Monday 23 March 2015

Living at home vs Living on your own


Moving out. Buying new décor, packing your stuff, squeezing it into the car. It’s one of the most stressful yet exciting times. I love living away from my parents but obviously there are factors that would keep me living with Mummy and Daddy dearest. Let's see...

Pros of living at home
·         Less responsibilities
When living at home, you don’t need to worry about running out of milk or detergent or toilet roll- that’s not your job.
·         Home comforts
Those little things like your mum bringing you a cup of tea when you’re ill, or little family traditions. They’re what you tend to miss.
·         No housemates
Like many people my age, nobody moves out on their very own straight away, there are housemates.  And that means new annoying habits to get used to. It’s okay when it’s your family, you love them unconditionally and you’re used to the annoying things they do. I’m not used to having someone barging in at 5am absolutely inebriated, that’s what I do. It’s only okay when I do that.
·         Nicer house
There’s no denying it; student houses are vile. No matter how nice they start off, they will end up completely inhabitable. Students don’t care about anything. And the landlords don’t care that much either. My parents’ house is so cosy and warm and generally nice, nothing can beat that.
·         The cost
Living with your parents is inevitably cheaper than living on your own. Food shopping, bills, everything is paid for, you just have to worry about paying your keep, and if your parents are generous, that won’t be much at all.
·         It can get kind of lonely
With everyone’s different schedules, and the fact these people aren’t your family, it means you can feel a bit lonely at times. Especially if you’re going through a shitty time, there’s nothing you want more than an encouraging hug from your mum or dad and when that’s not there, it can be a bit crap.

Pros of living on your own
·         The independence
Oh Lord the independence. When I first moved out I felt like a baby bird leaving the nest and becoming a freakin strong as hell independent bird flying around the skies and buying as many pop tarts as it wants.
·         NO RULES
I know this makes me sound like a child, but the fact I wouldn’t have my mother moaning in my ear about not taking my plate out immediately after I had my last forkful was just lovely. Although I couldn’t really be told what to do as an adult living at home, it didn’t mean it wasn’t the end of complaining about the volume of my music, my intake of alcohol, the “wasted” money on Lush products.
·         Doing my own laundry
This may not be the case for everyone, but doing my own laundry and only mine means there is no mix up with any clothes and I know where all of my clothes are at all times. At home, there’s me, my sister and my mum who all have the same leggings, tights, vests etc and there is something at least every wash that goes missing.
·         Food shopping
Although realising you are out of milk and loo roll, as I have mentioned, is one of the most irritating things, I can buy whatever food I want. I can buy the “disgusting” chilli sauce I like. I can buy ramen noodles. I can buy all of the food my mum and dad refuse to spend their money on.
·         The housemates
Although they’re annoying, you love them. They’re fun, always down for a good time and won’t tell you you’re too drunk. Living with a bunch of pals is one of the most annoying, yet most fun thing in the world. Plus there’s almost always somebody awake who will be willing to drive me to McDonalds (because I can’t drive you see cry cry).


Okay so we can see that pretty much all of my reasons for living away from home revolve around me being able to do what I want and pretty much be a disgusting human being but that is what I want at my age. I want fun. But I also want to save money. But I also want fun. But it’s always nice to have a warm, clean house. But I can buy copious amounts of Pop Tarts and drink cider at 10am if I live on my own…I think we know which side wins.

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