I feel like I grew up quite a bit recently.

I started looking for a house to rent a few months ago and in the process, I realized how little I knew about renting a house, utilities or what should be in a lease. For example, did you know that oil heat is the most expensive or that credit checks cost about $30? As I learned little things like this, I also found out a lot about my character—specifically my stubbornness and near Scrooge-like frugality.

Figuring housing out on my own was good for me, something that my dad believes “builds character,” and I feel like I learned a lot from it.

But on the other hand, creating the Housing Guide made me realize how much I still don’t know. I hope that you, like me, take something from the stories in here. More than that, I hope that with roommate fiascos and cooking challenges, you take everything in stride and make it an opportunity to learn.