Whether young people leave home at the age of 17 or 25, they’re going to be faced with a new set of challenges, with additional responsibilities, choices, and stresses that they have to manage in their own time in order to become fully-fledged adults. It’s a tough journey, and a formative one, but along the way, your struggles can actually be compounded by not having full autonomy and independence from your parents and wider family. In this guide, you’ll find out how to achieve a greater degree of independence within your familial circle.
Finances
This is the number one element of your life that’s likely to still be in some ways tied to your parents – and in that case, preventing you from being totally independent. If you’re able to get a job as soon as you move out, that’s an essential stage in stabilizing your finances and allowing you to make your own economic decisions. Then follows the use of debit cards and credit cards, responsible spending habits, and mature budgeting, all of which will lead you towards financial independence.
To get around, you were once used to lifts from your parents or other relatives and family friends. Now you’re living away from home, getting from one side of town to the other – or, indeed, from one side of your state to the other – can feel difficult. And of course, a lack of mobility will seriously impair your ability to be independent. To solve this issue, check out listings of used cars for sale in Spokane in order to pick up a ride that’ll enable you to shop, work and travel with far more autonomy and flexibility.
Transportation
Living Situation
Then there’s your home itself. Are you living very close to your parents, in the same neighborhood, the same city, or the same state? As someone looking to achieve independence, it’s important that you find a way to establish your own space, wherever you’re living. Set up boundaries and start building a home that you can love and appreciate. It’s now your personal space, and you have the right to make that look and feel as you want it to.
Eating and Drinking
Another huge element that many young people find it difficult to adjust to is the fact that living away from home; you’re unlikely to be able to cook for yourself on a regular basis. Those three meals per day that your parents dutifully bought and prepared for you are now your responsibility – and that means you must buy, cook and prepare your own food daily when once this wasn’t your responsibility. You’ll be surprised how difficult this can be to achieve. Here are some tips to help feed yourself once independent:
- Store long-life tinned food – it’s both cheap and easy to throw into a dish when you’re low on fresh store-bought items
- Find simple recipes online and attempt to perfect and memorize them over the weeks ahead, so you have some signature dishes to prepare
- Take inspiration from global cuisine and your local traditional food to make some of the tastiest meals in your locality – in your home
Cooking is a huge responsibility for a young person, and these tips can help you make the most of your situation.
To achieve true independence in your young life, it’s important that you have the above responsibilities worked out, guaranteeing yourself a certain amount of autonomy into the future.
