We all come to the moment when, as they popularly say, we must “leave the nest.” This is where the decision is made to venture out and start living alone! The age or stage in which we do it is highly personal, and it goes according to the life of each person. But something that we can all use – no matter the time of our life – are some advice from people who have already gone through where we are going to start: live alone!
We set out to do some hard research so we can bring you the best advice there can be. And we also not only looked for information but also conducted surveys on networks. So that these tips are genuine and can truly help as they come from experience.
Tips for Living Alone for the First Time:
Economical
Home
Mental Health
Economical Advice
(1) You can’t buy everything from the beginning, it will all come together with time…
Initially the apartment or house will look empty. It is even when you go to live you only realize how many things a house needs. Apart from the basics like appliances -which is the most expensive. One also gets to notice the little things like different types of glasses: glasses, beer glasses, mugs, mugs, etc.
This is why the first advice for living alone is not to go into debt, worry or feel empty about how the house looks for the first time. They all start like this, and I assure you that in time you will have all the things you will need.
(2) Plan a Kitchen-Shower!
Family and friends often offer help, but you don’t know how to ask. One way to help yourself is to make a kitchen or home tea, in which you make a list of basic things you need. Your family and friends will be able to come and see your new home and celebrate with you while helping you!
Remember that there is no shame in asking for help, in this new adventure of living alone you will have to learn to become independent. But also know when it is good to ask for help.
(3) ORGANIZATION!
For this advice we must take a page from the book of highly organized people and learn to be orderly with money. This is not just to tell you that now you will have to invest more in your home and less in “luxuries.” But we also want to advise you to keep a record of what you earn and what you spend.
This is so that you can analyze where you are spending more than you owe and how you can reduce this expense, so that you can save and buy things that are missing from the house among other priorities of living alone.
You will also need to organize with everything that is house payments. We recommend you make a calendar where you put the dates in which you pay for electricity, water, internet / cable, and rent.
(4) Save Money
Reasons why it is very important to save when you are going to live alone are: purchases of missing furniture and appliances, a new deposit if you want to go at some point, emergencies, walks, etc. It is a very good habit to always save, not just when you are going to live alone. But also now that you are independent you must know the value of having your own money saved in case of emergencies or some need.
Home Advice
(a) ALWAYS check the door lock
While this may sound like a no-brainer, many of the people we asked for advice said this. Therefore we can understand that it is quite common to leave the door of the house open, or without lock. So before going to sleep, or leaving your new home, always check that it has closed properly.
(b) Don’t leave aside cleaning, it’s easier to let yourself be messy when alone…
Without having a person to remind you to clean up your room, or wash the dish you used: we can start to be more “left” with cleaning. That is why as advice to live we only want to tell you not to let it accumulate because otherwise you will probably be lazy. If you can hire someone to help you clean that is a very good idea. But if you are going to be in charge of your home, we recommend that you wash the garbage you used just when you finished, that you do not let a lot of dirty clothes accumulate, and that you keep the order of things.
This is not only because we say that you have to live in order, because it is a reality that a house is not always in perfect order! But if this is going to bring you a lot of peace, and more so now that you live alone or alone, you will be able to bring more people to your home. And if you always keep it tidy, you won’t have to clean up accumulated dirt at the last minute.
(c) Build Positive & Productive Habits
In psychology books like The Happiness Project they talk about “crucial habits” or “keystone habits”. These are actions that can change your mood, attitude, and decisions in a whole day – or more. Among them are habits like making the bed every morning, or washing dishes before bed.
These have an effect because when you make your bed before starting the morning, you can already count that you did a productive thing in the first moments of the day, which can lead you to later decide to sweep the house, tidy or go for a run, etc.
Washing dishes before bed can be somewhat tedious, but when you have woken up – and made your bed – and go out to make your morning coffee: you will see that the sink is empty and you will not start the day with responsibilities for the day previous.
(d) Two words: meal prep.
In order not to fall into the stereotype of eating only instant soups and Mac’N’Cheese, it is important that the organization is not only economic but also household. Apart from the cleaning that we already mentioned, you will have to watch over your own diet. And the best way to do it is: ahead of time. If you want to know food preparation ideas and recipes, I recommend searching as there are tutorials and many pages that can help you find what to cook depending on what you like. Also if you are on a diet or have a restrictive diet, it is better to do this so as not to fall into eating anything out of hunger.
(e) The Microwave & The Airfryer: your new best friends
If you do not consider yourself a very skilled person in the kitchen yet, we want to give you two tips: (1) look for tutorials or cooking classes where you can expand your culinary knowledge, because now your food depends on you and it is nice to be able to cook rich. (2) don’t be afraid to cook in the air fryer or microwave. There are many very tasty recipes that you can make and do not require a five-star chef!
Now that you are going to live alone or alone you will see that a lot of this new process is figuring out your own way of doing things and learning, so the internet is going to be your best friend. Don’t be afraid to try recipes, do new things. In itself this whole new experience of living is just that: something new!
Mental Health Advice
(i) Don’t be afraid but don’t overthink it!
In life you have to learn the balance between not thinking – thinking things through – and overthinking about them. The fact that you are afraid of living alone does not mean that it is bad, it is normal to be afraid, the important thing is not to let your decision be made based on this. First you must think about many economic, personal, social factors, etc., before making this decision. As a tip you can make a pros and cons list and think about it for several days. Sometimes seeing things visually and seeing that it has more benefits than cons can help clear the way.
(ii) Choose a place that makes you happy
Ultimately, you will be the one who is going to live there, and living alone can bring many new emotions that you are going to have to face. So we recommend that you choose a house where you see yourself living happily. Whether you have a fireplace and it reminds you of your parents’ house, or you have a garden for a vegetable garden … Look for what will bring you happiness in this new stage!
(iii) Living alone doesn’t mean being alone, don’t isolate
Whether you have a roommate, or live completely alone, you cannot get carried away by loneliness. It is good that you build routines where you socialize like going to the gym, going out to eat with friends, having coffee with your parents, and others. But also sometimes loneliness cannot be cured by going out, so by now we want you to know that your entire family is just a phone call away. If you can’t go out and see them, you can video call your mom and see how her day has been. Do not leave your family or your close friends, they are part of the pillars of strength that you need for this adventure, and life too.
(iv) You are your own priority
In this new adventure and with these new responsibilities it is possible that you get consumed by so much what to think about. But remember that this is only a stage, and that you are your priority. So if at any point you feel like it’s too much: stop, breathe, get help, and move on. It is not a race.
(v) Breathe and go one day at a time
Finally, we want to advise you not to forget to enjoy the process! We know that at all times it will not be easy, and that this will bring moments of less happiness. But if you breathe and remember why you started this adventure in the first place: I assure you, you can get on with anything.
