This blog was written by Semester 2 Storyteller, Niharika.
A reflection on how moving away for university turned groceries, cooking, laundry and money into unexpected lessons in independence.
I think my first real lesson in independence happened during a two-kilometre walk.
My friend and I had just done our first grocery shop after moving to campus. Being completely new to shopping for ourselves, we apparently thought two people needed five full Coles bags.
While walking back, we questioned our strength but thought we had no other option and barely knew our way around.
About 500 metres into it, the realisation hit that we needed help.
That was also the day we discovered UniSafe and its campus transport service. Getting picked up while standing there with five bags and very little hope felt like discovering a life hack I should have been told at Orientation.
To this day, probably one of my favourite discoveries at university!
Then came the next problem.
What exactly was I supposed to do with all those groceries?
My first meal here was instant noodles.
A humble beginning.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook. Back home, cooking was something I’d occasionally do when I wanted something different. Here, suddenly, it wasn’t a hobby.
Apparently, I needed to feed myself every single day.
So began my YouTube-chef era.
I tried recipes, learned from friends, borrowed a few from home, started prepping curry bases and slowly figured out what I actually liked making.
Food also became part of some of my earliest friendships. Getting invited to someone’s place for dinner suddenly felt like receiving a five-star invitation. I’d watch friends put together an entire meal and think, you MADE all of this?
Living alone made me appreciate that effort differently. Cooking for someone takes time and planning, and there’s something really lovely about someone deciding you’re worth cooking an extra portion for.
A few years later, I’ve somehow gone from instant noodles to being confident enough to cook for friends, host dinners and even pull off Christmas dinner.
Character development, served with curry.
And then there was laundry.
At home, if I ignored the laundry long enough, somehow clean clothes eventually reappeared. A system I deeply respected.
Living independently revealed the person behind that magic: definitely not me.
Apparently, cleaning my room once a month wasn’t going to work either. You could clean everything one day and somehow need to do it again the next. Dishes needed washing. The bag on the table needed putting away. Laundry wasn’t finished when the machine beeped, it still needed drying, folding and putting into the cupboard.
Even my water bottle needed filling by me.
Turns out, younger siblings are an extremely underrated household service.
I quickly learned that ignoring chores doesn’t make them disappear. It just lets them pile up until carrying the laundry to the laundry room becomes its own workout.
Whites and colours needed separating. Detergent and fabric softener were different things. Some clothes needed handwashing.
Turns out, independence involves a surprising amount of putting things back where they belong.
But perhaps the biggest lesson came from money.
At first, it was about stretching what I received from home across the month so Week Four me didn’t suffer because Week One me felt rich.
Then came finding a job and earning my first few dollars, and money suddenly became hours.
Spending $40 wasn’t just $40 anymore. It was: Wait… I worked two hours for this.
That’s also why discovering student support such as the LTSU Foodbank felt genuinely useful. Sometimes getting help with basic groceries meant one less grocery run and a little more breathing room in the weekly budget.
Somewhere between grocery bags, curry bases, laundry piles, dirty dishes and bank balances, I think I finally understood independence.
I used to think it meant freedom when nobody is telling you when to eat, clean, save or look after yourself.
Turns out, independence is realising nobody needs to.
Because slowly, you learn to become that person for yourself.
Although if someone wants to invite me over for dinner, I’m still absolutely saying yes because what could be better than someone offering you food made with love?
And if you’re learning these things for the first time too, learn them properly. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, managing money and looking after your health aren’t optional “adulting” extras. They’re basic life skills we all need.
You don’t need to know everything immediately. Ask someone. Watch the tutorial. Try the recipe. Burn it. Try again.
Independence isn’t knowing everything. It’s learning how to take care of yourself.
Because you can absolutely survive on toast for a few days.
Just probably not for life.