What we wish we knew before being on our own

Simply being out of your parents’ house is not the same thing as living on your own. Here’s a list of 10 things we wish someone had told us before we ditched the dorms for apartments and houses.

Utilities exist, and they can be pricey.
Instead of paying a flat rate once per semester like you do for the dorms, rent and utilities are paid monthly. Though rent is a flat rate, utilities vary from month to month depending on usage. Use heat and air conditioning smartly, as these can hike up your gas and electricity bills in the winter and summer. Be sure to adjust your budget during months that are especially hot or cold to account for the increased utility prices. For those in apartments, some utilities are usually included, so check with your landlord or leasing agency to see which are and are not accounted for in monthly rent payments.

Don’t wait until the last minute to set them up, either.
Most students move into their houses at about the same time in the two weeks leading up to the start of classes each August. This makes for a busy time for utility companies. To ensure you won’t be taking cold showers or living without Internet for a week, schedule these appointments as early as possible. If you have never had a bill under your name, setting it up for the first time is likely to take longer due to a lack of credit history.

You have to mow your lawn, shovel your snow and take out your trash.
If you thought the time of doing chores was over, think again. Unless your landlord lives in town and is kind enough to do it for you, you will be responsible for maintaining your lawn and making sure your sidewalks are kept clear of snow and ice in the winter if you live in a house. Additionally, you have to keep trash levels under control, and be sure to take cans to the curb weekly.

If you don’t clean up, the city could fine you.
If your yard is full of trash, the city has the right to issue you a notice of violation with a $50 fine per day. Additionally, if you leave trash cans by the curb for more than 24 hours after the designated trash pickup day, a $15 fine per day will be issued. In terms of yard appearance, if grass or weeds grow above 8 inches, the city can fine you $50 per day. If snow and ice aren’t removed from sidewalks within 24 hours of accumulation, the city can fine you $50 per day. All fines must be paid within two weeks of notice.

Netflix rules if you’re on a budget.
If you don’t have the funds to afford cable on top of all your other monthly bills, alternative TV entertainment through online services like Netflix or Hulu Plus can be a great substitute. This could save you about $90 per month. If you need to catch a game or your favorite show see if one of your friends has a cable box.

The grocery store doesn’t accept meal points.
Shocker, we know. Remember that groceries cost real money.

No one cooks your food.
Neither your mom nor IU Residential Programs and Services are around to feed you. Unless you have an awesome roommate or you eat out for every meal, you’re probably going to have to learn how to cook, or at least heat up ramen noodles.

Have a plan for sharing responsibilities with roomies.
If you don’t want it all to fall on one person’s shoulders, be sure to have a plan for delegating tasks. It can be helpful to have a white board to write down bill amounts as they come in each month and plan ahead for who will take the trash out each week and complete other chores.

There (generally) aren’t designated quiet hours.
Though some apartment complexes have posted quiet hours, there is no resident assistant to tell you or your neighbors to tone it down on weeknights. This can be both a good and bad thing. Noisy neighbors are much more likely to keep you up the night before an exam. However, it makes mid-week fun a lot more feasible. However, . There’s also the risk of noise complaints if you’re too rowdy.

Parties, though fun, leave giant messes.
Though it might be awesome to pack 100 people into your house, cleaning up a 100-person mess the next day with limited help might not be worth it.