Either everyone neglected to tell me this, or I really wasn't paying attention when I was told apartment hunting is hard. I woke up one morning recently, and decided I didn't want to live at home anymore. A seemingly spontaneous decision, but one that was a long time coming I think. After spending more than a year amongst the creature comforts of living with my family, I think I'm ready to move out and move on. The other day I was trying to express to a friend my exact motivations for wanting my own place. This will sound a little silly, but the truth is that I'm ready to not be spoiled. I've found that living at home has made me fiscally...wayward (read: bad). And I'm ready to be a little more disciplined with my meager and constantly depleting funds. I want to worry about utilities, making rent, keeping grocery shopping to a minimum (maybe avoiding the white truffle butter -- even when it sounds incredible -- because it costs ten bucks a pop). And while spending more money just so that I can save more money sounds a tad counterintuitive, I know, deep down, that it's the only way I'll ever learn to be more responsible for myself. No more impulsive online shopping! No more gifts to the New York Public Library for overdue fines! I'm keeping my eyes on the lookout for the perfect apartment, and a clean slate for 2011.
