There has been an increase in Americans living alone. In fact, according to some reports, American adults who are living alone doubled in the last 50 years. And, it’s not only in America. Living alone is becoming popular in different parts of the world.
And, living alone is not only for the younger generation. In the U.S., even older adults choose to live alone. According to studies, 27% of American older adults lived alone. In other countries, only an average of 16% lives alone. In the Asia-Pacific region and North African regions, only 5% of seniors do.
But, living alone is not for everyone. It is a tough decision to make, and it involves careful planning and preparation. It comes with the readiness to do everything independently. These include doing different household chores and DIY home projects. From cleaning the entire house to cooking meals every day to cleaning the toilet, you have to do all things by yourself. And these things are not easy to do. It requires knowledge, skills, and a lot of patience.
So, if you are thinking of living on your own, here are some household chores and DIY projects that you will encounter along the way. You might want to see if you’re ready enough to do the following:
Clean the toilet
According to a Yelp survey, cleaning the bathroom is one of the most hated household chores of American couples in 2019. This includes cleaning and drying the sink, cleaning and wiping the toilet, as well as cleaning the shower. If you are living alone, you will most likely do all these alone. You will have to disinfect the bathroom once or twice to get rid of bacteria. You will also have to learn about which products to use in disinfecting the toilet.
Fix bathroom problems
Say you wake up in the morning and go to your bathroom, only to find your sink clogged, do you know what to do? Worse, what if your toilet gets clogged? How about when your faucet leaks or your water heater breaks? What should you do? The first thing that will come to your mind is to hire plumbing services. But, you should at least know which quick remedies to make for simple plumbing repairs. You might want to check out YouTube instructional videos for specific repairs.
Do some quick DIY repairs
You might need to drill some holes to hang your furniture. You might have to attach a broken chair. Or you might have to fix a broken doorknob or change an old non-working bulb. Some home repairs do not need professional repairmen. You might as well learn the basics of fixing things at home so you wouldn’t have to call repair services. They can be costly when you can repair them on your own. Consult DIY videos online and you’ll get the help that you need.
Do your laundry
No, it’s not only about dropping each piece of clothing in the washing machine. You have to know the basics of clothes segregation depending on color and type of clothes. That is if you wouldn’t want your clothes to get ruined. Know how much detergent you will need per kilogram of clothes. Also, take note of the capacity of the machine and the amount of water needed per batch. And, with laundry comes the task of drying, hanging, folding, and pressing clothes. Laundry services can be costly these days. You wouldn’t want to spend every single dollar you earn paying the laundry.
Cook your meals
You wouldn’t want to rely on food deliveries every day. You would at least want to learn the easiest recipes, so you wouldn’t munch on instant noodles every meal. Buy a recipe book or follow your favorite chef vlogger on YouTube to copy easy-to-make recipes. If you want to push your cooking skills, you might also want to try baking for your snack goodies. But, at least by now, you should at least already know how to fry your breakfast eggs, right?
Living alone isn’t just moving out from your family’s home. It isn’t just about getting your own space. Living alone is a responsibility. It is part of the adulting process that everyone should go through in life. It makes you feel accountable for whatever happens in your life every day. You should show up for these household tasks and be ready to face them every single day. And you will do them time and time again, alone. It’s part of adulting. So, are you ready?
