I have lived all by myself since January 98 and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I tried living with a girlfriend the first two months in this apartment and it was the worst two months of my life. It’s the greatest thing to be able to do what I want without bothering anyone and leaving my things out and knowing they will be there when I get home.
The problem for you amrussell is that renting a flat on your own in our great city of London will probably make you a pauper.
Magayuk, I’m afraid that amrussell is unlikely to be buying a house in London anytime soon since the average house price here is currently £220,557, or US$361,155. I remember reading an interview with Madonna when she wanted to buy a place here where she exclaimed “What’s with your real estate, anyway?”.
Do I sound bitter? I’m not bitter, I promise. Just really, really pissed off about the whole thing.
As someone once observed, “The problem with living alone is that it’s always your turn to do the dishes.”
(I’ve lived alone for the last 20 years and much prefer it. I do tend to be something of a loner, though.)
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned the best part about living alone:
NAKED TIME!!!
Talk about a self esteme booster. I’ve been living alone for a little over a year now (about sixteen months or so), and it’s GREAT!! Especially in the hot summer days, because I spend nearly 80% of my time in the apartment naked, and have no fears of anyone walking in on me or anything like that.
With my work schedule, it’s great that I work alone as well: I need to get up around 3:15 in the morning, and I’m sure the double alarms would annoy the shit out of even the most patient roomate. Not to mention what would happen if I slept in and they had to answer the phone at 4:15.
The other benefits have been mentioned already, but it is great to live alone and not have to worry about other people’s little annoying quirks, and allows you to keep up your own. I’m 24, I’ve had anywhere from two to three roomates since I got to Austin six years ago, and living alone has definitely been the most enjoyable. Sure, you don’t get the benefit of a roomate’s cooler toys, but how often do you need to spend ten hours playing Diablo on the computer, really?
There are some cons, but that’s mainly cost. Electric bills run high, but there are ways to get threw that if you’re willing to make the sacrifices (like using blankets in the winter as opposed to air conditioning and heating).
And don’t let loneliness give you any worries. If you’ve got the active social life you say you do, you’ll never really be lonely, because you’ll always have reasons to leave your apartment, or people to talk to on the phone or online. Plus, if you have a significant other, it’s a great way to get away from other people to be alone, and you never have to ask a roomate to spend the night somewhere’s else in order to have a nice, quiet evening together.
If you can afford it, I say go for it. It really is a great experience.
What, except slortar yesterday ? 
Living alone is one of those things I now think why didn’t I do this years ago?. Well, because I couldn’t afford it. I genuinely look forward to coming home for the peace and quiet.
I forgot the naked time thing. A couple of years ago I got sunburned, and I slathered aloe on my shoulders and sat with nothing on from the waist up under the ceiling fan, in the air conditined apartment. Oooooooooo…that felt SO DAMN GOOD.
I could do it now, but I’d have to be damn sure nobody would walk into my room. I wouldn’t mind if my mom did, but as for the male inhabitants of the house – AAAAAA!!!
And I did my dishes when I felt like it, which was generally about every other day, since I didn’t have very many to begin with. It was lovely not having to do them because somebody ELSE wants the kitchen clean. I miss that.
Hm. I hope all this concern about my naked time doesn’t damage my reputation or something… 
I’m a loner to begin with, so it was just a given that I’d eventually get my own place once I could afford. I’ve only had one or two rooms who haven’t rubbed me the wrong way eventually. Partly because I’ve roomed with some real freaks, partly because I can be a real bastard, particularly when I haven’t been getting enough sleep.
The biggest con about living alone is that once you get comfortable with it, sharing living quarters with someone else for any lenght of time becomes a bit of a challenge. I’ve lived alone for years, but now share a two bedroom condo with a friend. Although we get along marvelously, I’m happiest when I have the place to myself.
I was terrified of the idea of living alone until I was forced to by circumstance 6 years ago. There are advantages and disadvantages.
PROS:
–If you are a slob like me, living alone is great because you only have your own standards of cleaniless to live up to. Any mess made is yours and yours alone.
–No one will eat all your Ben & Jerry’s that you’d been saving and were looking forward to so avidly when you came home from work(I’m not bitter)
–Never run out of hot water
–Don’t have to deal with your roommates’ skanky SOs, their music, weird habits, phone bills, parents, mood swings, passive-aggressive behavior, borrowing your stuff, etc.
–You can have whatever pets you want and no one can say or do anything. I have 5 cats, so this is important.
The cons are what you’d imagine: loneliness, lots of leftovers, a hermit-like disposition. I might crave human companionship, but I’m not sure I could live with anyone else unless we were getting married and moving into a house with lots of space. Now that I’ve been turned on to the joys of solitary living, I’m not sure I’d give it up so willingly.
Try it; you’ll like it.
The sequential thread after this one was “Ever been caught masterbating” - that would be a pro for living alone.
To live alone is the greatest courage, as there are many men who would rather meet their bitterest enemy on the battlefield, than face their own hearts in their closet.
Charles Caleb Colton
Wow, I guess I’m the lone dissenter here. I hate it.
Actually that’s a conditional “hate it”. I dislike living with roommates (other than family) during the few times I’ve been driven to it financially.
But I hate being without that special someone. I’m a pretty easy-going girlfriend, I willingly turn over the remote, and I’m a bit old-fashioned about “taking care of” a man.
I like cooking and keeping things nice for a guy (I know, I know, barf!!). Now, June Cleaver I’m NOT. I expect for a guy to be appreciative and to do his fair share. But I definitely do a lot of home cooked meals and enjoy making a nice home.
I lived alone for about 6 years before my boyfriend, of about 4 years, and I moved in together last June. My son lived with me 2 weeks a month until he and his dad, my ex, moved to “the Kenai” (about 150 miles south of Anchorage, mutual amicable decision) I hated most of it.
I kept myself very very busy. I had 5 jobs so that I didn’t have to go home alone (well not without being exhausted enough to sleep). Four of those jobs were dance instructor jobs at various facilities around town, so they were fun, but luckily physically demanding.
I adored when my bf would stay over, and hated the nights alone. When he and I decided to “date other people” and separate for awhile, It was the most miserable year and a half of my life.
I’ve always either been married, or shared places with my family. I dread living alone. And not because I’m not out and about living a fairly interesting life. I keep busy with some pretty cool stuff, including some charity work, I’m just the sort that’s happier with people.
Pros:
Talking to myself.
Talking to the kitty. A lot.
The silence.
The stillness.
Walking about in my underpants.
Sitting at my desk for hours reading SDMB in my underpants.
When I’m sick or hungover, I can be as disgusting and miserable as I like.
I can skip things, or do things I shouldn’t without feeling any additional shame. No one knows but you!
Cons:
Expensive.
My folks insist it isn’t proper training for married life.
Since leaving home almost 10 years ago, I’ve lived in a dorm (hated it), had my own apartment (LOVED it), shared an apartment with a female roommate (hated it), and am now living with my boyfriend (undecided).
During most of this time, I was a slob. I would take time every now and then to clean up, but work and school always came before making the bed, dishes, etc. My mom (the cleaning freak)always made us make our beds before we went to school and our rooms had to be neat, so I think I was in a sort of rebellion stage or something.
Now, everything MUST be clean all the time (I think I’m becoming my mom!). I HATE it when I walk in and the place is a mess. It’s so depressing, but I get so tired of cleaning. My SO doesn’t seem to notice when things are getting untidy, so I either have to clean it myself, or point out things and ask for help. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m tired of always having to ask him to do things, so I just do it myself and pout when I’m finished. It’s very annoying. For that aspect of things, I would very much prefer to live by myself. (as a note, he did clean the kitchen last night with no prompting and it was spotless).
However, I hate eating dinner alone. And I love my SO. So I can cope. Luckily I have a day off that he works so I can be lazy and read and watch TV without being bothered by anything. It’s nice.
Honestly, I’m not sure I could afford to live where I do and live alone. It’s nice to have money and not worry.
So all in all, I like having my SO living with me.
Now other female roommates… NO THANK YOU. I never enjoyed that at any point at all. I was SOOO glad when I finally got my own place. I will NEVER do that again.
I’ve been alone for very many years and while the freedom is great, socially, it sucks. The neighbours round here aren’t terribly neighbourly - and where I was before, it was downright dangerous.
I’m lonely. When I come home, the house is empty. No children rush to greet me; there’s no-one to ask how their day went, to share the victories and the vicissitudes of life.
I would do much to have a young lady join me.
Why I want to live alone: nobody can tell me what to do/how to do it. Can Do things for myself, and not for someone else.
Major con of alone: Fear I’ll screw up, and nobody will be able to help me.