Well, here's how I stand: I'm about to move away from home [I'm starting university], and for the first time ever I'll have to live completely on my own. The problem is, I don't have a clue what that's like, so do you guys have any sort of tips / hints to make things easier in such situations? Like what sort of stuff to buy / not to buy, what's the cheapest and most nutritious sort of food and whatnot. I'll be eternally grateful for any advice :)
page 1 of 1 12 total items
-
- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
-
Although i do not know what's Uni Life like, i do know how much better to stay independent on living alone. er... >.< You are living alone in or with a fellow Uni mate ya ? Nevertheless, ....
Here are some Experience tips. Hopefully it helps some. Be it minor or lots.
1) Get some Reads. ( Books, Magazines. . . Something to entertain yourself when you are bored. Radio is good.)
2) Learn to take Cooking like it's a hobby. ( You'll be surprise to know what it feels like to taste good food from self.)
3) Learn to be aware of your Surroundings and society you will be fitting in. ( Increase social/self Awareness. That way, you'll make good friends too. XD Good neighbours are so difficult to make these days. )
4) Know where are the nearest amenites and supermarkets are. Do some research on the prices for the food, lodging needs and tolietries.
5) If necessary, jote down all important numbers like Home, your Local police Number, in/on notepad/paper where you can reach and rmb them.
6) Remember to spot out for First Aid boxes and any medical treatment stuff. Keep them handy at your Uni Home. ;) Check the expiry date.
7) Buy dried and instant food more if you are having lots of Eat-outs rather than cooking.
8) One bottle of Dishwashing Detergent has same effect on cleaning as any other. So pick the biggest and cheapest. What you need is a good Scrub that's all. Sponge is good for gravy cleaning. Metal good for crisp and grease stains.
9) 2 Clothes-Washing tub will last you close to 4-5 months if the number of clothes you're washing are less than 10 pairs.
10) Oh er... Rmb those Toliet necessities.
10) Blood Stain's can be remove by sinking them in cold-water for a night. ;)
11)On cooking and eats. A Walnut with Choco is most energy providing yet fattening.Don't buy them unless you need it for Rushing on Schedules. Go for Corn, potato, Bread or Rice. Rice is more filling though. I take Noodles over here. Go for more Carbo and Vitamins. <----Ignore this. I'm clueless on your side of your diet.
12) Most important. Make a Daily Schedule of calling back home. ;)
Perhaps you can ask your Parents on some Tips when concerning on money matters ?
Bumble-Bee.......
Hope it helps some. :)
Thank you, Ms Toya999 for the wonderful Signature. :)- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
-
^^ complete guide for dummies who want to move out X-P
At the end of the day, i would always turn around and say.... "Egao Saku... "
Co-Administrator of MTSingapore
<3 Me Luv U Sooo Muchi Hino-Chan!- Currently watching: AKB0048, Sword Art Online, Accel World
- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
- Anime Watchlist
-
Just some advice from a military guy.
Get cheap funiure, freebies are the best. They wont match most times but it works.
Flatmate/roommate/uni-mate can make things cheaper but make sure you can live with them if you pick some up. Friends tend to be the best for this.
If cooking on your own, get whatever freebies yet again. Thrift stores are the best for this. If you want new, get from Wal-mart, Target or such suitable store. Cheap, mostly durable and if lucky lots of stuff in one box.
Food is a whole another matter. Cooking your own will be the best and cheapest. Being a guy I got a good rice cooker, a Forman grill and had rice plus meat all the time. I suggest cooking what you like, cheaper than eatting out all the time. Alternate is the cafetria at the Uni if they have one, that should be cheap.
Hope this helps out, any more questions just ask.
Just a stranger passing through,
Chris aka Khest- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
-
I've been living in an apartment for a year now by myself.
1. Hit up IKEA for furniture and pretty much all the stuff you need for living. They usually have great deals if you just shop around.2. Also for food try to cook something near the beginning of the week and cook a lot so you can eat the left overs the rest of the week. That way you dont have to cook during the busy times.
3. Get to know the people around you. Most of the time they are really helpful and NOT serial murderers.
4. Make friends.
a) A lot of times when you buy furniture you need a friend with a truck to move the big stuff, so scope out potential movers.
b) Also look for a hot friend to attract more friends to you.
c) In addition find a rich friend in case you ever need some cash in a hurry.5. If ever in doubt just phone home to mommy and ask. She understands what it's like out there on your own, so she'll be more than happy to help you. Remember everything she's taught you growing up (eat your vegetables, wash your clothes, clean your room) and you should be ok.
P.S. Eat oranges. Lots of oranges. As many oranges as you can to prevent the onset of scruvy. Yargh.
- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
-
Hello there Odeena-kun! :D
Well, I've been where you are now, so giving advice should be fairly easy ( haha, yeah right! ^_^')
Seriously though, here are some tips( actually, some of them have already been mentioned by my esteemed co-users... :nya:) from " Anne's Book of Knowledge "( pages turning...rustle, rustle ;)):
1) Find a relatively nice, quiet or superficially orderly ;) place to settle down. Make sure it's within very manageable distance to the uni. That, or just settle for the dorms, where life will be anything but peaceful, hehe. I chose the second route, and am currently paying dearly for it :nya:.
2)Make sure you always keep in touch back home, so you would be able to share your problems and ask for some advice or emotional support( yeah right, my sis NEVER gave me any... :nya:)
3)Make sure you memorize routes to the nearest resources( i.e., convenient stores, groceries, or hardware shops, because rooms more often than not need personal repairs, or at least some tune-ups...teeheee :)), and aqcuaint yourself with your campus as a whole, and fast. I know this from the experience of being lost in my own campus...yarghh o_0.
4)Establish friendly, or at least civil :) relationships with your neighbors/dormmates even though they could sometimes be weird( like me! XD), especially if you're all from different areas and have all sorts of err, unfamiliar customs :nya:. Our dorm is so diverse it could be likened to Mos Eisley( especially the scum and villainy part :nya:...). Ohh, and nothing beats being really close to store owners, what with the discounts and stuff. ;)
5)Don't hype up on the furniture and the utensils. Trying to immediately create the "home" feel will lead you to focus too much in domestic comfort and lag on other necessities. If there's a fairly good and varied shop in town, strike deals with the storekeepers, and don't give in to all their sales talk, especially when they say, " Oh, if you're going to buy this, then you should ALSO buy this, and this... :sweat:." Just get what you need but also make sure that it fits your place and wouldn't clutter it. :)
6)Accumulate " anti-boredom " measures. Reading material is very recommendable. It also helps to read the daily paper, as well as self-help books( like the cooking tips, to avoid living too much of instant food, haha, like yours truly :D).
7)Be careful of the laundry levels. Always make sure that clothes are always in good shape even though you don't really wear some of them that much. It also helps to have a laundromat in town, or at least, someone who does laundry for reasonable pay. If this is the case, never forget to mark your clothes, and aqcuaint yourself with the owner or keepers. Don't wash only the necessary clothes, so you'll have a clean selection when you need it.
8)When in dire straits, settle for instant food, preferably dried vegetables and canned meat, or seafoods( but not too much ). When this happens, buy lots of fruit( oranges, strawberries or pineapples ) to balance out all those preservatives. And tomatoes, never forget 'em :D.
9)Remember cooking necessities, but don't get a grill right away, because chances are someone else already has. If you like grilled stuff, it'll be much better to buy them rather than prepare them, since it costs more and takes up time.
10)Containers are your best friend, durable boxes, and plastic holders. Also, make sure you put them in a mamageable space.
As for the bathroom and toilet stuff...they're invaluable :nya:.11)Cleaning stuff, preferably neutral ones, beacause too much concentrated cleaners produce quite an odor ^_^'. Medicine( even if you've got the immunity rate of a coordinator ), vitamins, and health supplements also would be a big help.
12)Monitor garbage level, and collection schedules. Again general awareness of your new surrounding helps a lot :D. Ease up on the sweets, they attract bugs :nya:, and find a water station, as well as the nearest church ^_^'.
13)The most important part, enjoy your this new stage of your life( Uni-life is like a storm, you sort of weather it, and weathering it with friends is the best thing... ;)), meet new people, open up( but don't lose your guard for the occassional sicko :nya:), join campus clubs and the like. Preferably, it'll be easier and more fun to live with a friend whose also from your area, but that can't really be the case everytime.
Anyway, hope this looong :sweat: blabbing helps. Wish you the best and nothing short of it.
Ganbare, Odeena-kun! :D( closes book...)
--
" Humor is also timeless. "--Ebony Everlang- Sep 29, 2006
- Gallery
-
^ Wee... couldn't have said it better than myself. :) Take this one, Odeena ! *Points meanderEvangel 's post *
Thank you, Ms Toya999 for the wonderful Signature. :)- Sep 30, 2006
- Gallery
-
Meander got a lot of it down :)
I got one thign to say myself
Bring a lot of water. If you run out of water and you hate fountain water you will be mad >=0000000~~~~~!
Meander covered most of the good points. I agree with tryiing to meet new people because that's what you're supposed to do in a new environment. Also Meander said don't try making things like home, i agree with. I tried that and i forgot to bring a few things like paper towels, shampoo, an extra towel and not enough soap detergent. Remember neccessities before your wants! :D
Down it Down!
- Sep 30, 2006
- Gallery
-
I beem living on my own since I was 16,
first of,
you most learn how to cook,
that way you'll save money,
make sure to don't spend too much on anime,
or you be in trouble with the food,
if you have a roommate make sure to put your rules down, and try to get along well too,
don't talk with mama too much or you'll start to miss her and that won't be good,
try to have respect for others, this won't get you into problems that you don't want,
and Rock ON! the time you got off from class,
later.
Hey... I was wondering, maybe after we die... will there be... cake?- Sep 30, 2006
- Gallery
-
Well, Miss Odeena, I see that people have given you lots of advice. However, I think I may have a few suggestions that have not been mentioned yet. Being at Uni has one thing to its advantage that a other places don't: technology. You can use this to help make your life easier (yes it is in fact possible :P).
First, I recommend that you get yourself some type of electronic organizer. I recommend a PDA. You can purchase an older model for relatively little money. A good budget model to look for these days is the Palm m100 series. But a some Zire models can be gotten even cheaper. Check out eBay for good deals like these: Palm Zire m150 at $16, Palm m125 at $20, or for a little more Palm Z22 at $63. Of course you're welcome to spend more and even get a smartphone (cell phone & PDA combo), but if you've never used one it's best to start off with a cheaper model.
The reason I recommend a PDA, is becuase it's a fantastic organizational tool. You can keep track of your class schedule and any other appointments so you can stay on time and on top of your events. You can also keep track of your homework assignments, etc (tons of good free programs for palm that are student oriented out there). As well as being able to keep track of all your contacts, email addresses, and phone numbers, etc. When you have a PDA, you can finally forget about having little pieces of paper scattered about, and not being able to find the information you need.
Second, I suggest using BillMonk to keep things straight between you and your roomates in terms of finances and items going back and forth. It's an excellent free service that is invaluable in keeping everybody fair an honest :P.
Third, take some precautions regarding the security of your items and information. Use a password on your computer (as well as the screensaver if you leave your comp on). Get storage solutions with locks if possible. Campuses are notorious for making your stuff disappear :P.
Fourth, don't worry about buying your entertainment. You'll find that everyone else there will have tons of anime, movies, music, and games that they will be willing to let you enjoy. You just have to ask :D.
Also, when it comes to nutrition, I suggest you read the following guide: Healthy Food on an Unhealthy Budget. One good alternative to meat is tofu, which is cheaper, and still a good source of protein. Only drawback is that you need to learn how to cook it :P.
And as always, of course, if you want to know anything, just use google :D.
-+#[mentisworks]#+-+#[myspace]#+-+#[Zodiac Users Unite!]#+-- Sep 30, 2006
- Gallery
-
Odeena-chan! You're moving away! T_T
Well, firts of all! whether you're sad or happy about it, you're scare! i know it! But it's great, you know? 'Cause you're about to start a new part of your life! To be live alone it's gonna change the way you think like you have no idea! You'll start thinking about the real worth of everything, especially when it comes to the subject of money! Now, that you won't be with you're family thinks will look kinda difficult for you! Now, you're the one who will take care of the food, the cleaning, everything! You'll be responsable from the food in the refrigerator to the toilet paper in the bathroom! ^_^'
Well, to make the long story short! I recomend you to buy your food according to you're week or the way you're used to eat! for example: If you drink a lot of milk don't buy 2 or 3 bottles, you'd better buy a box! you get it? Try not to consume to much energy or telephone! and try to buy a good locker for your door!
Anyway, it's always good to live with a roommate so you could share your bills with!
I wish you the best and hope you're fine!
*hugs to my friend!*
Kabura.
Thank you Farewell, My Master.
"It was nice for a while but it's time to say bye"
Administrator of: Ignore the others! -Nocturnal-MTs Moderator of: Ice-and-Snow Member of: Whatever - Hana Kimi love - BrokenWings-TrinityBlood - GetBackers - MAAC - Petzilla- Oct 02, 2006
- Gallery
-
do your laundry every other day if not everyday, cuz if it piles up and you have nothing to wear...that's not a good thing..
don't worry, you're not moving away to mars, it's still good old earth, nothing much changed...except well, you got a house to yourself...so no horror movies...loool...wha? yeah i get freaked...loools...chill...life's not so hard if you're organized...take care
FaMiLy MeAn$ NoBoDy GeTs LefT BeHinD 0r ... FoRgoTTen ... ^^
- Oct 06, 2006
- Gallery
page 1 of 1 12 total items
Back to General Discussions | Active Threads | Forum Index
Only members can post replies, please register.