As this school year comes to an end, many students, including myself, are finalizing decisions about where to live for the following year. I feel very fortunate to have found a space that works well for me and checks off most of the boxes that I wished for in my soon-to-be new environment. While I’m happy with where I’ll be living, it can still be really stressful making the jump from living in a dorm to renting a house or apartment. To help myself take on this larger responsibility, I’ve brainstormed a few ways that I think will help my transition and hopefully others too!
Making Meals
A huge part of living on campus is being reliant on dining hall food. While it isn’t always my favorite thing to eat, it has always been very convenient. Now that I won’t be living on campus, I will have to think about grocery shopping, meal prepping, and actually cooking the food. If you know me, you know my cooking skills don’t go beyond Kraft macaroni and cheese. To help combat the timeless question of, “What do I eat for dinner?” I’ve been making a cookbook. For the past few months when I’m home, my mom and I have been making some of my favorite dishes together and adding them to my cookbook. This way I know I’ll like every recipe in the book and I will already have experience making it.Â
Juggling Monthly Expenses
Payments for living on campus are a little more cut and dry. You pay for room and board and then your meal plan. When living in a rented space, there are many monthly expenses such as rent, electricity, heat, wifi etc. To make sure I don’t miss a payment and have to pay a pesky late fee, I will be using a budgeting app. There are many to choose from in the app store, but the one I have found to be very easy to work with is Goodbudget. In the app I can fill in all of my monthly expenses, how much I want to spend on groceries weekly, and if I’m saving up for something special! The app is also great because you can link it with your bank accounts to keep track of transactions. There’s an email feature that is really convenient if you’re like me and use the Google Calendar program. With your calendar, you can schedule expenses and track data of what you’re spending.
Keeping a Larger Space Clean
In a dorm, you only have to keep a single room clean. All of the community spaces like bathrooms, common rooms, and basement laundry rooms are kept up by UMaine workers. With a house or apartment, you are expanding your living space, resulting in more that you’ll be responsible to clean. Making sure I pull my weight and that I’m being respectful of my roommates is very important to me so I’ve brainstormed some ways to be mindful of my cleaning habits. To stay organized I will be creating a list of what should be cleaned daily, weekly, and monthly. There are pre-made lists online if you’re having a hard time grouping which cleaning habits should be done regularly. I think a listed format of what needs to be cleaned regularly will be beneficial because as a college student life can get very busy and priorities can be hard to maintain.
Ultimately, any change in living space will come with new challenges. Navigating to find a new routine and managing your time will not always be easy. But, taking it one step at a time and being patient to find what works best for you is important! Knowing that there are steps you can take to help prepare you can be comforting and I hope the ones I’ve listed will help.