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.
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.
Originally Posted by Loona
This thread came at the perfect time for me ;) gonna start living by myself for college
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
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!
I WANT 8 GRAND