9 Perks of Having Your Own Place

What were your daydreams mostly about when you were a kid? Mine's always about growing up fast and living on my own with no one telling me what and what not to do. That's why I loved playing house (bahay-bahayan) with my playmates and cousins back then. And it's not because I get to have fake husband and kids, but because I've always loved the idea of having my own house where I can be the boss of everything. It's not that I hated my life though, that I wanted so bad to break away and escape. In fact, I was a very lucky kid. I guess I was just way too excited to be a big girl living in a big world!



Now that my daydreaming days are over because my big-girl-living-in this-big-world-dream has come to life, I thought I'd share with you guys the things I love the most about finally having a place of my own.

1. YOU OWN IT

Remember that day when you finally got to buy that dress you've been eyeing at a store or that flashy gadget you've been saving up for? Don't we all feel euphoric when we finally own something we've always wanted? That's exactly what it feels like when you finally have a house of your own, only a thousand times better. And it doesn't even matter if it's not the bigass mansion most people dream of, as long as you work hard for it, it's yours and no one can take it away from you. Only the bank or HDMF I guess, if you're a delinquent payer. So don't be that person.

2. YOU SEE WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

A house never loses its value like clothes, gadgets, and even cars do. Clothes go out of fashion, gadgets become obsolete when the new ones hit the market, and cars get worn out over time. Not that a house won't wear out and fall apart but it's a property --a space you own that will remain yours no matter what. And that's why it's still the best investment to make because you get to see your hard-earned money turn into something of great value, something you can build your future in.

3. YOU SET THE RULES

That is if you even want rules at all. Because you own the place, no one can tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing anymore. If you hate doing chores, then fine! Don't wash the dishes, don't clean the house, and don't do the laundry! If you like having your friends around, then invite as many people as you can and throw a rager every Friday night. No one's going to scold you for letting your friends trash the place. You'll never get grounded forever! 

4. YOU LEARN HOW TO ADULT
The day you see what a household looks like when there are no set of rules to follow is the day you realize you actually need some sort of law and order. Because you own that house, you will eventually learn how to take proper care of it and everything inside it. You'll want to make it look nice all the time because you'll finally realize it's actually an extension of your personality that reflects who you are as a person.

And you want to look like you have your shit together, right? So even if you're not a huge fan of household chores, you will definitely want to wash the dishes, clean the house, and do the laundry! And guess what? You might even end up enjoying them!

5. YOU GAIN SMALL BUT IMPORTANT SKILLS
In my case, I had to learn how to cook because my house is sitting on top of a mountain and there aren't any fast food chains around, tricycle fare is freakin expensive, and the only ride I have is a bike. I realized I can't live on fried food and Pringles and Jelly Ace all my life so I had to learn how to make even just the simple meals.

There was even a time I didn't know how to change the stove's LPG tank and had to ask help from strangers. And also that time when I broke the faucet and the water just splashed all over the place and I didn't know how to make it stop or how to install a new faucet. All the small things I didn't think were important suddenly turned into something I had to learn because no one else is going to do them for me.

6. YOU FINALLY GET TO USE MATH

Running your own household isn't just about doing all the chores. There is a great deal of Mathematics involved, too! Yeah, I'm talking about the bills, bills, bills. Praise the Lord, budgeting your money every month is just simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. At least all those crying on your Math tests back in grade school didn't go to waste! Or was it just me who cried over Math?

But the point is, these bills are now your top priorities. If you're earning just enough to pay the bills, like me, then it's about time you consider quitting your bad shopping habits and budget the shit out of those peanuts. If you're a rich motherchucker though, then congratufuckinglations!

7. YOU GET A BETTER VIEW OF "THE FUTURE" 
I feel like owning a house is such a huge step that makes planning the next 5-10 years of your life a little teeny bit easier. I'm at the age when I can start my own little family whenever I want to and it wouldn't seem that drastic of a change anymore because we [my little family] already have a place to call our home! We don't need to rent an apartment or live with relatives anymore.

BUT I can also choose not to do that yet. I can put having a family on hold and tick shit off my bucket list first and it's still okay because if all else fails, I have somewhere to come home to. It's like having a base camp in the middle of a mountain climb. If your attempt to climb the summit fails today, you have somewhere to stay for the night and wait for the next try instead of going back to zero. Am I making sense here? NVM

8. YOU MAKE YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY PROUD
Not very sure in my case because even after so many years of living alone, I'm still pretty much a mess in life but I believe that every parent who sees their kid finally living independently would definitely be proud. I mean, I was once just a child who had to hold on to something just to be able to stand or walk for the first time. At fifth grade, I can't even cross streets without my cousin by my side.

Now, I'm actually running a household, earning and budgeting my own money, and looking after myself. I'm not saying I'm good at it but the fact that I'm still alive and my house hasn't burned down yet (knocks on wood) must mean I'm not doing it wrong either. I guess I can consider that as an accomplishment - something to be proud of, right?

9. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PRIVATE DOMICILE WHERE YOU WILL NOT BE HARASSED, BITCH
When shit after shit after shit happens, when everyone around you just keeps getting on your very last nerves, and when you just don't want any form of human interaction for the next 5 days, your home is your refuge. When you're happy, you can sing out loud and dance like a crazy person without being judged for your heartbreaking lack of talent. When you're depressed, you can lie on the floor crying, or spend days in the couch eating gallons after gallons of ice cream while watching sad movies. Your house is your escape from reality, your comfort zone where you can be ugly af, your batcave where genius can happen, and so much more!

I know anyone can do and learn all these things without having to buy a house. But going back to my first two perks: You get to own something. You see where your money goes. I've only been living in my house for 1 year and 5 months but I've also experienced renting out rooms and apartments since 2007. So I guess I have enough experience in living solo to say that paying the monthly mortgage hurts much much less than paying monthly rent where your money goes to the landlord and at the end of the day, all you really have are your precious clothes and shoes and gadgets.

Sorry if I blabbed way too much but I just really had fun sharing all these to everyone and I hope I was able to somehow inspire you guys to find your own dream houses too! I actually have more to share about my attempts to adult (mostly failed ones) but I'll just have to save that for my next posts. Bye for now! xx