When my roommate got offered a job out of town, I had to either find a new roommate or live alone. After a few months of searching, I couldn't find anyone who I really wanted to share an apartment with. I've had my fair share of bad roommates, and I didn't want to risk letting a random person move in. Ultimately, I decided to pay the extra and live alone.
I'm not gonna lie... The idea of living alone terrified me. I soon found out that living alone is actually so nice.
You can do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it.Â
img.maximummedia.ieIf you want to lay around all day in your underwear binge watching Brooklyn Nine Nine, you can! Nobody can stop you from eating ice cream by the gallon, or not leaving your house for days.
You can decorate however you want.Â
One thing my roommates and I always argued about was decorations. I'm very particular about how my apartment looks, meaning I usually hog the rights for decorating. I'm not saying this is a good thing, because it definitely isn't. All I'm saying is I can have as many throw pillows as I want if I live alone.
You control the temperature.
FlickrI am so passionate about the temperature of my house. I can't sleep if its too hot or too cold. My temperature range fluctuates from day-to-day, which normally annoyed my roommates. Living alone means your place can be whatever temperature you want it to be! Just remember you're the only one paying the electric bill, so don't go too crazy.
There isn't another person you have to clean up after.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who make a mess and don't clean it up. I can't stand a sink full of dishes or bags of trash to be left there for days before the person who put them there cleans it. If you live alone, the only person you have to clean after is yourself.
You don't have to worry about a roommate's house guest.
I once lived with someone whose boyfriend stayed over every night for a whole semester. I would come home and he would be there while she wasn't even there. She let him cook in our kitchen and leave messes for me to clean. He showered and did his laundry at our place without paying bills. I could go on forever, but my point is that when you live alone, you decide who stays at your place.
You don't have to worry about getting judged.
Wanna poop with the door open? Go for it. Need to have a nice cry and drink a bottle of wine? Bawl your eyes out and have a drink.
You get better at budgeting.
You're the only one paying the bills, so you're literally forced to budget your money. This is annoying most of the time, but in the end you'll be so much better at budgeting your money.
You'll learn a lot about yourself.Â
PxHereOn a more serious note, living alone has taught me so much about myself. I never thought I would be brave enough to stay the night in a house by myself, but now I do that every night, and I love it. Living alone teaches you how to be independent and focus on yourself. I've learned that I am so much stronger and independent than I thought I was. Living alone is something that everyone should try for themselves.
