On Your Own

About the Book

Find out what you need to get started and make your move away from home more comfortable. Learn how to shop efficiently, clean, launder your own clothes, cook, and care for your car. Get helpful home remedies, grooming tips, and creative storage solutions for small spaces. Know how to choose the college that’s right for you, including helpful tips in writing a college application. This guide also teaches you about health care and illness, and even computer cleanup!

What’s in This Book?

Designed to make your move away from home as comfortable and hassle free as possible, each chapter in this book covers a different area to help you with your transition, including cooking and tips on how to shop efficiently, housecleaning, laundry, health and grooming tips, money management, automobile maintenance, dorm and apartment living, and much more. Find food recipes and helpful shopping lists, creative storage and decorating solutions for living in small spaces, and many other useful tips and checklists to help you prepare and set up a functional dorm or apartment.

How to Use This Book

Skim through the entire book once, so you will be familiar with each section and what it has to offer. Keep this book in a handy spot as you will fi nd yourself referring to the different chapters time and time again as you experience life on your own.

Following the tips in this book will help prepare you for a smooth transition when moving away from home, eliminating the stress that usually accompanies this transition and allowing you to find comfort as you start college life.

About the Author

Patricia McCaw raised her two children in Olympia, Washington, where—along with being a very involved mother—she worked as an event coordinator. She also volunteered her event planning and decorating skills at Olympia’s Saint Peter Hospital’s yearly fundraiser, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Harlequin Theatre, and many of her children’s school events. Her closeness with her children and their friends gave her unique insight into the process of preparing for heading off to college, and she witnessed firsthand how unprepared most young adults and their parents are for this important life transition. Patricia now lives in Rancho Mirage, California, and is semi retired from event coordinating, party planning, and home refurbishing.