[jabag11]

I am 19 years old and am planning to move on my own, with a room mate or with out one, probably with one, hopefully a friend, maybe not. You can give me advice and knowledge on both possible situations, moving in with a rooommate(friend or not) and moving in by myself.

I am planning to live an hour away from home by myself, I will be going to college as well and I'm sure if my parents will be supporting me financially with bills or not. My main question that I am wondering about is what are all the things I should be aware of before moving in, I have been living with my parents since I was born so this will be a complete change. Please tell me all the Do's and Dont's when living on your own, what I will be coming my way (in terms of responsibilities), things I should watch out for, what to expect and not to expect, really Anything and everything else you can think of. That would be good to know for this.

Those with First hand experience would be prefferred for this question. Please do not hold back, let me know everything and anything needed to know about living on your own, whether you're a 21 year old who just moved or whether you're an 81 year old who has been living on their own for a long time. All answeres greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[Eileen G]

All this depends on where you are living, and what sort of accommodation.

If you get a small flat or bedsit on your own, the most important thing is to budget your money so you can pay your bills. Landlords and electricity companies are not like parents, they expect to be paid, in full and on time. Allow extra for heating in winter, or perhaps air conditioning in summer.

You have to clean up after yourself. No-one will come and pick up your stuff and watch your dishes and smelly socks. You have to do your own shopping (which always costs more than you expect), cooking and cleaning. Allow time for going to the laundy, though you can do some study there. And you have to remember to pay bills etc on time, don't wait for people to come looking for the money.

If you are sharing, work out ahead of time where the rules are. Who cleans the bathroom? Who buys the toilet paper? How late can you play music at night? If you're sharing a mixed gender house, what are the rules about how rude or crude the boys can be? Can girls leave tampons in the bathroom? What about washing out undewear? Is milk in the fridge for general use, or does everyone have to buy their own carton? And of course, the stuff about bills also applies.

[jabag11]

Beautiful answer, I especially like how you mentioned I can study when doing the laundry, smart! One question though, those problems about who cleans what and who buys what, etc.. WILL arise; so what's the best way to solve that problem withRoMates?

[Wondergirl]

If you have a roommate, work out a chart to do chores as per preference ("I'll be in charge of all the garbage and putting away groceries if you do the laundry" or by day "It's Thursday and my week to do the laundry"). Your styles may be totally different (my college roommates always seemed to be neat freaks), so you'll have to work that out with each other as to what level each of you will tolerate.

There's a book some mom wrote for her child who was leaving home for college. I can't think of the title. Your library undoubtedly has a copy. Here's web site with similar ideas --

http://hubpages.com/hub/What-every-c...e-leaving-home