Things Mom’s No Longer Responsible For

May 22, 2018College RentalsApartment Living, Budgeting, Family, Food, Off Campus Housing, Parent's CornerNo Comments

I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T, do you know what that means? You’re flying solo now, and with new freedom comes new responsibilities. Here are some things your mom can’t (and shouldn’t) do for you anymore once you move away.

Chores

Alright, you should have already been doing your own chores, but now you’re responsible for the whole space in your studio apartment. If your parents kept the house tidy while you played video games all day, you’re in for a nasty, dirty, messy shock. Do your laundry once a week, keep those dishes out of the sink, good gravy clean your toilet bowl! A clean home is proven to lower anxiety, and you’ll have enough to stress about in calculus.

Cooking

You will need to buy all your own food. You will need to cook all your own food. Until you get the hang of it, you may end up eating far too much cereal and ramen noodles, and that’s really okay. Cooking at home is far cheaper than eating out, so crack open a recipe book and start learning!

Appointments

Take comfort in knowing the most stressful reality about a doctor’s appointment is the bill. Nothing is going to bite your face when you pick up the phone and schedule your own physical. You got this.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Most definitely are not a thing anymore. Mom can’t fight your battles in college, and if one of your professors gets an email from her, he will laugh at you. If you think the grade you got is unfair, go to office hours and dispute it like an adult. Your professor will have much more respect for you, and you’ll be pretty proud too.

Covering Your Expenses

Your parents’ help with tuition is one thing, but you should be paying most of your own bills. Get a part-time job, and work during the summer as much as you can to provide for yourself. This is also a great way to network and build experience for future employment.