for a few months already, and I can say that the most important thing I noticed was that you really can do whatever when you're alone, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. So my first tip, from my experience, is to set some boundaries for yourself.

I've counted how much I spent the first two months, and just categorised my spendings, ranging from the "real needs" to "wants". It was great, I actually saved a lot of money. I'm still frugal, but it's easy to lose count of your spendings if you don't calculate how much you can spend weekly/daily.

Habits are pretty important too. I already started living alone with a habit to do my bed, brush my teeth and set the kettle for some tea/coffee as soon as I wake up, so it came easy to get used to doing more things as a habit. You know, sorting your trash, washing your dishes as soon as you eat, the basics. They are basic as hell but I did have a few times (especially during finals) when I left the dishes for 2-3 days, and even if I soaked them and all, it was just stockpiling trash. So as long as you get the habit to do things when needed, and not leave things for later, then you're good.

One awesome tip my friend gave me, is to give yourself 15 minutes to take care of your flat every day, and focus on the less obvious things. For example wiping down the dust from shelves, sorting your wardrobe etc.

It may seem irrelevant, because you can dedicate 2h every week to clean the whole house, but it's way easier if you're consistent.

Another thing I've been very passionate about is saving money, just taking out x% out of my budget, because I always end up with at least 10% of my budget left, but putting more boundaries can sometimes feel a bit more rewarding, especially if you feel really lazy and decide to spend money and eat out (I spent way too much during finals because I was way too lazy to cook).


BIG OP TIP


Not sure if it's available in all countries, but there are more and more services similar to this... so here is my biggest tip.
TooGoodToGo (imma sound like im sponsored), is an amazing app, where restaurants and grocery stores put up mystery boxes with food and groceries. You can buy products up to -80% off, and they're all mostly fresh, or the date is a week or two away from expiry. Best deals come from cafe's like Costa or Nero, which post these mystery boxes for pick up late in the afternoon, and you can get various items. From cookies, bread to even full on meals. I've been using the app for a while now and I can say that it really saved me some money, the prices are so cheap it's cheaper than making food on your own.



I'll be posting more tips when I get more ideas, but I still think this thread is relevant and actually a great example of how helpful this community can be.

Much love,
Melrose < 3

Congrats on being out on your own. I got my first apartment when I was 18 and it was a lot to handle at first, but once you get into the rhythm of everything it’s pretty swell. When I was in my apartment I would have a note pad on my fridge with the dates that all my utilities were due. Also managing extra expenses was something I had to get use to, before being on my own I was subscribed to just about any service you could think of. Living in an apartment is pretty easy compared to living in your first house. I bought a house last December and it is a pain in the ass with all the extra expenses you have, you have to learn how to fix the odd things that could go out around the house. But it’s all part of the journey. You seem to have it figured out pretty well. Best of luck to you and especially with your schooling!