How to Know When You're Ready to Live on Your Own

You’ve done and mastered the roommate thing. You’ve honed your negotiating skills so finely that the UN is calling. You wouldn’t dare even sniff peanut butter that didn’t belong to you. You automatically vacuum your carpet twice a year, whether it needs it or not. Maybe you’re tired of tip-toeing around someone else’s hangover every Saturday morning. Maybe you’re sick of the overnight “guests” who don’t pitch in with cash or chores. Maybe you just want to enjoy naked Thursday (hey, we don’t judge!).

Whatever your reasons, it’s time to stretch your wings and strike out on your own. But before you kick that rent-paying roomie to the curb, there are some tough questions to ask yourself from myfirstapartment.com.

Money

There is indeed a price for independence. That price comes, first, in the form of rent. One of the main reasons people have roommates is to save on cost, so if you’re thinking of living alone, particularly if you want a one-bedroom to yourself, plan on paying at least 50% more a month in rent. (Though, depending on your area, the amount can vary greatly – you need to check your local listings to determine exactly how much more.)

If you want a studio, there’s a little bit more wiggle-room. Most likely you’ll still be paying somewhat more a month, but you might, in fact, be able to find a studio for the same price or a touch less than what you had been paying for your share with roommates. (Again, check your local listings for the exact amounts.) That said, even if you end up paying less to live in a studio, you also get a lot less: your bedroom will be in the same room as your kitchen and living room, making it awkward to have guests over, and generally, you’ll be in one small room … some people don’t mind it, others do.

So, a higher rent is extra expense number one. Extra expense number two? Utilities. Unfortunately, when you live by yourself, splitting utilities is not an option. The overall bill will be little lower since your new space is (presumably) smaller, but since you’ll be splitting it exactly zero ways, expect to pay, again, about 50% more per month. And then there’s also cable and internet. Which are the same price, no matter how many people use them – so, if you’d previously had three roommates and you shared these expenses, expect to pay 300% more a month to watch Game of Thrones on HBO, or browse Facebook from home. In other words, internet went from $10 a month to $40 a month, just like that.

But, surely, these are all the extra expenses? Well, no, not necessarily.Also consider furniture. When you share a place, usually the furniture in the bedroom is yours, and the stuff in the living room is a mixture of everyone’s. If you’re moving into a one-bedroom by yourself, your living room might look awfully bare without a couch, television, bookshelf, coffee table, etc. And, unless you already owned all those things in your share, who’s going to have to go out and buy them? … I’m looking in one direction: right at you. So factor that in, too.

Mercifully, we’re done with calculating the extra money you’ll need – and, as you can see it’s quite a lot. It certainly can be worth it – you just need to make sure you have it before you take the plunge.

Safety/Convenience

However, having a roommate is more than just saving money. There’s also the issue of safety. With a roommate, you have someone looking out for you – any half-way decent roommate will notice and worry if you’re missing for no apparent reason. They’ll try to find out where you are.

Or if you get extremely sick, they’ll buy you some soup or pick up your prescription on the way home from work. Or, if you have an accident (say, you cut yourself badly while chopping veggies, or you break your leg falling down the stairs) a roommate can shepherd you to the hospital. If you’re living on your own, dealing with these situations is much more difficult.

Also, there’s the issue of convenience. Lock yourself out? Your roommate will let you in. Going on a weekend getaway and need someone to feed your goldfish? Your roommate’s got it covered. Need help moving an unwieldy piece of furniture? Just ask your roommate nicely…

Of course not all roommates are helpful or friendly, and your roommate shouldn’t be a crutch … that said, if you have a decent roommate, with whom you get along, you should expect these types of favors, and you should do them in return. When you live by yourself … well, it’s just you.

For more good questions to ask yourself before embarking on a solo mio living situation, please visit the link above.

 

Image credit: blog.rent-direct.com