20 Tips For Your First Time Living Alone

Moving away from your family and into your own place can be a big change full of different challenges. Some people love living alone, but it can take some time and adjustment to get used to it. If you’re living alone for the first time, it may prove to be more startling and challenging than you realize. But with these 20 tips, you’ll be adjusted and comfortable living alone in no time!

1.) Don’t Be Afraid

This one is very important. It’s natural to feel scared or anxious as you make the transition to a new living situation alone, but don’t let it turn into fear. You want your living space to be relaxing and homey, and fear will only add further stress to your daily life. Remind yourself that you’re secure, and try to turn your fear into something positive to help remind yourself that you’re making an exciting and important transition in your life!

2.) Make Yourself Feel Secure

To help yourself feel more settled and comfortable in your new home, take some measures to make sure you feel secure. This could be adding an extra lock to your door, installing an alarm system, or just making your living space comfortable and welcoming. Feeling safe and secure in your new home is one of the first steps to take to adjust to living alone.

3.)Accept Homesickness As Normal

At some point during your time living alone, you’ll probably feel the sting of homesickness. Just remember that homesickness is perfectly normal, and happens to almost everybody who moves away from home. Try to distract yourself to take your mind off of it, stay in contact with family and loved ones, and find things or events to get excited about!

4.) Find A Hobby

Finding a hobby is important because it will give you something to do, and will help distract you and take your mind off of certain stressors, such as homesickness, moving stuff in, career stress, etc. Find something that you enjoy doing, and that you will feel motivated enough to do often.

5.) Decorate Your New Place

One of the huge perks that comes with having your own place is that it’s your house, your rules. So take this time to go wild and have fun decorating your home as you please! There is something so fun and exciting about going shopping, and exploring some interior design ideas of your own. Plus, decorating is a great way to keep you busy!

6.) Maintain Your Schedule

Having your own place also means maintaining certain responsibilities. One of the most important ones is to maintain a schedule. Living alone might make it easier to make slips in your habits, such as sleeping in, going to sleep late, eating unhealthy, etc. But having a schedule will help make you happier, healthier and more productive.

7.) Stay In Contact With Loved Ones

Although you may be living alone, it should not mean that you feel isolated. Staying in contact with loved ones is important as it will help you keep homesickness at bay, and will also help to reassure them that you’re doing fine on your own. Plus, keeping them updated is a good just in case you ever find yourself in need of help from them.

8.) Get In The Habit Of Cleaning

Again, cleaning is one of those responsibilities that comes with living alone. To make cleaning a little easier, perhaps create a schedule for yourself that is easy to remember and easy to stick to. For instance, make a rule that you will clean the bathroom once a week. Or that you will do the dishes and wipe down the counter immediately after you cook. Having rules in place will help you stay motivated enough to do the job and stay on top of maintaining your new place.

9.) Invite Friends Over To Prevent Loneliness

Living alone does not have to be lonely! Keep loneliness away by inviting your friends over for parties and get-togethers! They would probably love to see your new place, and your home can turn into your friend go-to hang out spot!

10.) Stay Active And Busy

Although you have your own place and are living alone, it’s also important to make sure you’re staying active enough and are getting enough exercise. Find ways to stay active and busy, such as joining a local gym, going out for a 15 minute jog everyday, or joining  a fitness class in the city you live in.

11.) Practice Being Independent

Living away from family will mean that you will have to become dependent on yourself, which can feel daunting at times. You can practice being independent by taking small measures, such as learning to make your own appointments, doing laundry and grocery shopping on your own, and contacting others in case you need help.

12.) Get To Know Your Neighbors

Getting to know your neighbors is a great way to get situated into your new living situation! Neighbors can either make or break a living situation, so by getting to know them you give yourself a good chance of having a peaceful and pleasant living experience. You don’t have to expect becoming best friends with them, but they could be someone to call in case you need some extra milk, you need someone to watch over your place while you’re away, or simply just need a helping hand.

13.) Learn To Manage Stress

Living alone can be stressful at times for sure, but your living space should be somewhere you feel relaxed and at ease. You can learn to manage stress from your personal and work life by designating spaces in your house to work, and designating spaces that are only meant for relaxing. This way, you can be sure that stress won’t be allowed in your space while you’re trying to get some rest and relaxation.

14.) Stick To A Budget

Living by yourself will also mean that you will be faced with covering different expenses that you might not be used to dealing with. Examples include health insure bills, rent, grocery and living expenses, and maybe even water or electric bills. Manage your spending habits by laying out a budget and sticking to it. This way you will be sure to cover all your bills on time and can maintain a comfortable living situation without worrying or stressing about your finances.

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15.) Learn Some Household Skills

You don’t have to become a professional handyman, but you if you’re living alone you should learn some basic household skills, such as changing lightbulbs, installing curtains or drapes, hammering nails, etc. You might be surprised how often some household skills come in handy.

16.) Come Up With An Emergency Plan (just in case)

While you shouldn’t be stress yourself out about emergency situations, you should come up with an emergency plan just in case something comes up. For example, keep maintenance and plumber’s contact cards handy, so you’re not scrambling last minute just in case a pipe breaks or your toilet overflows. Know where your local hospital is, the fire escape plan for your building, the local police department’s number, a friend or family member to call if you’re in trouble etc. You might never ever have to use these emergency plans, but it’s a good thing to keep in the back of your mind so you’re calm and prepared in case something comes up.

17.) Encourage Yourself To Go Out

When living alone, it’s easy to fall into a routine that you’re comfortable with. However, it’s also healthy and fun to encourage yourself to go out once in a while. Designate a girls night every Friday, a clubbing night every other week, a monthly shopping trip, etc. Encouraging yourself to go out will add some excitement and novelty to your life, and will help break up your everyday routine a little bit.

18.) Learn To Grocery Shop And Cook

Meal planning can be difficult sometimes, especially when living alone. Manage this problem by learning how to grocery shop for just yourself, and investing in some basic cooking supplies to start learning how to cook some basic. Learning to how to grocery shop and cook for yourself is a great way to become even more comfortable with your new life as an independent adult!

19.) Stay Organized

Ever heard the saying “Tidy home, tidy mind”? There is something truth to it, and a simple way to minimize your stress levels and boost your productivity is to make sure your living situation is tidy and organized. You don’t have to become a neat freak, but keeping your home neat is one of the “life hacks” to living alone.

20.) Enjoy Your New Privacy

Finally, use your new place as a time to enjoy your newfound freedom and privacy! You’re in a space that is meant and designed for only you, so take advantage of it and enjoy it to your fullest!

Hopefully these tips help give you some insight into your upcoming transition to living alone! Living by yourself will not always be easy, but it can also be very enjoyable too. Learn how to look after yourself and your new home, and you will be just fine!

Are you moving away from home soon? What have your experiences with living alone been like? Let us know in the comments below!