Roommates

Lots of single people have roommates. Sometimes it even works.

I haven't had a platonic roommate since college, and there are volumes of stories. One roommate used to entertain us when she'd sleepwalk and talk about the dinosaurs. Eyed wide open. She graduated and moved out while I was away before summer classes started. When I came back, she had taken my silverware. She shipped the set back but was convinced it was hers. Now she's an attorney for a large metropolitan county.

Okay, my roommate issues were nothing compared with some people's nightmares. And keep in mind it's not just the roommates, but also their friends and lovers. I don't know a situation as bad as the movie Single White Female, but there are some pretty bad ones.

One friend just found out his roommate's ex has been spending on his debit card. Surprise! She's almost wiped out his account. This was after he bailed her out of jail in the middle of the night and god knows what else.

Another friend decided to share a place with one of her best friends. But the friend never paid rent or bills. She didn't cut down on her partying, but for some reason she was never motivated to look for a job. Then some nights, my friend would come home from work and find herself locked out with the keyless deadbolt. Other nights, she'd check the wallet in the strange jeans on the living room floor to find out who was in her apartment. She's living alone now and loving it.

Roommates can be great fun too. They share expenses, help take care of pets and keep the place from getting lonely. The good ones tend to get new job or fall in love and move out. Then you're alone again. One friend is so upset he and one of his roommates now have different addresses you'd think it was a teenage breakup.

These problems and bigger ones also happen when you fall in love and move in together. Some people decide to share a place because one doesn't have anywhere else to go. We're more likely to overlook the problems when love's involved. Don't overlook them. If they can't be a good roommate, forget everything else.
Another guy I know is about to move into an apartment by himself for the first time in a long while. He's talking about turning his new place into a naked zone, and I'm thankful I don't have a view into his windows.

You can certainly be freer in your own place. Decorate how you want. Keep the place tidy or trashed to your liking. Invite whomever you want over. Whenever. I recommend it.
Love to the single girls,
Addison