Things to consider when moving out

[Joseph41]

If all goes well, planning to move out in the not ~too~ distant future. Bit anxious about it, want to be prepared.

What I'm interested in here is, for those who have moved out already, what are some of the things to which you had to adjust? More independence, cooking, cleaning etc., but are there any specific things you didn't think about until the time came?

That's the stuff I'm interested in at the moment. Any contributions appreciated.

[K888]

Having the correct cookware Like, I got a nice cookware set - had some pots and pans, and I got some trays. But like, didn't have a cake tin, or muffin pan, flat tray (necessary for cooking hash browns), square tin for brownies, etc. I was so used to just being able to go into the cupboard at home and grab anything that I forgot I wouldn't have everything when I moved out haha.

Also didn't think about just how expensive living is. Like, I had a general idea - went shopping with mum and dad, feel like they were always open about stuff with me, but I definitely didn't realise how it all adds up. In particular, electric toothbrush heads, and razor heads - like, necessary stuff, but I have a mental battle with myself every time I need to buy them, just because I wonder whether I can actually excuse spending the money lol.

Also completely forgot about lint brushes. And scourers. Changing lightbulbs (and knowing which type of replacement you need). So don't forget about those haha. Oh and BATTERIES. Seriously. Kinda forgot that a lot of stuff needs batteries to run.

Last point I can think of at the moment is I think it's wise to know how to get stains out of various things, because like, there's a different method and different things to use for most stuff, and you need to be able to work on stains quickly, and sure, you can google, but what if you don't have the necessary stuff at hand? You've got to go out and buy it and it's just not convenient.

[Joseph41]

^Thank you. Any advice on different stain types?

[Calebark]

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CAN OPENER, NICK, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ONE AND HAD TO OPEN TWO TUNA CANS FOR DINNER WITHOUT ONE. C A N    O P E N E R

This is one of the rare things I have experience in, so I'll write something real tonight
 

[K888]

^Thank you. Any advice on different stain types?

Big ones would be food/liquids on clothing, but also blood (never know when you're gonna cut yourself with the kitchen knife, the tip is to soak stuff in cold water), anything on carpet (particularly foods/liquids) and ink. Might think of a few more later.

Handy stuff to have:
- that pre-wash laundry stain spray, and napisan (or whatever it's called), and as an aside - make sure you have laundry liquid for handwashing
- bleach/hydrogen peroxide
- isopropyl alcohol (really recommend having this)
- nail polish remover (acetone based)
- white vinegar
- bicarbonate of soda
- also handy to have stuff to get rid of grime/soap scum/general bathroom yuckiness
- if you're gonna be in a place that's older/has dodgier plumbing, maybe also consider drain cleaner

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CAN OPENER, NICK, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ONE AND HAD TO OPEN TWO TUNA CANS FOR DINNER WITHOUT ONE. C A N    O P E N E R

Oh yeah, can openers. Definitely good to have. As are potato masher thingos, peelers and graters. Oh, and have more than one wooden spoon! And invest in a good egg flip thingo, too.

[peterpiper]

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CAN OPENER, NICK, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ONE AND HAD TO OPEN TWO TUNA CANS FOR DINNER WITHOUT ONE. C A N    O P E N E R

Hahah my fingers like curled up when I read that. *chills*

[strawberries]

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CAN OPENER, NICK, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ONE AND HAD TO OPEN TWO TUNA CANS FOR DINNER WITHOUT ONE. C A N    O P E N E R

This is one of the rare things I have experience in, so I'll write something real tonight
 

^^omg this

the other day I went out to buy food and bought some canned food and forgot about the can opener part
next morning I was excited to eat my food but realized I didn't have an opener and was so lazy to walk to the mall and I was starving

but yeah, in answer to the main question
having to cook all the time (altho I'll admit I'm lazy and I eat microwavable/takeaway too much sometimes)
cooking takes up a tonne of time
also you get really bored of what you're cooking/eating
but i've experimented some new foods over the past year though

also cleaning too but i'm a messy person and I don't really clean my room (gross I know)

luckily living on campus means we have maintenance if anything goes wrong though

tl;dr

don't move out

[spectroscopy]

biggest adjustment I had to make first time i lived by myself was doing laundry. after I had used all my clothes, I would always forget to put a washload on or just be way too tired. Eventually my good clothes would be unwearable and I would have an event I'd want to wear an outfit to and then put on a washload. I don't even dislike laundry that much I just never end up doing it. and then when I did do it I would be way too cheap to get one of those portable clothing line things and didn't have a dryer and it was a mess and clothes would be damp for 200 years until I figured out I could put them on the heater. I don't know what lesson is to be learnt out of this anecdote though. maybe just that im silly cos no one else I know has gone through this.

as for more widely applicable issues, I don't think moving out is too different from living at home. if you are a person whose gonna wanna cook your meals then that is a whole new can of worms. I never lived somewhere with a kitchen so cant really relate. if you have roommates that is also a different thing. I've always had great experience with my roommates, but they have all been pretty reserved foreign students who are very considerate and im pretty chill so its fine. I had a weird one when I lived in overseas who would sing Thai songs at night time when I was asleep and another one who was a Chinese international student who would be super quiet all-day then once a week just start breaking shit on his desk at 4am cos he was playing games online with his friends and he died and had an outburst. both of these are things I didn't really mind cos my first roommate had a good voice and would stop if it woke me and the second one was just a top lad the rest of the time so I would say 'shut up' and go back to sleep. other than that the biggest thing with roommates is to be a) friendly and b) honest. if someone does something that irritates you, don't let it build up with anger inside you until eventually you burst. just immediately mention the issue in a super friendly way and directly ask them to fix it. if you are too friendly and don't say specifically what the issue is for a very long time, it can cause issues. so I would just say shit like "wtf bro the house smells like ur noodles hahahaha can u put it in the bin outside next time u galah" and they would be like "ok sure by the way what is a galah". so basically just nip it in the bud early. but still always be super friendly with them and shit. Its kind of important to be honest early when you have issues though cos if you ask them to stop doing something, and they have been doing it for ages then they might a) be embarrassed you let it go on so long without saying anything or b) start to question your earlier friendliness and think it was a façade because you have been irritated by something they do regularly. I definitely think 9 times out of 10 (in my experience) the people you live with might not realise you have an issue with something they do. I know I have had people I live with tell me to cut something out and literally not 1 iota of my mind could of possibly realised it would be something annoying to them until they had mentioned it, even though in retrospect it was obvious.

tl;dr if youre gonna have roommates be direct and honest with any issues but still be friendly

[strawberries]

biggest adjustment I had to make first time i lived by myself was doing laundry. after I had used all my clothes, I would always forget to put a washload on or just be way too tired. Eventually my good clothes would be unwearable and I would have an event I'd want to wear an outfit to and then put on a washload. I don't even dislike laundry that much I just never end up doing it. and then when I did do it I would be way too cheap to get one of those portable clothing line things and didn't have a dryer and it was a mess and clothes would be damp for 200 years until I figured out I could put them on the heater. I don't know what lesson is to be learnt out of this anecdote though. maybe just that im silly cos no one else I know has gone through this.

yeah also the laundry stuff is annoying
washing machine-usage here is expensive (broke uni student ) so I try to wash most things by hand but I'm so lazy nowadays and I go for days and realize I have piles of clothes left to wash
also, our drying room is like an indoor room so it takes forever to dry and can't fit clothes on my heater so I sometimes I have to wait a while for clothes

[K888]

yeah also the laundry stuff is annoying
washing machine-usage here is expensive (broke uni student ) so I try to wash most things by hand but I'm so lazy nowadays and I go for days and realize I have piles of clothes left to wash
also, our drying room is like an indoor room so it takes forever to dry and can't fit clothes on my heater so I sometimes I have to wait a while for clothes

Cheap clothes horse is the solution to your problems, strawbs. Could even get one from an op shop if you're super cheap, I reckon.

Putting clothes on your heater creates a big fire risk - so definitely don't do that haha.

[elysepopplewell]

On the kitchen utensil things - the can opener speaks to me on a spiritual level. My six months out of home was always spent laughing with my friends because we just stabbed the top of our coconut milk tins (curry errrrryday) with a bottle opener because we have 5 of them and no can openers. Disaster.

Also - scales and measuring cups. Seriousssssly.

In terms of grocery shopping, I think you get used to understanding the "essentials" which for me was potato, bacon, pasta, cheese, oil. You can always make something from these. Bought them every week so I always had some handy. Also butter, bread, eggs. And reaaaallly make a conscious effort to eat vegetables that aren't just potatoes.

[Calebark]

First stage of moving in:

-When moving into a new place, you'll have to complete a conditional report on the property detailing all the damage to the property that's there at commencement. If there's unlisted damage when you leave, that's coming out of your bond money. When completing this, treat it like you're aiming for that perfect GPA. Check every hinge, step on every tile to determine looseness, scour every surface for dents, check all the taps, the fuse box, blahblah. Be detail-orientated, because you don't want to lose money for preexisting damage.

-Check for infestations. At my last place, I had cockroaches and rats once I moved in. Don't leave out any food scraps (that's bad normally anyway), and get rid of them ASAP, as it's unhygienic and can cause damage.

-Familiarise fuse box, water heater, etc within the first week. There'll be instruction manuals that come with the property.

Having phone issues so I'll finish post later