Essential Life Skills for College Students, First-Time Renters, and Young Adults

By Kristina Niles-Adler

Moving out is exciting… until the toilet won’t stop running, the Wi-Fi crashes, or your fridge smells like something died in it.

This quick, no-fluff guide covers the real-life stuff schools forget to teach you — the kind of basic home knowledge every young adult needs when living on their own. Whether you’re headed to college, renting your first apartment, or just tired of calling your mom every time something breaks, this book’s got your back.

Inside you’ll learn:

✅ How to unclog a toilet, silence a smoke detector, and reset a circuit breaker

✅ What tools you actually need (and which ones you don’t)

✅ How to grocery shop without wasting food

✅ Laundry basics: colors, temps, cycles, and “no, you can’t just use dish soap”

✅ What to do when stuff breaks — and when to call maintenance

✅ Staying safe: locks, ICE contacts, and when to trust your gut

✅ Plus: bills, budgeting, cleaning hacks, renter’s rights, and more

Written in a real, relatable voice — with zero shame and a lot of humor — this guide is your crash course in adulting without panic.

You don’t have to know everything.

But you should know this stuff.