Things I've Learned At Home

Cutter's Log - Stardate 2102.81.11
Current Song - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)

It's been almost 20 days since I have ventured out on my own two feet. Little by little I am learning a thing or two about life on my own and maintaining upkeep at a higher rate than when I lived with my parents.

I can't say enough about my parents. Even when they knew I needed to do certain things on my own time, they kept doing them for me. Things like buying food and even doing laundry are the two biggest ones. Now I have to manage EVERYTHING on my own - things that I never even had a chance to manage when I lived with my parents. While they are the go-to help, I am trying to learn a little more about putting my own fingerprints on the way I do things, rather than have everything be a carbon copy.

Almost all of my classmate friends started doing this around age 18, or before. Eight years later I am slowly catching up. Does this mean I live longer?

Here are just some of the things I am learning now (and most of these are truly embarassing and worth a facepalm):

1. Never stuff clothes in the washer - My first go-around with my own laundry resulted in damp clothes and detergent spots on most of my blacks.

2. Whip the wrinkles away from clothes - Another reason why my clothes wound up being so damp was because I didn't do this, and tossed lumps of clothes from washer to dryer.

3. Turn off the heater when I'm not home - What exactly am I heating when I'm not home?

4. In order to cook hamburgers, you need hamburger buns. In order to cook hot dogs, you need hot dog buns. They should be bought at the same time.

5. MUCH more time is devoted to straightening things out, such as putting things where they belong.

6. The longer dirty clothes are in a hamper, the more they stink.

7. Bread is meant to be used, and used often.

8. Because its now just mine, and no one elses, it's wise to shut off the computer when I'm not using it.

9. I need to look for those air freshener sprays that do not spray like string.

10. While the Dollar Tree may be cheap, some of the quality sucks. Try shaving with those. Or better yet, shaving more often. Then they won't hurt.

11. A colder house means more time under a blanket, and more likelihood to fall asleep when you don't want to.

12. Some waste products make great scratch paper.

13. Actually dry the dishes before setting them on the drying rack.

14. While I do not throw out much trash or recyclables on a weekly basis, that's no excuse for not moving the garbage bins to the side of the street EVERY week. Instead of letting stuff add up and then rolling it out.

15. There is life without cable.

16. There is no reason to mutter quietly to myself when I'm at home - no one can hear me. This should also help me from not muttering often and talk louder and clearly.