https://www.scmp.com/rss/501975/feed Top advice for millennials living away from home, including finding the right first home, paying bills, budgeting and university accommodation. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The prolonged pandemic – now in its third year – has prompted some people and families in Hong Kong to consider leaving the city temporarily. Some are looking to move out of their flats and place possessions they don’t need to take with them into storage until they decide to return, from clothes and sports equipment to furniture and even wine. Others are keeping their apartments but want to store their belongings in safe and air-controlled facilities, especially during the summer months when... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3171236/long-term-storage-hong-kong-expert-tips-packing-clothes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3171236/long-term-storage-hong-kong-expert-tips-packing-clothes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Mar 2022 05:42:01 +0000 Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital with the world’s largest concentration of white marble-finished buildings, has unseated Hong Kong from its three-year perch as the most expensive urban centre on earth for expatriates, according to Mercer’s 2021 cost of living survey. The central Asian capital, where inflation slowed to 7.6 per cent last year from 13.3 per cent in 2018, surpassed Hong Kong in the top spot “primarily due to a continuing socio-economic crisis which has led to food shortages and... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138335/ashgabat-wrecked-inflation-shoves-aside-hong-kong-worlds-costliest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138335/ashgabat-wrecked-inflation-shoves-aside-hong-kong-worlds-costliest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jun 2021 10:16:33 +0000 During the pandemic, homes have been serving as makeshift workplaces, schools, gyms, playgrounds and social spaces, on top of their primary purposes. We asked three design professionals what lessons have been learned from lockdown, and how those experiences might impact house design in the future. Architect Marion Baeli, partner at PDP London, believes the pandemic can be a wake-up call for the profession and society at large. While flexibility and adaptability are two characteristics that have... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3101491/luxury-housing-projects-london-and-new-york-combine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3101491/luxury-housing-projects-london-and-new-york-combine?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2020 11:00:15 +0000 Shen Lu Shen Lu 2025 update: An interviewee in this article has been anonymised in light of the political climate for the Chinese community during US President Donald Trump’s second term When US President Donald Trump suspended foreign work visa programmes through the end of the year, he rattled a wide swathe of the Chinese community in America, with many regarding the move as a harbinger of more drastic measures to come. Trump’s executive order last month doesn’t affect those now in the United States – but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3092242/trump-administration-limits-international-visas-leave-chinese-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3092242/trump-administration-limits-international-visas-leave-chinese-students?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jul 2020 20:53:30 +0000 Around this time of year, it’s likely you’ll be attending a whole bunch of dinners, whether or not you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Hogmanay. From one last mass meal with friends before you head home for the term break to family gatherings with branches of the fam you didn’t know were in town, most of us prepare for a season of excess. The excess spills over to leftovers, too. Most people find they have plenty remaining. It’s a problem so common that experts have linked holiday... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3041806/safe-way-deal-leftovers-they-go-bad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3041806/safe-way-deal-leftovers-they-go-bad?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Dec 2019 01:00:16 +0000 If you’ve ever invited a bunch of friends to your dorm or home for a meal, you’ll know that it can be hard work preparing everything on your own. A potluck party means guests share the load. “During the holidays especially, a potluck takes some of the pressure off a host and makes it easier for them to celebrate with the people they want to hang out with,” says Shira Bocar, editor at large, food and entertaining at Martha Stewart Living. But when a potluck goes wrong, it can lead to a frazzled... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3039731/how-be-best-guest-any-potluck-dinner-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3039731/how-be-best-guest-any-potluck-dinner-party?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2019 10:00:11 +0000 Someone asks you to bring a dessert to a party, birthday or barbecue. Or your residence is holding a charity bake sale and you’re not an especially skilled patissier. Or you just need something to keep the squad happy on a Saturday night. There’s really only one answer and it’s a thing everyone wants to eat: sheet cake. Think of these as cakes that are as easy to make as a boxed mix but exponentially better-tasting. Present them with candles for the big blow-out, then set them on a table for... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3037429/only-4-cake-recipes-youll-ever-need-parties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3037429/only-4-cake-recipes-youll-ever-need-parties?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Nov 2019 01:00:09 +0000 For a lot of people, the Sunday Scaries are a real thing: anxiety that sets in around 4pm or so, that you can’t shake (although a favourite movie and a pizza sometimes eases the situation). It’s OK to feel this way – even people who love what they are studying, or are obsessed with their career don’t always bounce out of bed on a Monday morning. But no matter who you are, or what you spend your Mondays doing, it’s just another day. We so unfairly associate Mondays with misery that we’ve come to... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3033063/how-hate-monday-less-4-tips-help-you-get-over-sunday-scaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3033063/how-hate-monday-less-4-tips-help-you-get-over-sunday-scaries?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:00:09 +0000 Co-living – in which renters have their own bedrooms but share other space like kitchens and living rooms – is taking off in Hong Kong, with operators planning to triple the number of units available by the end of next year. So far, only about 400 of these big co-living units exist in a city known for a chronic shortage of affordable housing. But operators want to boost that to 1,400 units – each of which may have 10 or more individual bedrooms – by the end of 2020. Co-living is still in its... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3034010/your-bedroom-all-thats-your-own-big-co-living-units-are-proving-so-popular?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3034010/your-bedroom-all-thats-your-own-big-co-living-units-are-proving-so-popular?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2019 00:00:19 +0000 This year has been particularly scary when it comes to measles: the World Health Organisation reported nearly 424,000 cases worldwide up to September. It's really important that you check that you have been vaccinated. (If you can't remember, ask your parents, or if you see a regular doctor, they should have the records.)  In the meantime, arm yourself with the facts: 1. Measles can kill. It can also cause blindness, pneumonia, brain inflammation, ear infections and severe diarrhoea. It also... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/well-being/article/3029672/7-facts-you-need-know-about-measles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/well-being/article/3029672/7-facts-you-need-know-about-measles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:00:11 +0000 We hate to be the ones to tell you, but having a roommate sucks.  Sure, living with someone is an experience, a rite of passage, even. And who knows, you might end up liking your roomie enough to have a lifelong friendship – but that doesn’t mean you have to quietly suffer through their bad behaviour. There’s nothing more irritating than coming home after a long day to find an extra body in your dorm or apartment, breathing your air and taking up physical space. Aside from just existing, your... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3032595/annoying-roommate-heres-how-deal-them-without-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3032595/annoying-roommate-heres-how-deal-them-without-making?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Oct 2019 01:00:06 +0000 Modern life is busy. And hella stressful. But those aren't reasons not to develop and display good manners - in fact,  It’s easy to get caught up in your own life, even when you’re out and about. With your eyes fixed on your phone screen, and your headphones blasting music in your ears, you can shut out the world. But if there are other people, even strangers, around, you are not alone, and you need to pay some attention to them, and acknowledge their equal right to enjoying their life. This is... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3027750/manners-are-crucial-school-work-and-friendships-and-will-even?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3027750/manners-are-crucial-school-work-and-friendships-and-will-even?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2019 00:00:14 +0000 Aggressively limiting your spending is kind of like dieting – at some point, you’re going to overindulge and blow all the progress you made. Instead of saying no to every single “indulgence”, a financial counsellor says it’s better to say yes once in a while and let yourself enjoy your money. Don’t toss your budget, though – it’s still important to track your money, save, and spend within your limits. Consider giving yourself a monthly budget for “fun money” so you don’t feel overly... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/money/article/3033205/best-way-save-money-set-spending-limits-allowing-occasional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/money/article/3033205/best-way-save-money-set-spending-limits-allowing-occasional?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:13 +0000 Good grades may be responsible for getting you your place at university, but academic prowess will only get you so far once you're there. Do you know how to deal with a really bad cold, or the flu, if your mum isn’t there to take care of you? Do you know what to write in an email to someone who isn't a friend, family member or teacher, or how a credit card works? Here are seven important life skills everyone needs when they leave home, or as soon after as possible! 1. Deal with differences the... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3027614/7-adulting-skills-will-make-university-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3027614/7-adulting-skills-will-make-university-better?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Oct 2019 11:51:45 +0000 Heading to university is a massive life change, especially if you're moving far from your home town or overseas. Deciding what to bring with you can be overwhelming - you'll want to have familiar belongings with you, and don't want to be spending a lot of money buying stuff you already own. But packing all your belongings is impractical, and will just cause you more stress further down the line. Here are five things that you should definitely not bring with you to university. Don’t bring big,... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3028210/5-things-you-should-definitely-not-pack-when-when-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3028210/5-things-you-should-definitely-not-pack-when-when-you?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Oct 2019 10:04:02 +0000 First-years, freshmen, Year One students: whatever you call it, if you're starting your first year of university this autumn, there's a pretty high chance you'll be sharing dorms, rooms and apartments for the first time. Cohabiting with someone you've never met can be awkward and even uncomfortable, but with a little help, you can make this first year memorable for all the right reasons. Dan Pedersen, senior director of housing and residential services at Northern Illinois University, in the... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3028205/what-you-need-know-about-living-roommate-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3028205/what-you-need-know-about-living-roommate-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Oct 2019 05:46:03 +0000 Overseas travel can be one of the most fulfilling, enlightening and empowering experiences ever. It can also, if you're not careful, lead to outcomes that dent your confidence and put you off future trips. But if you're be fully prepared and use your common sense, you can stay safe and reap the benefits. Check out our seven essential safety tips before your next holiday. 1 Photocopy important documents Make and keep copies of things like your passport, visas, travel documents, medical insurance,... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/travel/article/3027625/7-tips-and-tricks-help-you-stay-safe-and-travel-smart-next-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/travel/article/3027625/7-tips-and-tricks-help-you-stay-safe-and-travel-smart-next-time?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 02:33:34 +0000 Making friends is easy when you're a kid. You start school and you're surrounded by dozens of potential best mates. But if you are moving to a new town, job or university – especially if you’re going abroad for your studies – you're going to have to establish a whole new set of friends. Making friends when you’re in a new setting can seem much harder and, even when you do, you might be worried that they won’t ever get you the way your bestie does. Here are five ways to make friends once you... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3027620/how-make-friends-when-youre-adult-new-place?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/career-education/article/3027620/how-make-friends-when-youre-adult-new-place?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 02:33:32 +0000 If you've always relied on a parent to wash your clothes, it's about time you learned this most essential adulting skill. Doing laundry is boring AF, but really, nobody wants to sit next to the person who smells of mildew, or stale sweat, or last week's taco dinner.  Here's a beginner's guide to getting your clothes clean. via GIPHY 1. Have a designated laundry bag or basket to put your dirty clothes in, because you’re not going to be doing a load of laundry every day, and keeping them in a... https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3027758/adulting-101-do-laundry-pro-because-mum-cant-be-doing-it-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/better-life/how/article/3027758/adulting-101-do-laundry-pro-because-mum-cant-be-doing-it-you?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 02:22:03 +0000