When your roommate has frustrated you to the point of no return, it’s easy to throw in the towel and decide you’ll be kicking it solo as soon as your lease ends. However, as fun and carefree as a living alone seems to be, it isn’t all as glamorous as it seems in the movies. It can get frustrating and even a little bit lonely.
If you’re thinking about living alone, here are the pros and cons for you to consider.
Pros:
1. You can do whatever you want
This is probably the best part of living solo. If you want to dance around in your underwear in the middle of the day, there’s nobody to stop you. If you want to leave the whole place a stinky mess for as long as you want, then go right ahead. Want to have a rager on Wednesday night? You are the king or queen of your castle, and what you say goes!
2. You make your own schedule
When you live alone, you have a lot more control over how you spend your time. It’s incredibly easy to procrastinate when you have a roommate who likes to drop by and tempt you with a Netflix marathon or a night out on the town. You also don’t have to worry about trying to get to bed early when your roommate is hosting a “Thirsty Thursday” party in the living room. You can spend your time the way you want to without anyone butting in uninvited, which is amazing.
3. No drama
I think that sums it up quite nicely. When you’re by yourself, you don’t have to worry about getting into petty arguments about who needs to take out the trash or who left their laundry in the dryer for too long. It’s especially nice to not have to deal with passive-aggressive battles hat could last for months. It’s nice to be able to come home to silence!
Cons:
1. The dollars add up
Instead of being able to split the bills with your roommates, you’ll be responsible for all it by yourself. Budgeting becomes a whole different beast, and it will be rough at first. Before making the decision to go it alone, realize that you’ll have to pay for rent, water, electricity and cable without anyone’s help. Doesn’t a roommate seem a lot more appealing now?
2. It gets scary … and lonely
The first week I lived alone, I slept on my couch every night. I was too scared to sleep so far away from my front door! I thought every little sound could be a burglar trying to get inside. Eventually, that fear subsided, but was definitely challenging to adjust to living alone. It can also be rather lonely. Anytime you want to hang out with someone, it will take a lot more effort than walking down the hallway — you’ll ever have to go to someone else’s house or invite them over.
3. You have to buy everything
The days of “you buy this, I’ll buy that” are gone. You’ll be amazed at how many things you are missing from your apartment now that you can’t rely on another person’s belongings. You may have to stock up on everything from kitchen supplies to a wireless router. Try to make an extensive list of everything you’ll need and buy it over time so it doesn’t make such a big dent in your budget. Obviously, there are more things important than others, so you’ll have to prioritize which things are needed now.
