Exciting! You’re leaving home soon. But are you going to live on your own or with a roommate? Both options have their pros and cons. We have listed all of these for you. Do you choose the option with more peace, independence and privacy or the cozy and financially more attractive option?
Benefits of living on your own
- It makes you more independent and gives you more freedom, giving you control over your life.
- That independence makes you independent. You really have to take care of yourself now.
- It provides more privacy.
- It is good for your personal development. Living on your own offers you the opportunity to learn new skills and grow as a person.
- Living on your own gives you peace of mind. You will not be disturbed by the presence of housemates and there will not be all kinds of other people’s things lying around.
- Your house, your rules. You can decide for yourself when to invite people, without having to take roommates into account. You can also decide for yourself how you decorate your home and it is up to you which routines you follow.
Disadvantages of living on your own
- It may be scary financially. You are responsible for your own costs and groceries. These costs may be quite high.
- It may sometimes give you an unsafe feeling, because you are responsible for the safety of your home.
- Although you become very independent by living on your own, it comes with many responsibilities. This will take some getting used to, especially in the beginning. Consider household tasks such as cleaning and cooking, but also financial tasks such as taking out insurance.
- Problems or important decisions that you previously discussed with housemates are now your responsibility.
- Especially if you are not used to being alone a lot, there is a good chance that you sometimes feel lonely when you live on your own.
Benefits of living together
- By living together, the relationship with your roommate will grow and become stronger.
- You always have someone to talk to or do something fun with. So you won’t get bored easily.
- It is financially attractive. Instead of paying for everything alone, the costs are now shared.
- It ensures personal growth. By living so closely with someone, you get to know yourself better in different areas.
- To find out whether you and your partner are ready for a future together, living together is the ultimate test.
- You are not alone in doing household and financial tasks.
- You don’t feel lonely easily.
Disadvantages of living together
- If there were problems between you and your roommate before you started living together, these will now only be exacerbated.
- Only when you start living with someone do you really get to know them. This may reveal irritating features that you may not have noticed before.
- Where you normally see each other three times a week, you now see each other every day. This may cause the special to fade away and you will start to take each other for granted.
- You have to be careful not to ‘give up’ your own identity and become too merged with others. Also keep doing your own thing.
- Unlike living on your own, you logically have less privacy when you live together.
- You will have to adapt to each other’s routines and discuss everything with each other.
