Flying solo

Fairly recently, I moved out of my parents’ house and began renting my first apartment. It's a one-bedroom, second floor apartment with a little mini balcony that has a sort-of mountain view, a new paint job, and laminate floors. The building itself has an indoor pool, and my parking spot is visible from my deck. Sure, the place has its quirks — creaky pipes, a slightly drippy shower, and my neighbour smokes, but it's a home. Four months into living alone and I can safely say that I’ve learned a thing or two. So, according to my personal experience, here are some of the pros and cons of one-bedroom, one-person renting.

First off, no roommate? No problem. I’ve always been the kind of person that needs a little personal space, especially after a long day of people-ing. Having grown up with four siblings and no lock on my door, it’s a great new thrill having my own domain. Also, this means no judgement during late night snacks, bathroom trips or pizza deliveries. And much more freedom to sing, shout, play music, and not always be fully dressed. Plus, not having to revolve around anyone’s timetable but your own is certainly a relief sometimes.

However, since there’s no one else around, this can occasionally present laziness issues. For instance, why do the washing up? No one will complain. Recycling piling up? That’s okay, I’ll get to it later.

On top of that, there’s definitely the problem of literally having to do EVERYTHING yourself. No more soap? Welp, guess I’m using dish liquid to wash my hands. No groceries in the house? Ah. Well. That’s a problem. What's the delivery number for Domino's again?

Buuuuut back to the previous point, no one around? No one depending on you to make a great meal or have a spotless bedroom. So less pressure right? The pressure thing is big. It’s great to be able to experiment with home decor, food creation, feng shui(?), and whatever else to make your home feel like your own. It’s up to you. And it’s also kind of fun to express yourself.

Plus then, when you invite people over, if you’ve had a good cleanup, bought (er, baked) some scones and lit some candles, you can impress them with “look at how I’m adulting!”

Being an adult is really the crux of the matter. Living alone means suddenly trying to manage bill payments and budgeting. Yikes. One second you're getting paid, the next you're wondering how you're left with only $50. Hydro bills, phone bills, internet bills, rent cheques, grocery bills... You name it, you pay it. But I guess on the other hand, unless you're not left in the cold when your roommate forgets to cover something - because you better make darn sure you've done it yourself!

Once you've managed the month's payouts though, it really is nice to be a little relaxed chez-vous. Whether that's doing some silly dancing, or a little unofficial karaoke, or picking that massive wedgie that's been bugging you all day, it's okay - because it's your space, your rules.

And lastly of course, it's a great plus to keep things you. I always believed growing up that each of my friend's houses had a distinctive aroma. It was 'their smell'. Maybe it was their laundry detergent, or their mum's favourite febreze scent, but something made their clothes and their home smell like them. So now - it's your opportunity to design yours. Which candles are you burning? What's your oil diffuser scent? Does it always smell like freshly baked goods? Or maybe it's slightly musty and a little stale-food-ish? It's up to you.

You do you in your pad.