I don't miss roommates—living alone was one of the best moves I've ever made. It wasn't easy but I made it work.
And I had a lot to learn!
When you don't live on your own, you aren't entirely responsible for the upkeep of your place. You share the responsibility of, let's say, cleaning the bathroom or the kitchen.
When you live alone, that's all on you. And it can get away from you very easily. I quickly learned how annoying it was to clean my apartment (and it's a studio!) when I didn't stay on top of basic maintenance.
Nowadays? It's spotless and everything has its place.
People shared their best advice after Redditor thepurplehedgehog asked the online community:
"What are your living alone pro-tips?"
"If you haven't been paying bills..."
"If you haven't been paying bills prior to this because you were living with your parents, you NEED to stay on top of that s**t. Keep track of when your rent/utility bills are due each month, and write it down so you don't forget. Getting behind on payments will bite you in the ass later."
IveyMarkey
So important!
Don't let your bills land in collections—bad credit can ruin your life.
"If you have replacement cost..."
"In an apartment get renters insurance and make sure it covers REPLACEMENT COST not actual cash value."
If you have replacement cost and your three year old TV gets stolen, insurance pays to get you a new TV of like kind and quality. If you have ACV coverage and your three year old TV gets stolen, insurance pays you what a three year old TV would sell for on Craigslist."
ThirtyHelensAgree
Absolutely important.
You'll thank yourself later in the event your apartment suffers damage beyond your control, say due to an act of God, like a flood or a storm of some kind.
"The process of cleaning..."
"Take a couple of minutes each day to clean up a little bit. The process of cleaning becomes a tremendous pain in the a** if you put it off. Particularly if you have'special' guests arriving on short notice and don't want them to think you're a slob."
SolidStranger5
Clean as you go!
Don't let dishes sit in the sink overnight, for example.
Maintaining your space for a few minutes each day is much easier than having to do a deep clean because you let things get out of hand.
"If something doesn't have..."
"Storage space is super important. If something doesn't have its own dedicated storages space it usually ends up being clutter."
DodgeGuyDave
Spot on.
I live in an apartment that doesn't have much storage so I've had to be careful.
"I'm an introvert..."
"Don't isolate. I'm an introvert with social anxiety. When I moved into my first apartment by myself I would go for days without talking to another person. At first I loved it but over time I noticed my social anxiety getting worse and worse. I found myself depressed more often than not."
dont_tempt_me_frodo
Social skills atrophy.
It's important to flex them!
You'll thank yourself later.
"Learn to use..."
"Learn to use the delay function on the washing machine. I put it on in the morning before I leave for work and the spin cycle is just finishing when I get back in. No musty clothes sitting damp for hours."
MajorHotLips
The day I discovered this, it changed my life!
So great.
"Rice cookers..."
"Rice cookers can do a lot more than cook rice and there are many tutorials online."
Aok_al
Believe it or not, you can use a rice cooker to prepare breakfast items like oatmeal and pancakes.
You can cook other grains, like barley!
And you can even make meals, like chili!
"Stock up..."
"Stock up on medicine before you get sick. It would suck going out in public when you're physically weak and you won't spread your sickness."
Blackcore8
So important!
It's good to always have medicine on hand.
You'll thank yourself later.
"Befriend..."
"Befriend at least one neighbor or maintain good relations with the landlord."
AdventurousBroccoli
A good landlord will make your life so much easier.
A bad one can easily take a toll on your mental health.
"One of the most important things..."
"One of the most important things when living alone is making sure you don’t go mentally insane. Pick up some hobbies, go for long walks, get to know the neighborhood."
Burrito_Loyalist
It's so important to keep your mind active.
Hobbies are good for both your mind and your soul.
And you really can't go wrong with a walk!
Now that you have some tips and tricks, you'll be more prepared to live alone. If you've never done it before, then you'll be a few steps ahead. If you are, you'll notice some quality of life improvements right away.
Have some advice of your own to share? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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I love apartments. If said apartments have several bedrooms, no roommates and a view. Let's be honest, apartments usually are an integral part of city living. And thanks to COVID we can admit that city living and apartment dwelling has gotten difficult. And was maybe always a tad overrated.
Apartments come with a lot of headaches. Plus a majority of apartments are all about the rent. Paying and paying and paying out money to never own a space of your own. Who agrees?
Redditoru/FourSeasons1972wantedall of us to discuss dwellings. Who else needs more space, by asking:
What do you hate most about apartment living?
I have had several apartments over the course of my NYC living. I've been lucky a lot. But the bane of my existence is still, finding roommates that are stable. Why is that so arduous a task?
Too Loud
the oc couple in bed GIFGiphy"Everytime my neighbors have sex I have to re-evaluate my life decisions."
I hear you...
"Noise above, below and next to me."
"I hate hearing other people's music, especially bass. Drives me freaking insane. I lived in an apartment once where the neighbor left his radio on blasting through the speakers at all times. It was always on this local country station, and you would think that country wouldn't have that much bass, but OH YOU ARE WRONG. Also the voice of the dj's would cut through and I would hear "mhm mhmmhh mmm mhmmm mmnmhmh..." of the bass end of their voices rattling the walls."
Just Breath
"Not being able to relax in a backyard or outside in general… If I want to walk around and enjoy the sunset and the silence, there's always dozens of people making a racket with their phone calls or their children or loud music ruining the magic."
"Yes, I've learnt to go to the forest. Fortunately it's only about 2.5km away, so not much legwork required."
Washing
"Having to use laundromats (or machines located elsewhere in your rental building) when there's no laundry facility within your unit. It's annoying when some laundry machine-users tie up the facility by going off somewhere and just leaving their laundry in the machines long after the cycles are done."
Pick-up...
Encouragement Dog Poop GIFGiphy"Neighbors who do not pick up after their dogs and poop is everywhere."
See, this is why I have to find a way to live alone, unless with a lover. And neighbors are the worst. At least with homes people seem to be a bit more tranquil.
Too Loud
homer simpson GIFGiphy"The building fire alarm! So many people still don't seem to get that if you burn something like toast, don't open your front door and let the smoke into the freaking hallway!"
Beholden
"Always hated being beholden to a landlord. You only have as much freedom in your own home as they decide you can have. Want to get a pet? Better check with your landlord. Want your significant other to move in with you? Better check with your landlord. Neighbors too loud? Better hope your landlord is willing to do something about it."
- hooch
The Great Outdoors
"No garden or outdoor space at all. It feels very hemmed in at times. Also too many neighbours - potentially upstairs, downstairs, each side."
"I had a small patio and mount brackets for long, rectangular planters. I also got a vertical rack for the planters to save space/use indoors. I'm happy with it but the excessive heat nuked some of my plants this year. Just got 5 tomatoes and 3 jalapeños! But I am jealous of my parents who have a sprawling, hand made 2 garden bed set up."
My Nose is Dead
"The smells in the hall."
"My complex hired a trash collection service that we get charged extra for and isn't optional. They only come Mon-Thur at 8pm. So of course all of my neighbors put their trash outside their door Friday morning. Best part is I live in a desert."
"So all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday until 8pm I get to smell all of my neighbors garbage that has been baking in 100+ degree heat. And these bastards want to charge almost $1700/month for a 1 bedroom. Not to mention all of the stains on the floors in the hallway from liquid leaking out of peoples trash bags. Can't wait for my rent to skyrocket regardless of all of that when my lease is up."
Me Time
disturb daffy duck GIF by Looney TunesGiphy"No privacy. When I moved into my apartment, my neighbor told me everything she knew about everyone who lived there."
I just want to live in peace. If that peace includes an apartment, so be it. But I really like a home, with a pool. In my dreams.
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