How to Succeed Living Alone, According to Reddit
Walk naked. Belting show tunes in the shower. Bathing in peace and quiet. There are many benefits to being alone. At the same time, there are many worries, from handling bills to dealing with emergencies and general loneliness.
Living alone means finding a compromise between more independence and more responsibility. This recent Reddit thread dived into that tricky territory, providing tons of “professional advice” on how to live your best life in your own home. Whether you’re living on your own for the first time, or some pandemic-driven habits are forcing you to rethink your lifestyle, here are the best tips the good people of Reddit have to offer.
Stay up to date with your bills
You don’t have a roommate, parents, or spouse to hold you accountable. A large number of comments in the pro-tips thread indicated the need for automatic payments. On the other hand, there are some bills that you may not want to pay automatically . You can also set reminders manually, as u/mbnc suggests :
Use the to-do app on your phone and set reminders for anything you can predict, as often as you like. I get paid on the 15th and the last day of the month, so I have reminders on my phone on payday that these checks are due. If you get bills in the mail, find a place on the counter, end table, or something you pass by every day where you keep the bills and nothing else.
Another tip from u/orions_shiney_belt : “Find out how best to spread the bills throughout the month. Rent/mortgage, insurance in the first half of the month, then utilities in the second half. Most companies will be willing to push back the due date for bills, sometimes up to 10 days if you’re in good standing.”
The conclusion is to find a system that works for you, since living alone means being solely responsible for rent, utilities, and all other living expenses.
Clean up a little every day
Try to take a few minutes every day to keep things in order. As one Redditor put it , “You do n’t have a clean house, you keep it clean.” This opinion was one of the most popular in the thread:
- “Storage space is very important. If something doesn’t have its own dedicated storage space, it usually ends up in a mess.” ( you/DodgeGuyDave )
- “I like doing little things while I’m waiting for something. Boiling water for noodles? Sweep the floor and take out the trash. Something in the oven for 20 minutes? That’s enough time to clean up the ladies’ room. ( you/mrs_feather_bottom )
- “Make your bed daily, don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight, wipe down the main surfaces (kitchens, bathrooms). Putting off cleaning makes it much worse and scarier; 15 minutes a day is all it takes to maintain.” ( u/BasuraConBocaGrande )
- “If you are expecting guests or even want guests to be possible: plan and prepare. Have [toilet paper], paper towels, [feminine hygiene products], food, drinks, snacks, etc. ready. A good host is simply one who is willing to host.” ( you / that’s what she saidxx )
Another tip is to incorporate these mini-clean-ups into your day, like washing dishes while you wait for your coffee to brew, or wiping down the bathroom counter while the shower is heating up.
Get ready with “plunger items”
“Plunger items” are items that you need to buy before the need arises. This includes the said pistons, smoke detectors, first aid kits, cold and flu medications, and so on.
Credit for the term “plunger elements” belongs to this user . Because this is Reddit, sometimes the most helpful advice comes from most NSFW usernames. They write that “I hope they’ll sit in a drawer and you’ll never need to use them, but if you ever need them, you’ll be so happy you’re ready.”
Have a basic first aid kit
As with the preparedness tip above, many Redditors have confirmed the need to have a decent first aid kit ready when you need it. Buy ready-made or build your own using the following basic elements:
- Bandages
- Painkillers
- Tablets for nausea, diarrhea
- Salts for oral rehydration
- Thermometer
- ice pack
- Warmer
Another reason to stock up on medicines and non-perishable foods before you get sick is to prevent the disease from spreading when you need to go out to get groceries.
Learn how to cook in bulk and freeze leftovers
Cooking for one is a problem. I know I always struggle to try new recipes without getting tired of the many individual ingredients sold in grocery stores (I’m looking at you, celery. And you, cilantro). The main advice here is to become a master of frozen leftovers. :
- “Most cheaper to cook/freeze. I always want a variety of food, but buying one thing quickly becomes expensive.” ( u/InternationalLimit40 )
- “These one size glass oven trays (you know what you cook lasagna and stuff in) with a lid are great for this. Make four servings of whatever casserole dish you want, put just one in a real oven, and toss the rest in the freezer.” ( you / JoT17854 )
- “Cooking for one can be lonely and boring. Take care to prepare your meals at home so you don’t always feel like ordering delivery. This shit is getting expensive. Even just sandwiches, pasta, etc. Maybe I’m alone in this, but it would save me a lot of money. ( you/tombradysboy )
- “I bought a vacuum sealer. The best investment. Buy in bulk, freeze and defrost as needed.” ( you / Mrferg101 )
The key to cooking for yourself is to cook for yourself in the future.
Know your neighbor
When you live alone, it’s easy to fall into a sense of isolation. Many commentators have written about the importance of being proactive and presenting yourself to the people around you. Even if you’re not interested in becoming best friends with your neighbor, it’s smart to know who lives near you in case of an emergency. It’s also just plain fun. Commenter u/mbnc has some good ideas on why you might want to create a sense of community where you live:
Get to know your neighbors, especially if you live in a house where there are many people with similar life situations. Obviously, this is easier said than done (hint: dogs help a lot), but the hardest thing for me in the transition to adulthood after college was the lack of people to just hang out with at random times, as I could with my roommates. . With friends, it can take more effort to schedule activities and often end up being sent off for the weekend, but the right neighbors are great for those evenings when you just want to have a beer and watch TV with someone after work. They are also good for picking up parcels, takeaway food.
Even if you’re not interested in becoming best friends with your neighbor, it’s wise to meet up with the people who live near you in case of an emergency (for you and for them). It is also a good, human act.
Enjoy it
The pandemic has turned living alone into a major cause for concern, but as long as you can get outside regularly and connect with people in the world, you can find a certain beauty in spending time with yourself in your own home. I felt that u/colpanick put it quite nicely:
Take some time to enjoy the fact that you have a place for yourself. Learn a new skill with the freedom to suck without feeling judgement, walk around naked, eat something that makes you gas and stink a lot, go to the bathroom with the door open, build a giant fort out of all your furniture and blankets. Try everything you can think of that you might not be able to do with roommates. It can be lonely at times, things like that help you appreciate your life situation.
The responsibilities of living alone can be stressful, but the benefits of being alone are so, so rewarding.
Last reminder
While the Reddit thread has covered a lot of topics, I want to add the most important single living advice I know of:
Don’t lock yourself out: Build a system that remembers your keys so you don’t get locked out, and have a plan B in place in case you lock yourself out anyway.
Lock yourself : Always remember to lock the door behind you when you come home. Windows too. Even if you live in a safe area, you will never regret taking this basic precaution.