Lessons from living alone
By: Sarah Rowan, Editor-in-Chief
For me, junior year has brought with it a lot of changes already.
I have a new job, I’m taking some harder classes, I bought a car…but most importantly, I moved into my own apartment.
In the ~two whole weeks (!!!)~ that my roommate and I have been there, I’ve definitely gained some #realworld knowledge, and I’ve decided to impart some of this (self-proclaimed and quite possibly semi-nonexistent) wisdom upon you.
I present to you, Sarah’s 10 lessons learned from living alone:
1. You can never have enough eggs. I’m not kidding. If you like them, eggs can be literal food lifesavers. Buy ‘em cheap, scramble ‘em quick. Or, I dunno, get fancy and make a frittata or something. Whatever floats your boat.
2. Food goes bad, and you have to clean your fridge and pantry. I learned this the hard way after waking up excited to eat a bagel for breakfast, but resolving myself to eating…you guessed it…eggs, instead. The bagel was moldy, I was sad and I learned my lesson.
3. Learn the layout of your grocery store to avoid looking like a lost child. On my first trip to Wegmans by myself, I was approached three separate times by people asking if I needed help finding anything. And like, yeah, I did. I had spent the past 10 minutes circling the store looking for beans. But did I tell them that? No I did not.
4. On that note, grocery shopping may not work out too well. I spent $70 on my first trip to the grocery store, but probably only ate about one-third of what I bought. The rest eventually found its way to my trash can.
5. NEVER underestimate the power of free food. I don’t know how I’d survive without the amount of pizza I’ve received from on-campus events, my parents and my friends.
6. You may have to adjust your sleep to fit your upstairs neighbors’ schedules. My neighbors are really nice, but on Tuesdays at 7 a.m., they’re up and walking around, and I’m…not. Not at all.
7. Unpack your clothes. I still haven’t unpacked mine, and my room is a mess. Don’t be like me. Also, wash your dishes. It’s super tempting to not do it, but flies are gross.
8. Maintenance is your friend. My roommate and I had to call them late at night for a pretty bad water leak in our bathroom, and they were quite literally there in two minutes.
9. Call your family! You know you miss them, and, at least for me, talking to my mom at the end of a long day really makes everything a little better. Food begging optional.
10. It’s an obvious one, but make sure you stay on top of your bills. Apartment management companies can sometimes be pretty bad at communication, so it’s up to you to keep everything in line.
I hope at least some of that was useful and/or helpful. Most of these lessons came out of my own mistakes, so I can already guarantee that there’ll be more down the line.
But, that’s life, right? Guess I’ll have to find out.
Sarah’s insights on the lessons learned from living alone resonate deeply, especially during these challenging times. The transition to independent living, much like the shift to online learning during quarantine, requires adaptability and resilience. From managing groceries to staying connected with family, the parallels between our experiences are uncanny. On a slightly different note, as I’ve been diving into my computer science projects, I found a platform that’s been a lifesaver for my research papers. Has anyone else here tried online resources to navigate the complexities of college life, both academically and personally? And, by the way, has anyone used https://springhillmedgroup.com/healthy-for-college-students-during-the-quarantine-to-be-strong-and-happy/ for academic assistance? Would love to hear your thoughts!