I think what surprised me is just how much I took for grated from my parents. My dad always handle bills and cut our grass. My mum would always cooked and clean our clothes.

It's surprising how much effort just running a house is, especially if you're alone. Cooking, maintaining your furniture, tending to your garden, dealing with service provides and bills, washing your clothes, going shopping for groceries, etc...

Obviously I had cooked and cut the grass before, but it's different when these are now all your responsibility and no longer optional. Living alone forces you to grow up and take responsibility in ways I don't know I would have had I always lived with others.