Hi, hello there. It's been a pretty interesting few weeks so far for a few different reasons, one them being that I moved out at the beginning of the month. YIKES. Being an adult is actually so stressful, I don't like it and want a refund. Anyway, yes, I moved out on my own for the very first time in my life and it happened pretty unexpectedly. I originally didn't plan on moving out until next year, since things didn't really seem to be working out for me to move out this year. And just like that, it happened. Like, um, okay. No warning whatsoever. 

But yes, I actually moved out at the beginning of May and I did it within a little less than a week. It all happened so fast and I'm only just now getting the chance to process everything and get everything in order. I've been home alone quite a lot this week so I've had plenty of quiet time to clean, decorate a little, and kind of get my mind in order and reflect a bit. 

Even though I've only been living on my own for about a week now at the time that I'm writing this, I feel like I've already learned so much, even if they're things that most people probably already know or have been doing. But I thought I would share a couple of things that I learned just in case there are some young people out there like me who are trying to move out themselves or have moved out and maybe need a little help on saving a few dollars on bills or need a couple of tips on grocer shopping even. Anyhoo, let me just get right into it.

So electricity is expensive. That's always a fun thing to learn, that bills cost a lot of money. Luckily, my mom has been teaching me a few tips and tricks over the years since she's a frugal little woman and I didn't ever think that a lot of her habits or tricks to save money would actually make it into my own home.

But luckily one thing I like to do is keep track of EVERYTHING. I like to track my savings, my paychecks, how much electricity I'm using on a day to day basis, how long my showers are, etc. It's a little weird but it helps me gauge how long things will take me or how much of something I'm saving or spending. The first few days of living in the new place, however, I quickly noticed I was using too much electricity than I was comfortable with. Now, I live with a roommate so it's also important that I take her needs and wants into consideration.

However, I've figured out a few ways to save money without cutting into the other person's space or affecting them too much. One thing I started doing is turning off the AC during the day. It's still quite nice outside which is strange since it usually starts getting pretty hot around this time but I'm not complaining. Instead of leaving the air on all day, I turn it off on the breaker and open up the windows and turn on a couple of overhead fans in the living room/ kitchen area and my roommate's room to keep the cool air flowing. I usually keep my fan off in my room and just open up the window since I get cold really easily. 

Since it's just me during the day right now, I don't need a lot of air flowing constantly since I'm just staying in my room most of the day. Once 7 or 8 rolls around, I'll switch it back on so the place is cold for when we go to bed since neither of us can sleep when it's too warm inside. I'll probably continue to switch off the air whenever I start going to work regularly since no one will be home and my roommate can turn the air on whenever she gets home before me and that kind of thing.

We also never really use the oven that much since we have an air fryer and a toaster oven so I keep that switched off as well and turn it off immediately after using it so I don't forget and it doesn't use any more energy than I need it to. I also switched off the dishwasher since I don't believe in those contraptions. I noticed that these little habits cut my electric bill in half! I'm officially an adult now, I get excited over smaller bills. 

The first three or four days of living here, my roommate and I went to the grocery store a few times. I went shopping on my own for enough food to get us through at least a week and my roommate did the same. Once we had moved in completely, we decided to do one last trip to get our last-minute grocery items that were more specific for certain dishes we wanted to make. After that, we've yet to even go shopping for any basics. 

When it's just the two of you, you realize just how little food you're actually going through as the days go by. To be honest, the amount of food we have might be too much but at least we know that we probably won't have to make any big grocery runs for at least a month. The only things we'll really have to go shopping for are basics that we go through faster than other items such as butter since I like to bake, orange juice, cheese, and other small things.

But along with that, I've also noticed that certain grocery items we won't need to buy very often at all. A loaf of bread can last us about two weeks, and a jug of milk could last us the same amount of time, if not longer. We also have a lot of frozen foods that we can heat up rather quickly if we don't feel like cooking anything after a long day or just don't feel like cooking. Our ingredients are lasting us longer than we planned so I've been keeping our extra loaves of bread and extra butter in the freezer to keep them from going bad. Which is another good little tip to give I guess.

Putting extra loaves of bread or even bagels in the freezer will last you so much longer and keep the bread from starting to mold. It's a good hack for when you buy an extra loaf too many and are worried about the bread going bad. It also doesn't hurt to keep an extra package of butter or cheese in the freezer just in case. And if you have enough room, maybe an extra jug of milk or orange juice. 

Now I love Target. I would marry that store if I could. I love going in because it's so pretty and clean and aesthetic and I just have way too much fun in Target. However, it's definitely not a store I would buy my groceries and home decor at unless I felt like I couldn't find it anywhere else. Even though you might love a certain store like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, or any other store that you love to shop at, the prices that change throughout the stores for the same items is honestly shocking. 

One example is that one day when I was in Target, I wanted some hot Cheetos. I love my hot Cheetos and I was running low. I saw that one bag at Target was about $3.50 which is a little high. But they were having a special, buy two bags and you get one free. However, I decided to go to Wal-Mart and get them there instead since I only wanted one bag and saw that each bag was $2.50. I calculated it and realized that I wasn't saving any money no matter which store I went to. I could either get two bags at Target for $7.00 and a free bag or go to Wal-Mart and buy three bags for the exact same amount. 

Basically, the whole point of that little story is to just do your research and pay attention to the prices at your favorite stores and compare them to other places. Especially when there are any "specials" or "deals" going on because they might not even be deals. Even though stores such as Wal-Mart are pretty cheap and affordable, there could be places where you can get even more for your money. My personal choice for grocery shopping is good ole Aldi. 

Food is always going to be more expensive simply because of the brand name. However, I don't care what brand it is as long as it tastes good and it's a reasonable price. Instead of choosing to buy the brand name items, I'd rather buy the no-brand items for half the price or even cheaper. I've learned that this is so important when it comes to saving money on your food and it's going to help you in the long run. It's totally okay to splurge and buy your brand named items if that's what you really want, I know I'm still gonna keep buying my hot Cheetos. But when it comes to your basic everyday grocery items, there's no need to spend more money than you need to simply because a bag of chips is twice the price because it has Lays or Tostitos on the package.

I'm certain that I'll be able to learn so much more as the weeks and months pass and I'm honestly excited about that. I'm the first out of my friend group to move out on my own and I feel like I'll be able to help them if they ever need advice on moving, saving money, shopping hacks and tips, etc. I hope someone learned something out there and that I helped someone by posting this. Let me know if you enjoyed it and if you have any other tips and tricks you have to either save money or make life a little easier. Until next time!