Heading Out On Your Own: 31 Basic Life Skills in 31 Days

by Brett McKay, Kate McKay

You've finally left the comforts of mom and dad's nest to strike out on your own... but you have no clue how to do your own laundry. Or cook. Or manage your finances. Feeling a bit overwhelmed?

Don't worry. We've got you covered. The Art of Manliness' Heading Out on Your Own: 31 Basic Life Skills in 31 Days is a primer on becoming a well-adjusted, self-reliant adult. In it you'll find the basic life skills you need to survive and thrive on your own. In 31 days, you'll learn skills like how to:

• Do Laundry
• Ace a Job Interview
• Create a Budget
• Make Small Talk
• Rent Your First Apartment
• Shop for Groceries
• Live With Roommates
• Maintain Your Car
• Cook
• Iron a Dress Shirt

And Much More!

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Personal Development, Education

438 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, the AoM team brings a book filled with dependable, informative life advice on living the manly life. In this case, they focus on important life skills for the young man first living on his own. The skills range from the hard--how to open a checking account, how to do laundry, etc.--to the soft--how to be reliable, how to manage stress. All in all, another helpful guide.

[Ethan Padilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good baseline for young adults

I really liked this book. It gave me a lot of tips for organizing my life and learning new skills. Anyone who wants to become more independent and self-reliant should read this book.

[Evellard · Rating 5 out of 5]

101 moving out Guide.

Pretty much covers the basic on a moving out on your own. I recommend to use it as a reference rather than reading it in one shot.

[Roman Fiol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book, only wish I found it when I was younger.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greeat book

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty in depth on the subjects at hand.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a guide for young men who are heading out to live on their own for the first time. It is filled with solid, practical advice about a wide variety of helpful subjects. I read it gradually over several months and I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it to young men in their late teens, early twenties or anybody else who thinks they could benefit from it.

Some of the subjects covered include:
Developing a self-reliant mentality
How to do laundry
How to keep a regular grooming and hygiene routine
How to ace a job interview
How to make a bed
How to tie a tie
What to do if you get in a car accident
How to create a budget
Understanding credit
Establishing a cleaning routine
Essential etiquette for young men
Maintaing your car
Knowing your way around a kitchen
How to shop for groceries
How to establish an exercise routine
How to manage stress

And many other great subjects. Its a good book. I recommend it.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great primer for those who are looking to be men in an age of boys. This book will help you achieve a degree of autonomy that I think most men in their late-teens and early 20s would imagine of achieving by the time they reach their 30s. This book then is therefore, a catalyst to growing-up and standing on our own two feet when most of us are still recovering from a bloat sense of dependency. This book covers in large part the psychological aspects of self-sufficiency, but there are enough chapters that cover the necessary and vital things that can only better help a man make the most of his life on his own. The book is big, but the reading is easy, and has a very high level of re-readability.

[Eric Moote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: an essential read for young men and a great refresher for not-so-young men.

I was gifted this book for Christmas, so it is not something I picked out for myself (because I have been out on my own for a while). And even though I have been out of the nest for a while, this book provided a lot of good refreshing for some skills and qualities of a good man.

The book is laid out in a 31-day challenge format, but I chose to breeze through it as fast as possible. Some chapters are things I have done (i.e. opening a checking account) but are balanced out by things which never go out of style or can't use a good sharpening from time to time.

I would recommend this book to: men of all ages.

[Rohvannyn Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair warning: I'm a female type person.

That said, I think every young person should read this book. If I'd read it when I went off to college, I would have been spared a lot of heartache. I wish someone would write a book this helpful for young women, without taking out one bit of the tips on car maintenance and independence skills. Until then, everyone should read this book. It's massively useful and fun to read.

[Redeemed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended with reservations.

A handy walkthrough of various important skills to have. This is especially important if you do not have a father's influence to help guide you. There is a bit of a worldview difference in terms of virtue - more Stoic than Biblical - but the practical tips are helpful, which is the first 30 of the 31 days.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all three of the "Art of Manliness" books. While I'm certainly far from starting out on my own, this book was still a nice refresher. Basically a compilation of edited posts from "The Art of Manliness" blogs.

[Zac Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very useful book for everyone who is moving out of home for the first time. It covers both the mental and physical aspects of life away from home and I think it will do all young men well.

[Benjamin Aurich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a long-time reader of AOM, I appreciate the material covered. This would have been helpful a couple years ago when I first moved away from home. Still a good resource for future use.

[Andrew Versalle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good primer for life outside of your parents' house. I wish I would've read this when I was 18. Some parts are a little dated, but I still found it beneficial over all.

4 out of 5 stars