Hi, I’m Belinda

Welcome to Leaving the Nest!

Leaving home for the first time is amazingly awesome yet at the same time shockingly scary – hopefully this site can make it easier for you.

The checklists & tips make it easy to get set up, score a rental place, feed yourself, avoid conflict with roomies, pay the bills etc., but there’s also a rundown on other adult stuff I wish I’d known up front, instead of working it out on the fly — life & death info, for example, about sex, drugs & alcohol & mental illness.

Who am I? Well I’ve worked as a journo in Sydney, played piano in restaurants (an awesome way for a student to get a free meal btw), and now I live in the country with two little girls, 4 dogs, a cat, 3 rabbits, 7 hens & a rooster, & a husband (in no particular order). I started to write this info down for my daughters, in case something happened to me (morbid I know, but shit happens). God knows, I wouldn’t trust my husband to give them the facts on STDs or what to do for alcohol poisoning, plus other things I think it’s good to know, in case.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, or anything you’d like to add, & I read every one of your emails that come through the contact page, even if I can’t reply to everything.

Thanks for visiting & enjoy the ride!

Belinda xo