Living on my own has been a dream mine for quite some time. Anyone that gets to a certain age, moving out is the one thing on their mind.
My dream became a reality in April and experience the process first-hand was something that I will carry for the rest of my life.
Being at home as much as we all have let me have more time to decide what I need to do to grow and become my own person, with the help of my parents I have been able to start a big chapter in life.
Throughout March, I learnt so many different things when it comes to finding a place to live and everything I need to properly start out on my own.
It became real when the deposit was given to my landlord. Then the process of preparing to make the big move began.
Purchasing all of the needed equipment to live on my own really opened my eyes to how much you really need to live the solo life: from pots, pans and cutlery, to bed sheets, towels and toilet paper. Watching it all come together was of course exciting, however, I would be lying if I was not nervous seeing it become a reality.
The Roncesvalles neighbourhood in west Toronto is where I will be calling home for the future. Walking my new neighbourhood before I moved in was what made me realize this would be my new home turf.
Finally, the day arrived when I moved the already-packed boxes into my new “pad,” and we successfully assembled the new Ikea furniture.
Now the golden rule I will pass on those thinking about moving out on their own for the first time is to research and plan.
The amount of work that went into moving in was something that I couldn’t have imagined. The steps and the lessons I learned from just experiencing that process and learning from my parents and their experiences taught me so much.
Also, learning how to save those dollars is a key life lesson to learn.
The experience and the feeling of living on your own for the first time is one of a kind, there is a time after finally and properly moving out on your own that it doesn’t feel real. When I had gotten everything into the place and I had built all of the Ikea furniture in surprising time, I was alone.
As soon as my parents left, I was finally living on my own, finally realizing that this place was all mine and the dream was here.
I will say that luckily I have the ability to cook more than just Kraft Dinner and soup. Preparing that first proper meal and waking up for the first full day and having a space that I can make my own, that it’s my home.
Best of all, I have my own rules. I’ve joked with my parents that when they are here, it’s “my house my rules.”
If you never wished to be able to say that one day as a kid, then you are kidding. But until that day comes, everything you can about cooking and doing laundry.