I left my hometown after school because I wanted to go to college in a different city. After all the reprimands from my mum during my board exams, I thought to myself – “This is it. I have to live on my own. It is my life!” (Much like any other teenager.)
Little did I know what I was getting into.
After spending almost 8 years on my own, here are some pearls of wisdom I have accumulated, that I believe many my age will relate to.
Bhaiya, 1 Kilo Potato Kitna Hai?
I still remember the first time I went veggie shopping to the bhaaji waala near my hostel in Bengaluru.
I met a host of new vegetables that I’d never seen in my life (probably because I’d always seen them cooked!) I remember taking pictures and WhatsApping them to my dad, asking him what each vegetable was called.
I then proceeded to pick up 5 potatoes, 6 onions and 6 tomatoes and give them to the bhaaji waala. He looked at me and asked, “Kitna Kilo chaiye?”
I said, “Itna hi chaiye.” He just smiled.
Later that night, when my dad asked me the price of a kilo of potatoes in Benguluru, I ended up brushing up my mathematical skills!
Oh, the Electricity Bill
Electricity bills are a part of adult life. Accept it.
At home, when mum and dad would tell me to switch off lights and fans Every Single Second, I would huff and puff and think they were over-reacting.
But here’s the thing: the day my PG owner chided me, saying: “Fan bandh karo, bill zyada aata hai,” I finally got it.
In your 20s, you will realise that electricity bills have the ‘power’ (no pun intended) to bankrupt you. Period.
Laundry Time is Serious Business
Who would’ve thought laundry was such a headache!
Living on my own has made me realise ‘washing clothes’ is an activity you centre your day around.
Which is why when someone asks me what I’m doing on a Sunday morning, you will often hear me say, “I’m washing clothes – and you?”
(Note: The completion of the herculean task gives me such pride that I often treat myself to pizza after!)
House Helps are a Godsend
If you have someone who cooks your food, does the dishes and cleans the floor, then consider yourself Very Lucky.
At home, when mum would mutter about the house help not turning up, I would tell her to ‘chill’, declaring, “It’s just a day.”
Now, my house help’s number is the most dialled one in the morning. And I do not argue with her.
I request. Often beg.
Budget Diaries are the New Piggy Banks
When I joined my first job – considering the amount freshers get – I started a ‘budget diary’ to list all my expenses.
God knows where all the money would vanish!
I’d look down in horror and sound suspiciously like my parents as I said: “Gosh, things have become so expensive!”
What ‘Independence’ Truly Means
Mood swings are a given – but when you’re living alone, boy, can they be challenging!
You feel the irresistible urge to pamper yourself (think retail therapy – lots of it) and there are soon burning holes in your pocket.
Then, there are the days when everyone you care the most about – your friends, boyfriend, mother (yes, sometimes that happens!) will be busy and you have to fend for yourself.
Shout-out to all teenagers: That’s what ‘being independent’ is really about.
Ouch, the Finances
If only life were a movie and you could walk in and out of rooms with shopping bags!
During college, I’d get a certain sum as pocket money from my parents and I would have to practise the painful tug-of-war between my wallet and my wishes.
After I got my first job, I believe I truly understood the value of money. I’d think my problems would be sorted with the next raise – and when I finally got one a year later, I realised the problems were only multiplying!
Now, as I am about to touch 26 years of existence on earth, new financial woes spring up every month – tax savings, investments, future planning, saving for that dream holiday, that far-off wedding....
Sigh.
You Truly Know Yourself
But the most important thing of all?
When you’re in your 20s, you get to know yourself. If you thought you knew yourself at 21, your opinion of yourself will change by the time you’re 25.
You will find yourself dealing with the oddest of situations and saying: “Woah! I didn’t know I had that in me.”
Sure, there’ll be heartbreaks and insecurities; but there will also be the good times and that’s what you’ll learn to live for.
And you’ll hear that voice whispering to you, in the midst of all your financial woes and mood swings, your breakups and your independence: “Live your life, woman. You belong to yourself.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)