r/LivingAlone

I am looking forward to it. But I am a bit nervous.

I had such a good weekend, filled with simple things - just wanted to share.

- Took a little road trip to pick up a couple of books I purchased on Facebook marketplace. Met the nicest older couple, chatted with the wife for over 30 minutes, she showed me their entire home, all her craft projects, and we talked about life in general. She even invited me to come watch the 4th of July fireworks with them that night! (I declined, but was such a nice gesture!) She has more books I'll be buying, so I'll definitely be visiting them again.

- On the way back home from the book pickup, enjoyed seeing hundreds of people lining the street of that small town, waiting for their 4th of July parade to start. Everyone was laughing and talking together, sitting in their lawn chairs on the sidwalks, dressed in red, white and blue, little girls had red, white and blue ribbons and glitter in their hair - it was all so wholesome feeling!

- Went to get groceries and found a lovely little Dwarf Alberta Spruce tree to take home with me from the garden center. I'll pick up some battery-operated lights to put on it soon.

- Did some food prep for the week, so it's easier to grab something quick to eat.

- Did some small household projects, like taking my shower curtain liner down and cleaning it to remove the start of mildew I noticed yesterday. (This is one of those dual-purpose tasks - I soaked it in the tub with a bleach cleaner, so it also cleaned the bottom of the tub!)

- In a few hours, I'll turn in earlier than normal for the night, and just enjoy reading before going to sleep.

All in all, a good weekend!

1. No one nags at me

2. I can put toilet roll on the dispenser whichever way I like

3. I can order uber eats without anyone judging me

4. I get full 9 hours of restful deep sleep im so grateful

5. I can leave whenever I like without notifying anyone

6. I don’t have to do unexpected emotional labour; I only manage my own, no one else’s bad mood can infect me

7. I can use the bathroom whenever I like

8. I can organise my place the way I like it even if it makes no sense

9. I can buy full cake and eat it really slowly without worrying about it being gone and really just eat the amount I want each day

10. I can adjust the AC to whatever I like without someone telling me I’m wasting money

11. I can have shower in the dark with door open so small amount of light comes through so i can still see, it’s actually very peaceful

12. Again what I’m most grateful is my full 9 hours of sleep

13. No one questioning if I’m angry at them cos of my resting angry face

14. No one asking me if they can eat my leftovers which I clearly packed away so I can eat it the next day

But yeah I just have to say I truly truly love living alone, I’m truly grateful and appreciative. The pros weigh over the cons for me

I don't even know where to start.

I moved to a new city almost a year ago for my master's. I genuinely thought moving out would make me grow as a person. Instead, I feel like I've become someone I don't even recognise.

I live alone now. I don't really have close friends, just classmates w whom I dont feel connected to. There are times my mind keep replaying my breakup/ memories w my ex over and over again.

The worst part is that whenever something good/bad happens in life, my brain immediately wants to run back to my ex.

It's almost like my nervous system still thinks he's "home," even though logically I know he isn't.

Recently something happened in my family, and I completely panicked. My first instinct wasn't to call a friend or my parents. It was, I just want to tell him.

And I hate that.

Because I also remember the reality.

Our relationship wasn't purely healthy. There were constant breakups, ghosting, blocking, mixed signals, and I never really felt emotionally safe. Even while we were together, I remember asking him once if he'd be there for me during an emergency, and his answer wasn't exactly reassuring.

So why is my brain still reaching for the one person who probably wouldn't be there when I actually needed him?

I think living alone has made everything worse. When you're by yourself all day, every thought gets louder. Every fear gets louder. Some nights I genuinely don't know who to call, so my mind just goes back to the person who used to be my comfort, even if he also became the source of a lot of my pain.

I know people will probably say, "Don't text him."

Logically, I know that too.

But how do you stop your body from craving someone who no longer wants to be there for you?

Has anyone else experienced this after moving away, living alone, or going through a difficult breakup? How did you stop your brain from treating your ex like your emergency contact when they clearly aren't anymore?

During work days, I get busy by working out in the morning and going to work. By the time I come back home, I'm tired and usually can relax.

The challenge are the weekends. I basically stay in the couch all day long thinking bad stuff. It's pretty depressing. Ideally I'd spend the entire weekend outside, just coming home to sleep, but don't have anyone to hang out with and my interests are limited. I like peaceful activities, which don't seem common. I can have walks in the morning, but the day has 16h.

I live alone and I enjoy the peace and quiet. I’d like to be married and have kids at some point but for now this is nice. I don’t mind being alone, I have people to call and spend time with when I’m off work. I don’t feel that lonely, I’m not bothered by it.

My problem is that I don’t get help with things. I take care of all the cooking, cleaning, errands, bills. I manage it all but man am I drained by end of the week.

Is there any fix to this when you live alone? Any advice? Thank you 😊

living solo changed the way i think about money more than i expected. paying for the obvious stuff is easy because it has to get done. its the things i dont need but know would make home feel a little better that i end up debating for days

sometimes it feels silly spending on a want even if its something id use all the time or something that makes being home by myself more enjoyable. then i remind myself thats kind of the whole point of making my space feel like mine. how do you decide when something is worth buying for yourself even if its not really a necessity

Been living alone for about a year. I live in a 2 bdrm house that my ex was living in first before I ended up moving in. It's a duplex and the landlord lived in the studio apartment behind me. My ex was not the cleanest person, in fact she was kind of deplorable. I changed all that when I moved in, really deep cleaned the place. The basement was flooded and full of wet cardboard, mold, and slugs. The retainer walls leaked and there was black mold in the basement and kitchen walls. My landlord was lazy about it, so I hired a friend of mine who is a contractor to really clean the place. My landlord was cool enough to cover the cost. I re-painted the place, repaired a bunch of stuff, really wanted to make it comfortable for us.

My ex after 2 years was getting on me about having space in the house. I work remotely so I'm here quite a bit. She only worked Per Diem so she also was here alot. I ended up moving my workstation to the basement so she had free range of the top floor. She still said it didn't feel like she had space because she knows I'm downstairs and not out of the house. Well, I put my foot down and told her to seek the space she really wants, I pay half the rent and I'm working. Eventually, I ended things and she moved out. Guess she wanted a fresh start so she took it upon herself to leave. The landlord was cool with me staying and gave me a really cheap 5 yr lease while she moved abroad. After my ex moved out, her friends started to harass me online and say I kicked her out. They even tried to put a spell on me (they're witches). I thought it was funny.

It's been about year now, and I love it. I miss my ex somehow even after she was shitty to me, maybe I just feel lonely. It sucked at first, she took her 2 cats and I miss them dearly. I ended up winning since I have a great place and she moved to a shitty studio apartment. It's so peaceful but man, it can get kind of weird sometimes living alone. I don't think I'll ever have someone move in with me, I like the peace I built too much.

I'm sure there are plenty of tricks that people who've lived alone longer have figured out, so what's the biggest money-saving habit that's worked for you?

I live alone! And most days it's just me, my hobbies, and my thoughts.

Almost everybody comes here to just read/post, ask for advice, or just share what’s on their mind. It’s oddly comforting to see complete strangers being so open with each other!

Insta kind of turned me into an oversharer. (Although I literally have 10 followers, I keep my instagram for the people that I'm really close with)

I’d post every thought until I started wondering if I was just bothering my friends! Like when I post cringy posts on my story etc lmfao or the memes I share so randomly 😭

Here, though, it feels different. People choose to read your post, engage if they want to, and move on if they don’t.

Nice to be here with you all!
So.. are there dangers in here though? Ahahaha

i'm 17, and i just moved 233 km away from home for college. my dad, together with the rest of my family, drove for 5 hours just to help me clean up my dorm and properly send me off. we aren't rich, but my siblings and i have always been incredibly spoiled.

in almost 18 years of living, i've never had to buy food at a public market or commute on a bus by myself. most of the chores at home were taken care of by our helper. i never learned how to cook because my mom always did it for us. i never had to wake up early to prepare breakfast or get everything ready for school because my mom and grandma had already done it before i even got out of bed.

so now, being alone in a dorm with no one to rely on feels overwhelming. for the first time in my life, i'm responsible for everything, and i don't even know where to begin. i've never felt this homesick before. i miss home in ways i didn't think were possible.

i keep telling myself that things will get better with time, that one day all of this will feel normal. but i can't help but wonder... will it honestly?

Just coming here to state something that probably all of you are already aware of. As someone who currently lives in DC/NOVA area, rents in modern buildings or “luxury” apartments have become insane.

Now, before I get comments saying “of course a luxury apartment will be expensive” I will preface by saying I KNOW this, and know that they are more expensive than older buildings.

A few years ago a 1 bedroom apartment in a “luxury apartment” building major metropolitan city was around $1900-2100 per month. Now, it’s closer to $2500.

As someone who makes decent money just 2-3 years into my career ($100k+), and can technically afford a rent like this according to the “spend no more than 30% of gross income on rent” rule, it is absolutely insane still, and it is preventing me from saving any big chunk of money for a down payment on a house.

I know costs and prices for everything have just gone up and up these past few years with inflation, but the rent issue seems particularly out of control.

I know some of us aren’t used to being alone, some of us are pros. Either way I’m looking to chat with yall and make some internet friends.

Ideas, newly single, trying to plan for my 50th birthday, it’s just before Christmas so i find getting other people involved a struggle, don’t know what to do, want it special even if alone, any ideas? Uk but happy to travel, under £1000.