The only reason you should be in a relationship is because you’re in love. Keeping him around just because you no longer live with your parents and want someone else to take care of you isn’t an excuse —you can take care of yourself. You don’t need to know how to build a fire or rewire your house, but you should know the basics of surviving in the modern world. You don’t want to rely on a man to do these 9 things for you, because you should be able to do them all on your own:
- Pay the bills. When you find the man you want to marry, you’ll probably pool your money together. There’s nothing wrong with using his cash, as long as you know you could pay the rent for your apartment on your own if you needed to. You never know if your relationship will fall apart, and if it does, you want to be capable of living on your own.
- Care for your car. If you own a car, you should be able to change a tire and check the oil. You should also know where you keep your registration and what all of the lights on your dashboard mean. If you don’t drive, you should have another form of transportation that doesn’t involve your man, like taking the bus or the train.
- Clean your apartment. None of us want to climb on a chair to murder the creepy spiders that cling to our walls. However, you shouldn’t wake your man up so he’ll do the job. You should be able to take care of your own house, whether that means dusting, vacuuming, or bug killing.
- Do your taxes. Making money isn’t the only way to keep yourself out of debt. You also need to know how to balance a checkbook and pay your taxes. While you could always hire a professional to help you out or rely on your boyfriend to do it for you, it’s always better to learn the skills yourself.
- Cook a meal. You don’t have to become a five-star chef. You don’t even need to learn how to use the stove. Just buy a few cans of food that you can heat up in the microwave, so you don’t have to eat fast food seven days a week.
- Complete household repairs. You don’t want to be forced to call a repairman every single time you need to plunge a toilet or change a lightbulb. That’s why you should learn how to do simple repairs. You don’t want to end up wasting more money than necessary, or waiting a full day until your man comes home to get the job done.
- Do yard work. If you’re one of the lucky ones that end up with a house of their own, you need to care for the outside as well as the inside. That means you need to learn to mow the lawn, tend the garden, and pull weeds. Your man shouldn’t be the only one getting his hands dirty.
- Give directions. Even if you’re horrible with directions, you should know how to get to your mother’s house, your doctor’s office, and the nearest hospital. If your phone stops working and you don’t have a GPS to rely on, you want to be able to get to your location safely.
- Make basic decisions. When you’re in a committed relationship, you should consult your man before making any major decisions that concern him. However, you don’t need his help to figure out if you want to cut your hair or eat cereal for breakfast. He can’t tell you how to live your life. That’s up to you.
