Moving Out: Things You Can Do to Thrive When Living Alone for the First Time

Moving Strategies to Keep in Mind When Embracing Solo Living

Living with your family or a roommate offers many benefits. You have someone to split the bills and divide the chores with. You can have someone to look after you when you are sick. It becomes easier to make friends and enjoy the company of others. Despite the chaos, it can be fun to have someone living in the house with you.

But then, more people are choosing to live solo. All around the world, the number of one-person households continues to increase.  This is more evident in rich-countries.

Why More Adults are Embracing Solo Living

Living alone can have many drawbacks. You are on your own in terms of the expenses, housekeeping, and cooking. It can be lonely going home to a lonely house or apartment with no one to talk to or care for you when you are sick.

Life can be boring if you are not used to doing all things by yourself. You can also live in paranoia knowing you are alone and in charge of your safety. But then, many of us love the idea of absolute privacy and independence.

It becomes easier to do everything you want without thinking of what others will think or say. You are in charge of the whole house. You can cook what you want, clean when you can, design the places as you wish, and learn to be financially responsible.

If you get lonely, you can invite anyone into your home without asking permission from your roommate or your parents. You can sleep in during weekends and schedule your day as you prefer. Absolute freedom makes solo-living the ideal lifestyle for single adults.

Embracing Solo Living: Valuable Tips to Keep in Mind

If this is your first time moving somewhere where you will be living alone, you can feel scared and excited at the same time. Knowing you can live your own life as you wish but also reflecting on the possible implications can make it into an overwhelming experience. To help you adapt to solo living, here are some tips you can consider.

Try Out the Neighborhood Before You Move

Chances are you are already scouting a few places where you can finally move on your own. But before you settle on a house or apartment, make sure to learn more about the neighborhood first. Know that unless indicated in the written contract, you can refund your down payment if you think the place did not meet your expectations.

You have the option to stay in the area for a few days and nights just to see how the neighborhood is at night and during the day. Visit a few stores and ask them how the crime rate is and what it is like living in the area. You can also get to know some of your potential neighbors to learn more about the area.

Label and Organize Everything

You can never tell how difficult it is to pack, move, and unpack until you have to do this on your own. You may have your family or friends to help you with your belongings. But if you don’t label everything, you will have a hard time sorting your belongings after the moving day.

Organize your belongings per room and tag everything accordingly. Have fun and let your creativity shine by using different materials like vinyl chalkboards and chalkboard markers. You can do the same when unpacking your stuff in your new place.

Give all your belongings their own place the moment you start unpacking. You can invest in different boxes, jars, and organizers. This way, you know where to find your stuff and keep your items organizes and stored safely.

Change Your Locks

Your safety matters especially now that you are living solo. You can never tell who has a spare key to your new home. To give yourself peace of mind, change the locks the moment you move in.

Ask for your landlord’s permission first and give them your spare key. If they don’t allow this, you can request them to make the change for you and pay for the new locks. If smart locks and smart doorbells sound like a great idea, consider the investment.

Cultivate Self-Reliance

Now that you are living solo, learn how to do things on your own. Start by creating a personal budget and ensure you save money each month. Learn how to live below your means and educate yourself before taking in any debt.

Don’t forget to learn basic skills live first aid, cooking, housekeeping, and self-care. If you are feeling bored or lonely, go for hobbies you can do on your own or call a loved one over for a bonding session. If you think you can handle an extra responsibility, consider adopting a pet to make solo-living less lonely.

Saying yes to living alone is one good way to learn how to be truly independent. It does come with risks and you may feel bored or lonely at times. But there are ways you can deal with this and actually thrive as an independent, single adult.