Research has shown that millennials have decided to stay living at home with their parents for more years than in recent times. While this living situation can help people save money and pay off college costs, it can also result in a lack of skills to live independently. If you're a millennial that plans to make the big move away from home, there's no reason to go into it blindly. Instead, you can take a variety of adult education classes to help you learn independent living skills. Not only will these classes help you learn basic life skills, but they will prevent you from being tempted from moving back home if you are not fully prepared. There are five different ways you can use these adult education classes to your advantage and be ready for an apartment or home of your own.

Cooking Classes

When living on your own, you can no longer rely on your parent's fresh-baked casseroles or grilled meats. Instead of relying on take-out or microwave meals, you can improve your culinary skills with adult cooking classes. Along with general cooking basics, more specific adult cooking classes allow you to focus on specific cooking types. For example, you can take a baking class where you learn to bake various meals, casseroles, and desserts. Expanded education through baking will give you a lot of meal options with just the oven.

A number of cooking cuisines are also focused on in adult classes. Learn how to cook a variety of meals including Mexican, Asian, and Italian. Once you have mastered a specific type of cuisine, you will have plenty of go-to meals that you can enjoy at home.

Gardening Classes

Not only can you learn the skills to cook your own food, but you can learn how to grow it. Gardening classes teach the basics of plants, flowers, and edible plants like vegetables. You will learn about different types of soils, regional settings, and tips for having a successful garden area.

It's a good idea to start out with a general gardening class and then advance to more specific classes. This will help you learn and get the most out of your new yard and landscape.

Finance & Budgeting

One of the biggest challenges when getting your own place is proper budgeting. Learning how to budget bills, rents, and food can make a huge difference on the success you have while independently living. There are several types of finance classes you can take through an adult education program. For example, an ideal finance class to look for is behavioral finance. The class focuses on your spending habits, ways to curb them, and how to save the most money.

A lot of additional classes focus on investing. Through an investing class, you can learn about savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and additional forms of investing. By starting off on the right track, you can prevent your budget from getting into a hole and accumulating a lot of debt.

Cleaning Classes

Living at home provides the extra convenience of washers, dryers, and shared chores. It can be overwhelming when everything falls into your lap as you live independently. A variety of adult education cleaning courses focus on specific types of cleaning. For example, a lot of education centers feature green cleaning classes. Not only do these classes feature the best methods for cleaning, but they introduce a variety of products and materials that are safe for the environment. The cleaning will involve dishes, scrubbing, and fabric cleaning.

Computer & Technical Skills

A number of adult education classes can help you expand in the workforce. By improving your work skills, you can earn better jobs, make more money, and live independently a lot easier. At any given time, there are three to four different classes you can take to help improve your skills. Advanced computer classes help you learn computer functions including spreadsheets, typing, and basic computer hardware information. Look for additional technical classes that focus on other types of electronic operations, computer programming, or specific fields like medical classes.

By planning ahead, you can easily transition out of your childhood home and be ready to live on your own. For more information, check out an adult education center near you.