A Few Skills You Should Learn This Summer

From what I’ve seen, many college students have trouble doing laundry, cooking meals, or washing dishes. This is usually because their parents have done their laundry and cooked for them their entire lives. While partying over the summer before college, many people never take the time to learn these vital skills and are blank-faced when they first see a washing machine.

Here are a few pointers on how to be a successful independent:

Learn How to Wash and Dry Clothes: To be honest, if you are 18 and your mom/dad is still doing your laundry, you are kinda behind. As an adult, you need to take care of your own stuff, like hygiene, health, and appearance. So once you come face to face with the washing machine, don’t panic, just follow these steps: (Yes, some of these steps may seem basic, but I’ve had friends that forgot to put in detergent!)

1. Separate whites and darks
2. Put lights or darks into the washer.
3. Add detergent and softener, into their specific places
4. If necessary add bleach ( Be careful and read directions, bleach is pretty dangerous)
5. Close door and press any buttons you need to (Softener, bleach)
6. Set time/setting and start
7. After an hour or so, switch clothes to drier. Clean out lint filter thingy and start it
8. Wait for an hour or so again, take out clothes, iron (if necessary), fold them, and put them in your dresser.

It is very easy and their will be directions for using the appliances somewhere nearby. A lot f it is making sure you don’t forget your laundry or the phone or pen in your pocket.

Making Meals
I have to say this one will be much more fun than doing your laundry. You probably have made some sort of food like toast or cake/brownie/cookie mix at some point. But better food fortifies you better and has certain other advantages. For example, imagine you meet someone of the opposite sex that you are really into. You manage to go out on a few dates with them, but now you two lovebirds decide you want to do something really special, so you two decide to go on a picnic next weekend.

Well because you know how to cook awesome food, you capture your lover’s heart, get married, and have kids, etc.. Okay, maybe it won’t happen exactly like this, but you know what they say “The best way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.”

On your journey to cooking finer foods, the first step you should take is looking at different recipes and get some ideas. Keep a scrapbook of recipes you want to make in the future, and eventually you will build the skills necessary to be an awesome cook.

One last note, over the summer, ask your parents to teach you how to do any of these chores. It would give them endless amounts of happiness to spend some time with you and teach you how to be an adult. And make them dinner! Even if it ends in a disaster, it could be a great memory for you and your parents.