It's almost a year since i moving out from home for college. Its 4-hour driving from my home to where i'm staying right now. So far, living alone is such a nice experience for me, i learned so much from this. and here are the things that i've learned and will tell my future kids when they're moving out too...
1. Management skill is the key. I learned it the hard way. Woke up late because stayed up late the night before since i always doing the assignment the day before it's deadline, skipped breakfast because i woke up late, had unhealthy instant noodle for dinner for 3 days in row because i run out of money before its time, had a blackout since i forgot to pay the electricity, its all i think happens because i've a bad management skill. So yeah, you really have to work really hard on it.
2. Its okay to save some money, but prioritize your health. Its a classic scenario when you're living alone and run out of money, the cheaper the food is the better. There is this famous 'franchise' food stall in Indonesia called Warteg, where you can get a lot of food with a very low price. The price is low because it's not really that hygienic, but its yummy though that's why its everyone's favourite. The thing is if you eat in warteg continously for the whole week , i guarantee you that you can save a lot of money but you'll end up getting diarrhea for sure. It happened to a lot of my friends, and they skipped class because of this.
3. Put your shoes inside and careful with your clothes horse. I don't know where you live, but in Indonesia especially in a densely populated area, if you're not careful someone can really steal your shoes or your washed clothes that hung in the clothesline.
4. Clean your room if you don't wanna get sick. Living alone means you have none around telling you what to do, your mom won't yell at you if don't clean your room because she isn't there so she doesn't know. But seriously man if you don't wanna end up having tuberculosis, you better clean up your room. Harmful bacteria usually grow in gross places.
5. Don't buy refrigerator, if you've no money to buy the food. It feels sad you know when you have a refrigerator but its empty with nothing you can eat, i think it might turn out to be a bookcase :"(
6. Don't buy books, if you've no time to read it. Yep, just don't kids.
7. Don't open the door for strangers. I have this weird storyline happens in my head if stranger break in to my room with a gun because i stupidly open the door without checking who knocks it.
8. The more underwear you have, the better. I believe you're smart enough to know why ;)
9. You have a lot of spare time, so do something. I think its not the perks of living alone, but the perks of going to college haha. I realise that i have a lot of spare time rather than when i was in high school. Even when you have full classes and actively involved in campus activities, you still have spare time. I also realise that going out and exploring new places with friends can be fun but also can be money-consuming, so sometimes i prefer to just stay in my room. I started to learn new things, I learn to play guitar (which i'm addicted to it now), i learn knitting, i learn how to compose a song using fruity loops, and i learn them all from the internet so it takes no money haha. And i'm currently saving my money to buy a harmonica!
10. Always tell someone where you're going. It could be your friends, roommate, or your parents. Make sure that someone knows where on earth are you, because you don't wanna cut your own hand and drink your own pee like James Franco in 127 hours right?
