Today (02/01) marks one full year since I moved into my cozy apartment in the Heights. It's the first time I've ever lived on my own since I had roommates through college and lived with my family for a while after graduation. It was intimidating at first, but I learned quickly that I treasure living alone. I don't have to plan showers around anyone's schedules, nor do I have to worry about waking anyone up if I go to the restroom in the early hours of the morning. I wanted to share my experiences with you, and maybe you know someone about to embark on their own who would benefit from these experiences.

Doing things alone isn't a bad thing.

One of the best things to come from my experience living by myself is overcoming my fear of being alone. I found that going to one of Billing's many parks is really soothing and a good source of exercise. Also, there are plenty of places you can go to in town by yourself and enjoy it, such as an excellent local restaurant. I rated a few of my favorites recently.

Electric bills tend to go up in the Winter.

I was a bit shocked when I received my electric bill in November and saw that it was about $60 higher than my normal bill. Because I use baseboard heating, it drove up my electric bill and may have caused a panic attack in the process. Since then, I've made it a point to save up a little bit more money to make sure I stay warm during the Fall and Winter months.

Budgeting becomes necessary.

Money has always been tight, but for renters in Billings it's a little harder. According to Rentdata.org, "The Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Billings is $960 per month. That's more expensive than 94% of the state." That's why it's so important to budget everything. Write down your expenses every month, and make a plan for yourself, so you don't end up financially thin and can't afford to make your payments. I had never budgeted before moving into my apartment, but I had to give myself a crash course, and quick. Now, I have a solid budget that I try my hardest to adhere to so I can continue to enjoy life.

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Hopefully, these experiences will help out another person looking to find their way in the world for the first time. I'm incredibly happy with how things have been going, and here's to many other years of adulthood!

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

Downtown Billings Stay-cation

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