I was living alone from the ripe age of 22, and I highly recommend you consider doing the same. Take your youthful independence by the balls and go it alone.
To roommate or not to roommate? That is the question. Should you currently be rethinking your living situation or debating the pros (many) and cons (few) of living alone, read on.
If not now, when?
The reality is your 20s are probably the best and only time you may have the chance to live alone. Before that, you were either still living at home, (with your laundry miraculously doing itself), or in a fun, albeit unsanitary, sharehouse with your mates.
It’s easy to say “one day” when it comes to living alone until you’ve got your significant other dropping hints about an apartment you could “just have a look at.” Suddenly, you’re married with two kids and another one on the way. Oops.
Find your inner peace
Putting my key in the door at the end of a long day – knowing everything would be as I left it – is a feeling I would bottle up and sell if I could. It might sound like a corny plaque your Nana might have on display, but your home is your sanctuary. It is your space to unplug, recalibrate, and recharge your batteries.
The pace at which we are living life in our 20s is no joke. You’re juggling moving up the ladder at work, hanging out with friends, going on dates, exercising and finding time to call your Mum. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Having a space that is yours, even if it is a shabby chic studio in an ‘up and coming’ area will feel like a palace.
Adulting 101
Moving out solo will be a rude awakening. The reality of being a grown up will kick in. No one is going to tidy up, water the plants (or buy them), pay the bills or get the leaky kitchen tap fixed on your behalf. You’re likely to be forking out a considerable bit more money than you would be if you were still sharing. So budgeting and being responsible with your finances is going to be essential. Think of it as an investment in life’s lessons.
And from a female perspective, there is nothing more attractive than a man who can take care of himself. We want to be your girlfriend, not your mother.
Me, myself, & I – i.e. no more shit housemates
While I was lucky to win the housemate lotto at university, the horror stories are real. Whether they are friends or total strangers, the list of potential hazards when cohabitating is extensive. Dirty, disrespectful, or just straight-up weird, to name a few. Passive-aggressive group chats regarding whose turn it is to buy toilet paper, a mate’s GF who seems to have moved in of her own volition, dishes being left in the sink (versus the adjacent, forgotten dishwasher), and going to sleep to the sound of the same mate and his GF banging it out. Best way to avoid the drama? Don’t have any roommates. Simple.
The sweet taste of freedom
There is simply no replacement for the unadulterated independence that comes with living alone. You probably won’t walk around naked quite as much as you think, but at least you can be hungover in peace. There’s no judgment for ordering UberEats twice (or maybe even three times) in a day. You are the captain now of your own home. You can really make the place look and feel how you want it. No more childhood bedroom dinosaur wallpaper or sitting on a shitty sofa that you and the boys bought on Gumtree.
But will I be lonely?
A friend, who is the classic extrovert (constantly socialising and never alone) found the conviction to move out on her own. And guess what? She loves it. It gives her the perfect balance between her full social life and time to have some much needed ‘me time’. If you do ever get a twinge of loneliness and are craving company, your friends or Bumble match are just a message away. You’ll actually end up looking forward to and putting more energy into building and maintaining relationships.
Whether you are in a position to rent or buy, take the plunge. Stop contemplating whether you could live with a 40-year-old and her three cats just to save a bit of coin.
Start searching for that one bedroom bliss now and you’ll never look back.
