Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Lifevif Team and JC Franco
It’s time to get your own place, but you aren’t quite sure if you should live alone or look for a housemate. What to do?! First things first, you need to make a list of the pros and cons of living alone. You can only decide what’s best for you once you consider all of the drawbacks, risks, and disadvantages of living alone.
Living alone can be nice if you are the type of person that enjoys privacy and alone time, but think about the disadvantages and risks, and consider if you’re willing to face them. If you want to learn about the downsides of living alone, read on.
17 reasons why living alone might not be a great idea:
1. It can be lonely.
Living alone means that there’s no one readily available to have a quick chat with. When you are home alone, it’s quiet. It is peaceful maybe, but a bit lonely too.
2. Boredom can creep into your life.
When you live alone, boredom can become a problem. You might find yourself feeling alone, bored, and slightly depressed. Just having someone around to watch a movie with, chat about your day, or speak rubbish with can be a great boredom buster.
3. Your personal safety can be more at risk.
When you live alone, your personal security and safety can be at risk. There is no one at home that will notice if you just don’t return home one day. Also, someone could notice that you live alone and break in or attack you. In certain situations, living alone can make you vulnerable.
4. No helping hand nearby.
When the garage door jams, you accidentally lock yourself out, or the geyser bursts, there’s no one around to help you clean up the mess or get out of a pickle. Living alone means that you get to face all of life’s unexpected difficulties alone.
5. You eat meals alone (cooking for one is no fun).
When you live alone, most meals are eaten alone, unless you invite people over or go out for meals that is. Eating alone is all fine and well, but you might find that your meals become more functional than enjoyable. Plus, cooking for just one person isn’t fun. When you have someone else to cook for, your meals might be more adventurous and fun.
6. All the chores are your responsibility.
Ever wished that the dishes would magically wash themselves? Perhaps you find yourself doing laundry alone and wish you could have a laundry buddy? Yup, living alone means that all the chores are yours to do alone…and that can get a little tiring and mundane. When living with someone else, there’s someone else to pick up the slack and share the load.
7. You end up going out more than you’d like to.
Being home alone can get a little boring. If you don’t like to isolate too much, you might find yourself going out a lot. This means that you incur additional expenses in your life and might even start to neglect your household chores and work commitments. Getting into a habit of going out too frequently just for the company can eventually have a negative impact on your life.
8. You don’t have a live-in buddy in life.
When you live with someone else, there is always someone readily available to do things with. Want to go out and watch a movie after work? Your housemate will probably join you! Want someone to shop for groceries with? Your housemate will probably join you. Living alone means that you don’t have someone readily available to do things with. This can deter you from doing things that might otherwise be fun.
9. If you want to talk to someone in person, you have to go out and find someone.
We all need someone to talk to, but who do you turn to if you live alone. You have a bad day at work, you get home and there’s…nothing. No one is there to hear you rant about your day or your boss. Living alone means you have to go and find someone to speak to – how inconvenient.
10. You might meet fewer people.
When you live alone, the chances of ever meeting someone in your own home are very slim. When you live with someone else, your social network expands somewhat as you get to know some of your housemate’s friends and acquaintances.
11. You might not get the place/home that you want.
If you choose to live alone, you might have to settle for an affordable property that fits your budget more than it suits your living preferences. Also, if you want to get the home of your dreams, you can save a lot of money and get just what you want by renting/living with someone else.
12. You’ve got nothing to look forward to (no desire to rush home).
If you are living with someone else, you might actually look forward to getting home after work. If you live alone, there’s not much to look forward to except for a lonely meal and some television.
13. Risk of becoming a slob (or a couch potato).
When you live alone, there’s no real pressure or expectation to keep the place decent or to get out of your PJs when you are at home. You might find yourself eating more junk food than you like and spending far too many hours in front of the television or sleeping. Living alone has the potential to turn you into a couch potato, so be careful of this.
14. You come home to an empty place.
Coming home to an empty house is a big downside to living alone. There’s nobody to greet you when you arrive, nobody to have a cup of tea with, and no one to plan dinner with. It can be quite lonely. At night, coming home to a dark, empty house can also feel quite unsafe.
15. It’s expensive – no one to split bills with.
When you live alone, you have to cover the cost of the internet, streaming service, utilities, and groceries all on your own. When you live with someone else, at least you can get some help with these bills.
16. Paranoia might spike.
Living alone is a prime situation for feeling paranoid. You might jump at every sound in the night and actually lose sleep because of it. When you live alone, it’s easy to start to feel unsafe, even if you are perfectly safe.
17. No one around to cheer you up when you are down.
One of the biggest downsides is that when you are feeling lonely, down, upset, or sad about something, there’s no one right in your personal space available to make you feel better. Living alone can lead to more feelings of sadness and depression. Having a housemate goes a long way towards quelling possible depression.
In closing
Living alone has its perks. It’s quiet, it’s private, and you never have to explain yourself. However, on certain occasions, it can also be unsafe, lonely, and expensive. Take the time to consider all of the above possible disadvantages of living alone before you take the plunge.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who share their experiences and knowledge about the "Seven F's of Life".
JC Franco
JC Franco is a New York-based editor for Lifevif. He mainly focuses on content about faith, spirituality, personal growth, finance, and sports. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Marketing. He is a certified tennis instructor who teaches in the New York City Metropolitan area. In terms of finance, he has passed the Level I exam of the CFA program.