On October 1, I’m moving out of my mother’s basement and into an apartment of my own. I am excited and petrified.
If anyone would like to offer me congratulations, advice, or empty boxes, now’s the time.
Are you younger or older than 25? It’s important to know to fine tune the encouragement/derision split in my post.
Don’t buy shit until you need it.
Also, realize that there’s a lot of shit you’re going to need.
Congrats, and good luck.
Wait a minute - you live in your Mom’s basement but you’ve never read Watchmen? You are like the world’s smallest minority.
Are you younger or older than 25? It’s important to know to fine tune the encouragement/derision split in my post.[/quote]
I’ll be 23 in just over a month.
Wait a minute - you live in your Mom’s basement but you’ve never read Watchmen? You are like the world’s smallest minority.
;_;
Learn how to clean, clean as you go. Don’t turn into a nasty smelly slob because once you get to that point you will hate it but won’t know where to start to get back.
If you are like me when I first moved out, learn how to cook in batches. Get a big freezer if you don’t already have one. Start making meals about a week in advance. If you don’t, you’ll wind up eating fast food almost exclusively and you’ll turn into a lardbeast from the fat dimension. How well do you cook? If you suck at it, I can give you some recipes that will make life easier and healthier.
There are a lot of little things that some people never think to buy because soembody else has always done it for them. Soap is the big one, shampoo, toilet paper, mustard, etc. Buy them in bulk. I buy toilet paper in packs of 50.
Learn how to clean things. It isn’t as simple as running damp cloth over everything. Learn how to clean windows and surfaces. Learn how to clean showers and toilets if you don’t already know how. Get used to doing laundry if you don’t already. I try to do one load every day, that way I am not doing 10 loads of laundry all in a row.
Make sure you get all your bills into your name asap. It’s awesome for your credit. NEVER MAKE A LATE PAYMENT. Do whatever you can to never, ever make a late payment. If you are late, make sure the late payment itself isn’t late. That is, don’t let another bill hit. This sucks for your credit.
Only buy things you absolutely need. Don’t impulse shop unless you landed yourself a high paying career already. You’ll find your cash supply dwindling really fast.
Thanks for the tips, Euri. I am already a decent cook, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t appreciate some recipes. And I’m going to be living with my girlfriend and another friend of mine, and my girlfriend is a super cleaner-type, which means I have to be, too :).
Cleaning is important.
Ahh, living with people. Always a fun experience to jump right into. Congrats!
Here’s some tips:
Have explicit financial agreements in place (no matter how obvious or redundant they may sem) and agreed upon with roomates before moving in. Don’t need to be written, but a discussion to get everyone on the same page is a must. Thing like “We split grocery bills equally” and “If person X misses rent two months in a row, they will be kicked out” are nice to establish in advance so you don’t like look an ass when you kick out a deadbeat roomate later on. Note I said when, not if.
Definitely learn some basic cookery. I almost think we need another thread for recipes because I have some old bachelor favs to share too, though if I recall correctly Euri is a pro so will probably have better recipes than me.
You’re moving from the mother to the GF… that’s not good! You’re missing out on the bachelor pad.
One load a day? How many people are you talking about here?
Only advice I have is that when they say “This is your final notice service shutoff” they MEAN it.
Also, if you’re leasing or renting your place, understand your lease and know your rights and responsibilities. A few minutes with Google will probably work. When I was in college renting a house from one particularly unscrupulous landlord I got screwed on some stuff just because I didn’t know enough and wasn’t sure enough of my position to stand up to him.
The most important thing is be careful with your finances. Whether that means “frugal” or “spendthrift” or if you can buy as much as you like every day or whatever, just keep your head about you.
Cheapo food recipies for the out-on-your-own Man:
Fried Rice.
-2 cups cooked rice.
-1 small sack of frozen peas.
-1 large onion, chopped.
-1 small bag shredded carrots.
-3 to 6 eggs, depending upon how much egg you like.
-1 bunch green onion
-brown or white sugar (optional)
-cooking oil (peanut, olive, asian specialty, ect)
-whatever else you can think of (pepper, salt, ect).
The secret to fried rice is simple. First, get a rice cooker. Second, cook rice in said rice cooker :). Third refrigerate rice for 6-24 hours on a flat sheet to dry it off. That’s the key to drying it out so that when you fry it doesn’t stick.
Cook scrambled eggs, set aside. Heat oil then add chopped onions. A few minutes later, add the carrots. When they both look about done (ie, the onion is caramelizing) add the peas. Cook just a bit longer, then add the rice. Stir the rice alot , cook to your satisfaction, add some Soy sauce and eggs. Cook a bit longer, and your done. You can add some sugar, or black pepper, or plain salt, if you like near the end. Adding sugar helps it taste “authentic” for some reason.
It should be obvious you can make portions as small or large as you like. Keep in a sealed container and you can make enough for several days.
Texas Burrito (gut buster)
-Package of Ground Beef
-Can of Refried Beans (Old El Paso is dependable)
-Tomato
-Fresh Cilantro
-Fresh orange cheese (any variety, Colby Jack, ect…)
-Corn or Flour tortillas.
I call it the “gut buster” because all that ground beef can be a bit rough on your stomach if you not used to it or eat too much. Basically, pan fry the Ground Beef, stirring regularly until it’s well “ground up” without lumps. Drain fatty oil off when done if you like, though it makes it much drier, but healthier. Add the can of beans, and cook a bit longer. Serve on tortilla, add tomato, cilantro and cheese. This is pretty cheap and very filling, and fairly healthy if you get rid of the oil.
The trick to heating up store bought tortillas is to wrap them in a wet cloth before microwaving. This keeps them moist and flexible.
Crock Pot Brisket
-Large Brisket Cut (5+ pounds)
-2 Packages of Dried Lipton Mushroom soup.
-Fresh vegetables (your choice, but carrots and potatoes always work).
-Spices
-Can of Coke (optional)
Cut off ALL or most of the fat from the brisket. That’s how i liked it anyway, some like it fattier. Add the veggies on the bottom of the crock pot. Mix the dried soup with water seperately to ensure it’s well dissolved, then add to pot. Rub the brisket well with spices (pepper, paprika, salt, italian herbs, ect). Put on top of veggies, fill crock pot till water is just over the top of brisket if possible (unless you have a HUGE pot, or a huge Brisket; use common sense). Cook for at LEAST 8 hours, preferably 12.
Some people love adding Coke to Brisket, and it does work well, so add one if you like the sugary kinds of brisket.
Are you living with her or is she living with you? This may become important in the future.
Buy a garbage can. Plastic with a lid if possible.
One load a day? How many people are you talking about here?[/quote]
Three people. That means 3 towels, three pairs of pants, three shirts, six socks, three underwears, one bra at least every single day. This usually works out to every few days there is enough for a dark load, or a white load, or a towel load. This also means I can wear my favourite clothes more often, since they are almost always clean.
As for food:
Alton Brown is your god. Listen to what the man says and start thinking of ways to apply it. If you can get ahold of his Stocks and Soups episodes, they are exactly what I do. I have stock-cubes of various shapes in my freezer at all times so that they are always handy. Some of his recipes really suck, but some are reallyr eally good. Go to foodnetwork.com and the good eats page, look up mushroom crepe cakes. They are heavenly.
Buy a dressing gown, and use it to the exclusion of everything else when you’re at home and around the local area. When you’re buying milk be sure to use cheques.
That’s pretty much me done.
Eh? I thought you were younger than that? Then why did you say you and I were probably the youngest members on the forum once? We’re not very close in age…
I live without my mom and dad just fine, so you can too! Just remember never to indignify the world with fried rice. :evil:
Oh, don’t forget to bring extra bags!
And you’re going to need to close the blinds when you watch hentai, for god’s sakes, no one wants to see that!
Good luck and don’t be too cosmonaughty.
-Kitsune
You don’t just hang towels out to dry off and use them for a week or so?