Useful Tips for Living Alone for the First Time

Living alone can be tough in the beginning. You might find it difficult to cook for yourself, wash your clothes, do the dishes and take care of all these things that you're used to someone else doing. But don't worry! Some tips will make your life much easier when you live alone for the first time.

Useful Tips for Living Alone for the First Time
[image: unsplash by ello]

Cooking By Yourself

The first thing you might find difficult when living alone is cooking. You need to buy food and cook it yourself, right? Well, you should start by buying meals in bulk - they will last longer, and you won't have to cook every day. You can even buy some meal kits for singles to prepare food even more effectively and have it last longer. Some other tips include:

Try cooking more than one day's worth of food at once - that'll save time and effort.

Get the essentials only - if there's a microwaveable meal that can be prepared in two minutes - get it! That'll save time for something else.

Plan your weekly meals - this way you won't need to go shopping when you're too tired or busy because your schedule will already be planned for you.

It's easy to forget what you need when no other things are competing for your attention. Keep the grocery list in an obvious place, so you won't overspend on food or buy too much of one item. Try using online grocery coupons and get plenty of discounts before buying items that are on sale. 

Doing The Laundry 

When you live alone and wash your clothes, the first thing you might find difficult is doing it all by yourself. It's not as easy as throwing everything in a machine and pressing a button - there are some things to keep in mind:

Use liquid detergent or pre-treatment if needed - this way you won't have to use too much of the liquid.

Don't overfill the washing machine – that'll just make things more complicated for you because it jams easily and flushes too many soaps and chemicals into the water, which can damage your clothes and ruin the washing machine itself.

Know when your washer needs maintenance – if something goes wrong with it, don't try to fix it yourself because it can be a fire hazard.

Don't leave the door open when you're done – this will make your clothes dry quickly, and they'll be full of wrinkles, which is annoying to iron.

Ironing Your Clothes By Yourself

When you live alone, you wear clothes that are clean and ready to go instead of hiding them in a drawer because no one else needs them anymore. The only thing that might trouble you is that the clothes don't look neatly ironed. You can avoid this problem by putting all your clothes on hangers and not folding them, so they stay wrinkle-free for longer. Using steam to remove unpleasant odors from sweat or food - just place some water at the bottom of your ironing machine and add a few drops of fabric softener. This will make your clothes smell great even when you wear them for days in a row.

Taking Care of the House

After some time, you might feel like there's too much to do around the house when you live alone with no one to help. You can deal with this problem by having someone come over now and then - they'll take care of all household things, so you have more free time on your hands. Have an agreement with your roommates about who does what chores every week. Charting out tasks on a calendar so nothing gets forgotten or neglected ever again. Putting up reminders for yourself - these include grocery lists, cleaning schedules, monthly bills payments, etc. Using cleaning shortcuts like vinegar and baking soda - these are both great for eliminating odors, stains, mold, and mildew. Use microfiber cloths to clean your windows, mirrors, and other surfaces that need a lot of care.

Using Cleaning Products

It's best not to use too many chemicals when you live alone because they can be toxic if you swallow or breathe them in. The only things you need are hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and lemon juice. This way you'll have a much easier time cleaning up spills as well as stains from coffee, red wine, and dirt from your shoes. In case the smell bothers you - add some fabric softener or essential oil to make it smell better.

Having Pets When You Live Alone

Pets can help you relieve stress and loneliness by just being there with you. However, they need a lot of care and attention, so it's best to have them when you live with another person who'll be responsible for taking care of the pet when you're away. Remember that dogs don't like going out in cold weather or too much heat - make sure your dog always has a warm place to sleep and water available. Cats are great for helping keep mice away because these little creatures love to ruin everything from furniture to clothes. Consider getting a fish tank if you want pets but don't feel like taking care of them all the time - this way, they'll still give you all the benefits without causing any trouble.

Organizing Your Things

When you live alone, it's easy to forget where you placed your keys or phone because there are no other things that need to be put in their place. The best way to deal with this problem is to use a few hooks around the house and keep all your things on there - keys, wallet, cell phone, etc. This will make them easier for you to spot when you need them. Also, if you're not sure where to put something - try keeping it in your car, so you always know where to find it when you need it.

[image: unsplash by dan gold]

Living alone might be a new experience for you, but it doesn't have to be hard. Use these tips to make life easier and enjoy being on your own! Just keep in mind that you can also live alone because you enjoy spending time by yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that.