What I Learnt from Living Alone

One year ago, I moved into my current house in downtown Toronto. After a full year of switching homes, from living with my mom, to my fellow floormates in residence, then in the company of my roommates -- I’ve learnt more in the past year than I ever would have imagined, and I would like to share these with you.

How to Manage a Budget

It’s no secret that living in downtown Toronto is pricey, but one thing I didn’t think about when moving was all the hidden costs associated with not mooching off my mom. The expenses of groceries, cleaning supplies, and general house maintenance quickly adds up. So I’ve found ways to cut my expenses and ensure I can pay for everything, and still have money for myself.

The biggest way I save money is through grocery shopping. Not only is meal prepping fast, easy and fun, but it’s also great for your health and helps you save a lot of money. By already having pre-made food in the fridge, I only eat out when I want to, rather than giving into a spur of the moment temptation. I also feel guilty paying for food at a restaurant when I know I have a healthier option ready for me at home.

Along with not eating out, I only cook vegetarian food at home. For the first eight years of my life, I never ate meat so I rarely crave it, and when I do, I’ll get it during the rare times I go to a restaurant. Tofu and legumes are not only dirt cheap but really high in protein which is a way to stay full and maintain a healthy diet on a dime. Along with eating more legumes, I buy them dry and soak them overnight rather than purchasing these in cans which leads to even more cost savings. I’ve also become familiar with the cheapest fresh foods you can find at the grocery store. Bananas, apples, broccoli and carrots are staples in my diet - not only do they taste great, but they’re some of the lowest costing fresh produce. Knowing how much certain fruits and vegetables cost is an easy way to save, ensuring that you don’t accidentally blow your weekly grocery budget on high-cost produce like grapes and avocados.

How to Create a Schedule

This may be a shocker for those of you who know me, but there was once a time when I didn’t use Google Calendar. When I lived at home, I never had to worry about cleaning, cooking and in high school, you barely have homework.

Moving out made me realize how much time and energy it takes to maintain a clean living space while accounting for meal prep time, and running errands all while working, joining co-curriculars and having a full course load. I now use Google Calendars religiously to manage my time. Every week, I meticulously plan my daily goals along with what I’ll be doing for every hour of the day -- even including eating meals and showering. This allows me to colour code activities into various sections such as work, studying, and free time so I can quickly see how much time I’m spending on each section in any given week.

It’s also proven that writing down a goal makes you more likely to achieve it, so by creating a plan on how I’ll be spending my time, I hold myself accountable for studying when I said I would be or completing the task listed in my calendar for the day.

How to Set Goals

Back in high school, a lot of the goals I had were more my parents’ goals, like maintaining good grades or getting a job for that much-needed work experience. Don’t get me wrong, those things are still important to me, but living on my own without the influence of my parents has made me more aware of what I really want to do and what my interests really are. By being on your own, you’re forced to spend more time by yourself which made me really realize what my true interests were. From there, I was able to set goals which aligned with these interests and seek out the resources to help me achieve them. Living alone also made me more independent which made goal-setting seem more achievable and less daunting.

How to Find a Home Away from Home

Being on my own also forced me out of my comfort zone. I no longer had my immediate family with me, so I had to create my own support system. This is the biggest lesson I learnt since for the first time in my life, I couldn’t rely on anyone but myself to find opportunities and friends. I could no longer spend evening with my mom, go for brunch with my dad or spend time with my high school friends who I was so used to seeing in my free time.

By joining clubs, talking to strangers in class and fully immersing myself in the University experience, I met so many people who have been a great influence to me. The once awkward small talk I would take part of in class or at events has grown into close friendships which has now led to me finding my family at Ryerson, and my home away from home.