Have you ever lived alone?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Rather than hijack this interesting thread, I figured I’d start a spin-off.

I went from living with my mom, to renting a room in a house with a married couple, to moving into an apartment with Jakeline and ultimately getting married to her. I’ve never lived anywhere by myself.

I figured I’d start a poll to see who has and hasn’t lived alone. I’d also be curious to hear what people’s opinions are on living alone, and whether you have any regrets about having lived alone (or not having had the opportunity).

Personally, I do wish that I’d lived alone at some point just because I’m curious as to what they would have been like. Although, knowing the kind of slob I was at 20 years of age (I’m only slightly improved from that now), I’m afraid someone would have found me decomposing under a pile of half-empty pizza boxes at somepoint. :rolleyes:

2

Rather than hijack this interesting thread, I figured I’d start a spin-off.

I went from living with my mom, to renting a room in a house with a married couple, to moving into an apartment with Jakeline and ultimately getting married to her. I’ve never lived anywhere by myself.

I figured I’d start a poll to see who has and hasn’t lived alone. I’d also be curious to hear what people’s opinions are on living alone, and whether you have any regrets about having lived alone (or not having had the opportunity).

Personally, I do wish that I’d lived alone at some point just because I’m curious as to what they would have been like. Although, knowing the kind of slob I was at 20 years of age (I’m only slightly improved from that now), I’m afraid someone would have found me decomposing under a pile of half-empty pizza boxes at somepoint. :rolleyes:

3

Throughout much of my college career I lived in a room without a roommate, although I shared kitchen and bathroom in the apartment. But since the apartment was split, I couldn’t be said to be living alone.

For my last grad school, however, I had an entire apartment to myself. I also lived alone during one summer job, and had two apartments on my own after leaving college. All told, I lived alone for about seven years. I wasn’t a total slob during that time. I don’t like complete disorder, and it’s impossible to have female guests if you’re a hopeless slob.

4

Yes. For more than the last twenty years it’s been just me and the dust mites. It’s the only way to live.

5

Yes when i was 20. I subleased my sisters apartment and loved it.

6

Except for a disasterous marriage (96-99) I’ve lived alone for over 20 years. I enjoy the freedom and the solitude. I used to miss having someone to share experiences with, but that last marriage cured me of that.
I agree that everyone should live for a year or so, it’s a learning experience and I think it contributes greatly to maturity. I’m talking about when you’re younger of course.

7

I lived alone senior year in college through graduate school and until I got married at 25. I liked it a little too much and would never consider living with a non-spouse ever again. I thought it was the best thing ever and it made me not want to get married but I didn’t want to turn out to be a creepy recluse.

8

Wow, I find the idea of a person never having lived alone really weird. Although, when I think about it, my brother always had room-mates 'til he moved in with his girlfriend/wife. Hmmm…

I’ve lived alone ever since I could afford not to have roomates, maybe 18 years ago. It’s great. I don’t think I’d really want to live with anyone ever again 'cause I really like having my own space and the freedom to do what ever I want without affecting another person.

9

Me too. I spent from 15 to 28 living with various men, and since I’ve been on my own and alone, I’ve never looked back.

10

Don’t get me wrong – I had no desire to live with roommates. They were really sweet people, but I can be very anti-social when I’m at home, and I didn’t like having to interract with folks against my will. I holed up in my 10x10 room 98% of the time. And if I’d had any ideas about growing to like having roommates, the occasional catching them running about the house naked cured me of that.

I had a minimum wage job at the time and couldn’t afford much more than the $275/month I paid them for the three years I lived there. Moving in with my future wife was a very welcome relief. I don’t even particularly like having other people spend the night with us (although I’ve gotten a little better about that). I like my freedom.

11

I did it for two years between grad school and marriage. It was nice. For the first time, if there were dirty dishes, they were mine. It was very liberating. I was in a pretty serious relationship so I was never lonely and I had a large number of friends in the area so I always had people to call if I wanted to do something. I still miss it sometimes.

12

Yes, I lived with by myself after I got divorced for three or four years. I on the other hand never had a roommate, it was either a wife or a girlfriend.

13

Prior to buying the condo that I share with my GF, I lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment for about 6 years. That’s the only time I was absolutely on my own and I loved it! I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, within the rules of the apartment building.

14

0-18: lived with the parents. Once the bros decided to arrive, graciously let them live with us.
18-20: lived with the grandparents for two years while in college.
20-24: moved out of the gramps’ and into a “Residence for Female College Students”. Yes, this kind of times are normal for college in Spain, specially for Superior Engineering (I was faster than average, promise)
24-25: one year back at the parentals, while I wrote the Thesis required for my degree.

Until now, and by Spanish standards, it counts as “living with my parents”, since they paid for my food and in a lot of things I had to abide by their rules. Yes, I know Americans think that you have “moved out” when you go to college; we don’t. We don’t think you’ve “moved out” if your Mom still does you laundry and/or your shopping, either :rolleyes: :stuck_out_tongue:

25-28: went to Miami for Grad School. One year in several shared places; then I rented a room in the house of an old lady whose children had convinced her to rent the rooms out so if she needed an ambulance someone would be there to call it (which I actually did once, as well as go with her to the doctor on several occasions).
28-29: “dropped out” of Grad School with an MS, got job in Miami Beach, moved to an apartment in North Miami all by my lonesome. I loved it because, unlike every other house I saw in Miami, it had… tile floors! YES! SO much easier to clean. One year.
29-33: went back home to Spain, helped Mom care for Dad for 2.5 years (he died 2 weeks before my Bday), stayed with her for one more year.
34-37: moved out before Mom’s neediness got me choked to death. Phew. On my own again until last year, in different locations (job changes sent me to Philly for 2003, then back to Spain but 600km from “home”).
Since last September: on location in the Costa Rican boondocks; housing is provided by the client and the conditions in the contract say I’m not allowed to move the furniture (sigh) or put stuff on the walls (double sigh). I share the place, but my roomie spends a lot of time in San José.

Usually when I’ve had roomies we were pretty independent, we weren’t “friends”. Right now, my “best friend” among my coworkers is in another apartment - and if we made any mention of trading places there wouldn’t be enough rolleyes, since we happen to be different genders :stuck_out_tongue: Plus, it’s nice to have the place to myself most of the time :smiley:

I’m fine with living by myself. One of my “apartments” was too big, but it was in a place where the small ones are considered “vacation homes” and therefore they’re more expensive than a big but “permanent” home. One person sure doesn’t need 1500sqft.

The hardest part for me is cooking for one; if I’m living in my hometown I call Mom when I want to make certain dishes, let her know, and share. I’ve ended up having a list of things that you can easily make single-portion, or which you can freeze.

15

I live with my daughter, and it’s really kind of the best of both worlds. I have someone around for company, whom I can also send to her room.

In all seriousness, I have no interest in ever living with anyone I’m not the boss of.

16

Yep. For a couple of years when I first moved out to attend university. Then I fell in love with my ex-wife and asked her to move in with me. Divorced 15 years later. Now I’m on my own for about 3 years and I love it. The kids stay with me on weekends and when I’m dating someone, my place becomes the de-facto “love shaque”. But a few nights a week it’s mine and only mine. I love the quiet solitude and domestic splendor of it.

17

I lived alone for a couple of years after graduating from college, during which my living arrangements were always with roommates. Then I roomed with my brother; then I got married. So I didn’t have a lot of experience with it, but I knew I wasn’t very good at it.

I’m now living alone again. It’s been about a year and a half, and I’m enjoying it tremendously.

18

Sure. I spent from 1976 to 1998 living by myself. I’ve lived in rooming houses and had to share the facilities with other (fairly-to-excruciatingly scummy) people sometimes. But I’ve never had a “roommate”, as in another person to default on the bills and leave their crap all over the place and bring their impaired friends home at 2 AM to party and steal my belongings and eat my food - and those are the reasons why.

By the time I moved down here and got married, I had already been self-sufficient for almost all of my wife’s life. She had lived at home until she went to university, and then to another university, and both times she lived with roommates. Then I happened, and she got and set up an apartment, and she has lived with me ever since. So, she’s had independence but not total self-sufficiency. I have no doubt that she could have done it, she’s a smart cookie.

19

No, at least not in the sense that I funded my own solitary lifestyle. I had a few solo dorm rooms throughout college and my senior year I had my own apartment since it was cheaper than living in dorms but my parents paid for that so I never really felt independent. Then I moved in with my SO, and from there, right into living with a housemate. I like having a built-in friend since I have reclusive tendencies that shouldn’t be nurtured but sometimes I really wish I lived alone. Like when I want to cook up some Spam and watch the Simpsons and she wants to make real food and watch art films and I feel intellectually inferior. And I don’t like having to clean up after someone (I’m the clean one in the household). But it is cheaper than living alone, and I do like my housemate. It just gets overwhelming having someone around all the time. The next place I live I will probably live alone unless I am in a relationship.

20

Living for at least a year or so when younger does tend to contribute to maturity, yes. :smiley:

Lived alone briefly here & there when I was younger, didn’t mind it at all, though most of my life I’ve either been married/partnered/had housemates.

Have lived completely alone for 15 months now, just sharing my house with 2 dogs and a cat. Coming after a long and horrid live-in relationship during which I felt more alone than not quite often, I like it. :slight_smile: