Yes, I know I just did a Top 5 list centered around online dating. Which would logically lead you to the conclusion that, one day, I would like to be in a relationship. Which is totally true.
In the meantime, as a single girl, I’ve got a mortgage with just my name on it. Which can be scary and expensive and damn near overwhelming when the furnace breaks and the entire thing needs to be replaced in the middle of a Wisconsin winter (true story) (also happened to the air conditioner in the middle of summer).
But the thing is, there are parts of living alone I adore. Things that I am going to appreciate the hell out of now, while I can. Because {insert your own idiom about looking back in hindsight at the green grass beyond the fence with 20/20 vision, here}.
5. It’s My Money to do What I Want With.
It’s no secret I’m in super budget mode right now. But right now, despite not having much of it, I have no one telling me how to spend my money. I created a budget that I have 100% control over. And if I decide I want to spend all of my extra money on a pair of New Balance running shoes, I figure it out on my own without having to clear it with anyone else.
4. I Control the Television. Or Lack Thereof.
Rookie Blue, HIMYM, and SATC seasons over and over? Why not. Turn the T.V. off so I can read with no distractions? Why not. I have complete freedom when it comes to choosing between movies, television shows, or complete silence.
3. Snoozing.
I have a horrendous habit in the morning I am morning challenged. I have two radio alarms, several alarms ringing on my cell phone, and another alarm going off on the other side of the room I have a few alarms that I snooze all morning long on occasion. It’s a bad habit that no one has to deal with but me. And my poor dog. And hopefully no potential boyfriends are reading this right now. If so, you’ve been warned.
2. Schedule.
This includes, but is not limited to, waking up at 5:30 a.m. to swim before work, sleeping in until noon on the weekends, staying up until 12:00 a.m. watching Rookie Blue season one (again), and then occasionally going to bed at 9:00 p.m. Not to be ignored are last-minute happy hours, last-minute workouts, and last-minute naps. Sometimes I’m super scheduled and sometimes I’m super fly by the seat of my pants. And, for now, I love that I can just come and go as I please.
1. Decor.
Right before I bought my condo, I read a magazine article by a woman who spent most of her post-college life focused on getting married. Once married, she realized she had never fully appreciated living on her own. This thought came to her when she wanted to paint their bedroom a shade of pink. Her husband said no way, and she regretted never doing it when she had the chance.
When I moved in, I hung a few prints of flowers and made a few changes.
And I painted my bedroom “Cabernet.”
