Why Living Alone Isn’t As Great As You Think

In the adult world, living alone is the equivalent of making it. While millennials might not have houses with white picket fences and 2.5 kids by the age of 25, getting rid roommates means that you’re enough of an adult that you make rent-paying money. I lived with roommates for a long time, and now by myself for three glorious years and unfortunately, being on your own isn’t as fabulous as you imagine it will be. Sure, you can be naked 24/7 and no one will judge you for your terrible taste in reality TV, but it does get a little bit lonely. Here are some of the more difficult parts of dwelling solo.

  1. Life Alert starts to seem like a serious option. While you’re not ancient like the lady in the commercials, when there’s no one around and you’re intoxicated/chocking/slipping in your shower, you start to consider wearing an emergency buzzer under everything.
  2. If you seriously need something, there aren’t doubles in your house already. When your phone charger suddenly breaks as it often does, you have to go out to grab one immediately. Same goes for a hair straightener, your mysteriously missing eyeliner, and the perfect date outfit – you never know when a roommate will have exactly what you need. When you’re on your own, you’re truly on your own.
  3. There’s not someone automatically around to talk about your day. Of course you have your mom a phone call away, a date who you can complain to, and friends who are always down for drinks, but if you come home ready to vent, it can be kind of a bummer if your only listener is a potted plant that’s mostly dead already.
  4. When you don’t have a roommate, you’re constantly searching for companionship.  Having someone around all the time can be awful if you just want to mope/binge watch Netflix in your undies, but if you need a companion for hungover brunch/husband hunting, you’ll always have somebody. If you decide last minute that you desperately need a drink outside of the confines of your apartment, there’s someone to go with you without having to text your entire phone book to see who’s free. You never have to make actual plans, because you always automatically have them.
  5. In the best binge-worthy sitcoms, no one lives alone. Growing up, you thought your adult life would be exactly like Friends. For your prepubescent dreams to come true you need at least 1-3 sassy roomies. Plus, binge watching said sitcoms is way better with someone by your side, whether it’s a roommate or a significant other.
  6. Cooking for one can sometimes mean a Lean Cuisine. When you have a roomie, whether it’s a girlfriend or your boyfriend, there’s someone to share everything with. Yes, that means you have to share the covers and the remote control, but it also means that food doesn’t go to waste. If you’ve ever gone to dinner with your boyfriend, you know that he can handle taking down all of your leftovers – whether or not you’re finished yet.
  7. Living with a roommate preps you for potentially living with a gentleman.  Living alone for an indefinite amount of time might make you think you can never live with a human being. Keeping a roommate around means you have to learn to compromise, which is never a bad thing. Letting crap go is something you should learn early, and part of that means coping with another person around and learning that passive post-it notes never solve anything.
  8. There’s no one there to save you from a hangover from hell. If you can’t move you can always get a bagel delivered in a big city but if you’re nowhere near a Seamless connection, it can be a struggle and a half. Whether you drank way too much whiskey or you’re actually ill, a roomie will make sure you’re still alive at the end of the day. It’s like having Life Alert, only without the awkward falling.
  9. Breakups can be terrifying by yourself.  With someone by your side, it’s way less likely that you’ll feel entirely heartbroken after a boy goes bad. You’ll have someone to take you out, feed you vodka and ice cream, and complain about your ex with. After all, if they were always at your place, your roommate probably didn’t like them, anyway. Living alone and surviving a break up is particularly painful because you can cry all day and no one will make you get out of bed and face society.
Margaret is a freelance writer who covers pop culture and fashion in New York City and currently writes for Page Six's Style section. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, xoJane, and Racked. She tweets about her crippling caffeine addiction and teen TV obsession here: @margaretabrams
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