An Unfortunate Commuter's End-of-Year Recap: My Top 10 Lessons Learned from Living Alone

And here, what must have been made on Microsoft Paint in 1996, a visual tribute to
the end of 2010, and the beginning of 2011. 

In just half a year of living alone, I have learned more about independent life than even I imagined. Here are the top 10 lessons I've taken away from my very own first apartment. (In no particular order)

1. Enjoy the silence

- Don't hide from the silence. You talk and listen all day. When you come home, even if for only 5 minutes, sit down in the silence, alone. You'll learn a little something about yourself every time.

2. Your rules, make them good
- You're on your own, so live it up! But not too much. Sure, you don't have to sneak around when taking a puff. But don't overdue the new found freedom. Everything in moderation, my friends.

3. Be friendly to your neighbors
- You probably think they are noisy, boring, and gross, but get this: they think the same thing about you. A simple smile or a wave when entering or exiting your apartment will really stand out.

4. Demand respect from your guests
- Your own place= your own party. Enjoy the freedom! But make sure guests, whether they be for dinner or for a kegger, respect your house. Inside voices, please!

5. Demand respect from yourself
-Sure, it's easy to let the dishes pile up now that no one is screaming at you to clean them. But clean them. A clean house is a happy house!

6. Be welcoming
-Sure, your friends might eat all of your food and mess up your apartment, but always been the first to offer your home for a gathering. Why spend all that money on rent if no one can enjoy it?

7. Don't be wasteful
-Just because no one is here to remind you to turn off the TV when you leave the room or to take a less than two hour shower, do it. Utility bills are reason enough to be conservative.

8. Pay your bills on time
-Whether it be the 30 dollar electricity bill or the amount-that-shall-remain-unspoken for rent, pay your bills on time. It avoids any possible stress, and it teaches you that deadlines are a real thing.

9. Get out!
-Remember, it's not just your own apartment, but its also your own neighborhood, as well. Eat local, shop local, and have fun, local! Get to know your neighborhood, it's yours' now.

10. Phone home
-You don't live with your parents anymore. That doesn't mean that they don't exist. Call and check in on them. Just because you're not living under their roof anymore doesn't mean you shouldn't care.