I’ve been living away
from home for about 5 months now, and let me tell you; it’s been the most
stressful, liberating, apocalyptic, refreshing, scary, yet familiar thing in
the world. I’ve learnt so many things about coping in the scary student/adult
world, and also about myself. I thought I’d share these with you, just for a
bit of fun!
The value of money
The phrase: ‘money makes
the world go around’ has never ever been more true for me. Your whole life
literally depends on those pennies in your purse, which means laundry and
cleaning products usually take a back seat. I’ve been known to have to buy new
undies rather than wash mine, and I’ll even admit to handwashing my pants in
the sink *cringe*. Budgeting never has,
and never will be fun, but it’s a huge part of living alone. It’s something I’m
still getting used to (and I’m still terrible), but as the weeks go by, I am
finding myself less and less stressed and having a much better time, just by
having learned how to be more careful with my money!
Cooking is fun
I’ve always been a
foodie, but since moving out, I’ve become the foodiest foodie ever. The days of
trying to sneak food into my parent’s shopping trolleys are no more! I’m the
master of my basket! The captain of my fridge! I don’t have to beg for a can of
squirty cream! Since moving out, I’ve become so much more creative with my
cooking. I’ve had a few terrible cock-ups along the way, but I’ve even invented
a couple of recipes which help me use up all my old stuff in the fridge, and I’m
learning how to follow recipes from posh cook books too!
Sharing space with others
I share a flat with four
other girls, which was really scary when I first moved in. It was hellishly
awkward for the first few hours of moving day, but we all ended up in the
kitchen with a bottle of wine (or three) and by the end of the night we got on
quite well. Now we’ve settled in a bit more, I’m super close with my flatmate
Ellie (I don’t even know if I’d still be here without her), and I get on well
with the others, too. There have been challenges, though, with regards to messy
kitchens, loudness at silly o’clock, but we make an effort to stay in touch and
stay civil if there are any issues. Honesty and up-front-ness is the best way
to live with other people successfully and as stress-free as humanly possible.
Having your own space is the best thing ever
I say this without doubt
or hesitation. It’s been months since I’ve heard the words ‘clean your room’ or
‘you left the bathroom in a state’! I’m not really too much of a mucky pup, but
when I lived at home my stepmum and I clashed a little bit over tidiness. So
now, having my own bedroom and bathroom which I can use as I please and leave
as messy or as spotless as I want is amazing! Peeing with the door open is fab,
too, as is walking around in your underwear after a shower.
You find new things to love about yourself
When dad said he was
leaving after helping me move in, we both had a bit of a cry. As scary as
moving out was for me, it’s actually taught me so much about myself, and has
given me so much more confidence. I’ve discovered that I’m independent and resilient,
I’m training myself to be better with money, I’m also lazy as anything, and I
do find myself feeling really lonely sometimes. All this being said, I’m far
more in touch with myself today than I ever was before leaving home. It’s an
incredibly liberating thing to do, and it can push you in the right direction
to further yourself in whatever you might be doing; school, university, a new
job, a relationship. Scary as it seems, I’ve never been happier!
What are some things you’ve learned since leaving
home?
Let me know in the comments!
Lots of love,
Jasmine x
Ahhhh this reminds me how good moving out was! I lived with 5 girls and it was pretty drama free...for me anyway! But yes it was so satisfying to be in charge of your own space and fill up your time however you want, I got to really know myself a helluva lot better as well :) xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteJesska - Opal Soul
Loved this post! I'm saving up to try to move out and live with my boyfriend so reading this made me very excited to see what's to come.
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