Once you get out of college, the big goal for many – even if you know it’s not in the near future – is to finally get a place of your own. It’s not that you don’t love your roommate, but you reach a point in your life when other people’s style of living just doesn’t mesh with yours. You’d also really love to be able to know what it’s like to bang your boyfriend on the kitchen table without worrying your roommate will walk in on you at any given moment. So how do you know if you’re ready to move out?
- You feel comfortable with the idea of it. Some people don’t like the idea of sleeping in an apartment alone because it makes the feel unsafe. If that isn’t an issue for you, then godspeed!
- You’re sick of cleaning up after someone else. You’re adults – you should be able to clean up after yourself. If your roommate can’t do that, it might time to bail.
- Your tolerance for passive aggressive notes has ceased. Even the best of roommates sometimes pull this crap. But you also just reach a point when you realize it’s too much childish drama than it’s worth.
- You’ve had it with the last of your food always being eaten. Even though you and your roommate have decided to stay away from each other’s food or go halvsies on the groceries, you still run the risk of coming home to find the last of your Ben and Jerry’s Americone Dream gone. Hall hath no fury like a woman whose ice cream has been eaten.
- You’re totally over having to wait your turn to shower. In other words, the idea of showering for 30 minutes if you feel like it is the only way you want to live forever.
- You’ve seen your roommate having sex enough to last a lifetime. Although you may be keeping your action in the bedroom, sometimes you live with people who just don’t. Ugh.
- You really enjoy the quiet. Whether it’s because you function better solo or you’ve reached a point in your life that you just want silence at the end of the day, that’s a big defining factor.
- You’d finally like to get some nice plates. It’s hard to trust others with your belongings, so why invest in them when you have a roommate? If you’re ready to get some of those pretty plates and glasses that they have at Anthropologie, then you need to ditch the roommate first.
- You’ve been dreaming about throwing dinner parties. You know, dinner parties that you don’t have to schedule around what works for the person you’re sharing an apartment with.
- You realize that you can live alone and still be friends. Growing up means finding your own place in the world, and sometimes that means going it alone. It doesn’t mean you love your roommate any less, it’s just time to roll solo. Having a roommate is an awesome experience, but so is living alone.
- You can actually afford to do it. Being financially ready to live alone is the biggest thing to consider. It’s not longer 50/50, but all your responsibility. If you can pay your rent and still have at least 50 percent of your paycheck left for utilities, food, and entertainment, that’s a good start.
