10 Things College Students Living Alone Wish They Had Known Sooner

I think many people have started living alone since becoming college students.

I also had many moments after I started living alone where I felt, "I wish I had known this sooner..."
I've summarized 10 of those things here.

I hope this will be helpful for those who are about to start living alone or those who are just getting used to it.

1. You can drink tap water normally if you boil it

Some people might think, "You can just drink tap water as is," but I had some resistance to it, and until recently, I would go to the convenience store in the middle of the night whenever I ran out of water.
However, once I learned that I could drink it without worry if I boiled it once, I was able to spend the money I used to spend on plastic bottles on other things. d(￣ ￣)

2. Keep paper plates, paper cups, and disposable chopsticks in stock

They are convenient as an "escape route" for when you have guests, when you're tired, or when dishes have piled up. You can get them all at a 100-yen shop, so I don't think the cost performance is bad either.

3. Buy refills for shampoo and such while you still have stock

To prevent "realizing it's gone only after it's empty" or "feeling too lazy to go buy it because it's raining," I recommend buying them early when you have a little bit left.

4. Keep a household account book

It might be a chance to realize, "I was actually spending money on things like this!"

5. Study investments like NISA

Even if you haven't actually started yet, I think it's better to at least have the knowledge early on. I started recently too.

6. Don't touch your smartphone during class

It might seem obvious, but if you touch it even once, your brain will mistake "class" for "smartphone time," so be careful.

7. Earn as many credits as possible during your first and second years

Once you get into the habit of slacking off, it's hard to recover from there.

8. Establish your lifestyle habits as early as possible

Once you become a night owl, it becomes really hard to wake up in the morning (;;)

9. Be slightly conscious of your "Gakuchika" (what you focused on in college)

You will likely feel panicked when job hunting suddenly begins.
Even if it's something small, having a list of things you've done might help you later.

10. Keep certifications in mind

I didn't think about things like certifications at all during my first year,
but even if you don't end up getting them, I think just knowing about them makes a difference.

How was it?

I'm still going through trial and error myself, so if you have any other things that worked well for you, please let me know.