Of the cardinal virtues of becoming a genuine, bona fide adult, moving into your first apartment is certainly up there. “How exciting!” At least, that’s only the first half of what everyone is going to say when you tell them; the second half is, “Are you scared yet?”

Really reassuring. Thanks.

Moving out doesn’t have to be frightening though, and the key to that is knowing what you’re doing. Figuring out what works for you and sticking to it applies the same for apartment living as it does for school. You may not actually, genuinely know what you’re doing, but it’s college — the certified graveyard of swapped majors and dropped classes.

Be mindful of what you consume

You can only have ramen cup dinners so many times before you die an Oregon Trail death of scurvy. I’m kidding, but the amusement of filling all the archetypes of college kid woe is only funny for the first few weeks.

I’m not saying ramen cup dinners have no place in our current life-stage. It’s way too convenient and financially feasible to abandon, but there is benefit in putting in a little extra effort to make things nicer than that.

This doesn’t just apply to microwave meals with questionable levels of microplastics. This also means putting stuff up on the walls to hide some of that awful landlord white.

The “having nothing on your walls” approach is cheaper, but you can find some  steals by indulging in garage sales and stores like Goodwill. Your state of mind reflects your environment, so have fun with it where you can. It gets real sad, real quick in the winter months to look at four identically drab walls and eat the same meal four different times.

Budgeting can be fun; here’s how:

It’s time to enter your boring adult era and get excited about coat hangers and kitchen appliances. By that I mean, budgeting isn’t particularly attractive and can be stressful as all get-out but is absolutely necessary if you want to sleep easy at night.

Deadlines on rent, even with grace periods, are crucial to remember, so make sure you always know and track when and how much your payments are. If you have roommates, make sure you communicate clearly and often about rent-split.

Don’t stop there, either. Keeping the fridge stocked is a lot easier if you can be chill about sharing food expenses. Knowing roughly how much you need to set aside each week for household expenses helps you plan how much is left for everything else, including the ever-tempting sweet treat.

This may mean cutting back on some things, like dropping a streaming subscription or not eating out as much. Eating at home can become  just as expensive though, so be smart about where you shop and part with brand names where you can.

Don’t let your current expenses distract you from longer-term payments though. Bills, like your semester fees, are just as important as they were prior to apartment living.

Burnout is real (and it has your tax information)

A college student is no stranger to burnout, but it adds up once you’re doing all the “adult stuff” for the first time on your own.

Don’t run yourself into the ground.

There’s a lot going on, and it can be overwhelming, so break it up. Set smaller habits — like having your laundry basket where it’ll be seen and used — to make it easier to keep up with larger habits — like doing the laundry more than once a month. Don’t sign up for more than you can handle and learn to live with not being able to do it all, all the time.

Don’t be a stranger

Homesickness can be really difficult while you’re still getting settled. You might start missing things you never thought you’d miss, and that makes it hard to stay away from home. So don’t.

You went to college, not the grave. Your friends and family are right where you left them. If you’re able to, visit on the weekend sometimes, eat a home-cooked meal and stay involved in your loved ones’ lives.

If you can’t visit, call home. It helps them, just as much as you if not more, to worry less when you’re where they aren’t.

Remember, this is a brand-new adventure for you, and you’re going to have all kinds of firsts. Take it in stride. Don’t be too hard on yourself. And, everyone’s not wrong, it is exciting. So be excited. The difference between “surviving” and living is having fun with it.