One of the things I always regretted was living at home during my college years. I did eventually move out out of my childhood home, but I only lasted 3 months before deciding to move back home. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to move 20 miles away from campus (vs. 4) to live with friends on a part-time, college-employee paycheck. I quickly realized I was wrong. Living with friends rarely works out. I wasn’t prepared for the expenses. I was cooped up in 1 tiny room with 2 cats, and I definitely didn’t enjoy the long commute.

When it came time to move out a second time, naturally, I was terrified. I bought a home, so this time there was no turning back like before. It was also the first time I was truly living on my own, so everything was up to me.

This week is the 3-month mark of living on my own (the same amount of time I lasted when I moved out the first time), and today it occurred to me that I actually have no desire to move back home. To celebrate, I thought I’d include 10 reasons I enjoy living alone.

1. No one tells me when to clean my house. – I certainly don’t live in a pigsty, but some days my house is defintely cleaner than others. Either way it doesn’t matter because if I choose to sit on the sofa and watch Netflix while letting my dishes pile up on the coffee table, that’s my choice.
2. I can choose my own schedule. – If I’m tired at 4PM. I can sleep without someone worrying that I’m sick, and if I’m wide awake at 3AM, I can make myself food and watch TV in the living room without worrying about disturbing anyone.
3. Sweatpants or no pants, it doesn’t matter. – It’s Winter right now, and quite chilly in my condo, so truthfully, there’s not much “no-pants-ing” happening, but if there was, it wouldn’t matter. I can wear whatever I want all day, and no one judges me.
4. I save money on make-up. – I’m one of those people who wears at least a little make-up whenever I’m with other people. My skin is not perfect, and I like to at least look presentable in front of people, but now that I live alone, there are truly days where no one is seeing me. If I’m not going out, it might be 7PM when I finally discover that I’ve had raccoon eyes from remnants of yesterday’s mascara because I’ve not looked in the mirror all day.
5. I can have anyone over whenever I want. – Sure, my mom said I could invite anyone I wanted over her house, but I never felt comfortable doing it. I spent most of my time in my room which was essentially a studio apartment. Bringing a guy friend over immediately created a sense of awkwardness even if we were just watching TV because it was my bedroom and of course boys weren’t allowed when I was younger.
6. I can eat whatever I want. – If I decide to make myself a grilled cheese 9AM or have cupcakes for dinner, that’s my decision. I still try my best to have a real dinner before I eat dessert most nights though.
7. Every decorating decision is mine, and mine alone. – Interior design has always been a passion of mine. I’m no expert, but I certainly enjoy seeing my Pinterest boards turn into reality little by little, and when it’s all done I know that it was 100% my vision.
8. I can do laundry whenever I want. – Since I started doing my own laundry in high school, I’ve done laundry on Sundays. Sadly no one else in my house had any sort of schedule, and as more people moved in, I found myself having to wait for everyone else to finish their laundry before I could start mine. Sunday laundry turned into Sunday at 11PM laundry. Now that I live alone, I know the only time there’s ever going to be laundry left in the dryer is because I didn’t empty it from last time.
9. No noisy, interrupting roomates or relatives to worry about. – I’m an introvert, so I love my quiet, alone time which is nonexistent when you have a house full of people. Now I can watch a show and not be interrupted by someone wanting to start a conversation with me or study in complete silence in the middle of the day.
10. I can be weird without being judged. – If for some odd reason, I decide to turn my life into a musical for an hour, dance around the living room to 90s music, or race my cats down the hallway in socks, no one will ever know. (Tip: Don’t race your cats down the hallway in socks. You will probably slip, fall, and of course, because you live alone, no one will ever know.)

Moving out has been fantastic. Any fears I had were primarily about what other people were going to think: What if I became a crazy cat lady or a hermit? What if people thought I was weird for not going out all the time? What if my condo was a mess? Well guess what?! It’s my condo, and no one is there to judge me anyway. Who cares?!