Living Situation

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Do you live alone, or with roommates? What about a spouse, or kids? Pets? Are you content with your living situation or would you prefer a different one and why?

I currently live alone, and generally enjoy it, though it can get lonely sometimes.

 

[November]

Alone and relieved to be so. Not a luxury that many will have going into the future. Especially with dogs. But I also live in a tiny "outback" town, which not many would choose to do.

I dont get lonely as much as feeling isolated, if that makes sense. I can chat to anyone, but no one is in a similar situation to me so cant relate to many. It was way harder being lonely when I lived in a city box with other people, than it is now. But I worry about illness and having no help, so I still mask up if I go shopping or church because I just dont want to risk being sicker than I already get, without bugs!

The workload is also huge. I couldn't have a full time job and keep up with home and garden maintenance even if I managed to get one! I'd simply have to start paying someone else. Its a huge amount of work to have a garden like I do and not nearly as rewarding as horses were, so it's getting tiring. I know I cant stay here as I age or if I get injured, so its sorta sad knowing that the effort will be for nothing.

I do love this house, but something smaller, with a smaller yard in a more convenient location, would give me a better quality of life.

 

[KaitKat]

I live with my husband, children, and cats. I do want to say that I’m glad that I lived by myself for a while after moving out with my parents, my sister didn’t and I see the difference it’s made. I also find it sad that it’ll be harder in this economy than it was when I was younger.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I have been living alone for the last 25 years so I am used to being alone but I can talk the 'hind legs of a donkey' given the opportunity. When I was working I was a Landscape Gardener that specialised in building rock walls, working alone was the norm.

 

[Kendar]

I live with my wife and 3 dogs. Actually, not counting college dorm room I've never lived alone.

 

[NotASlayer]

I live by myself. I can find other people to be tiring and stressful to be around, so I need alone time to recharge.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

I live alone, which is the perfect situation for me. But I'd like it a lot better if my sister DIDN'T live next door!

 

[Nix]

I live with my daughter and I can't see her ever moving out so yeah lol... I wouldn't change that though, love her to bits... I like it but I do still get lonely sometimes in the sense that I'm single (have been for a while now) so I miss connection/comfort and companionship.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I live with my daughter and son-in-law and Toby the Border Collie. But I normally spend Wednesday and Friday nights at my girlfriend's place.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I live with my daughter and I can't see her ever moving out so yeah...

Why dont you ever see her moving out?

 

[Ethan Reigns]

My girlfriend is going to have a female boarder for her second bedroom again, so this could get interesting. Previous boarders have stolen stuff, but this one is a dentist, so that gives some guarantees - she should be able to make enough money that she is not living hand-to-mouth and the body politic that controls dentistry may make it a banning offence to steal, so I am more hopeful about this one.

 

[DarkLordsHaunt]

I live with my mom. We have one dog and seven rats.

I am fine with my living situation! My mom is older and has health issues so I would worry constantly if I didn't live here with her. Plus my job pays me so little that I couldn't afford to live out on my own anyways.

 

[Kendar]

I live alone, which is the perfect situation for me. But I'd like it a lot better if my sister DIDN'T live next door!

My parents live in the same general area but are about 40 minutes away. So we can see each other when we want, but we aren't in a position to just drop by.

 

[Kendar]

@ILLYRIAN If I do something wrong I sleep on the couch. If my wife does something wrong I sleep on the couch.

 

[Taake]

I live alone with my dog most of the year, and love that. I get quite testy when I have to give up my quiet evenings at home, though I occasionally do. I often feel like there is so much that constantly demand your attention - from work, to family and friends, to random strangers ( I frequently strike up acquaintances whole commuting e.g.) - that my solitude at home is necessary for my well being.

For about 5 months out of the year I move out to the family summer house, and then I live mainly with my dad, aunt, and a couple who rent an apartment in the house. Sometimes cousins, nephews etc are also there.

I have my own apartment in that house, so I don’t have to share kitchen with anybody, but it is still quite taxing to be there. I love/hate it, because you have to see and talk to people every day. And they will just saunter in if they haven’t seen you in an hour or two. And you’re expected to see each other for various meals and coffees throughout the day. It is nice, but it also drives me mental. (It is on an island, so you can’t readily escape). But when it is time to go home I always miss it, and when the elder generation passes on I will miss it loads!

 

[November]

I always sorta laughed when people called this place the "outback" cos there are places far more remote than this in my state. But the other day I read an article about a photographer in New York who says shes from the Outback - when shes from the coastal city where I go to shop. I live out the back of that place (an hour inland from). So if that city is the outback, then this is the out, outback. And places further away must be something even more outbacky!

I also read an article today that the city I grew up in has the lowest population density of any city in the world. And I find that place over crowded. So when I consider where I will move next, I truly do not know how I would cope with so many people in close proximity. My town has less than 300 people in it. I bet there are apartment buildings with more people living in them. I dream of going to a pool every week for a swim, to get some relief for my legs, but the reality is, I might not do it if there are too many bodies there.

I duno, there is so much I love about this house, but so much I find difficult about the location. The isolation is hard to explain to anyone. I love hearing the birds in the morning. I love the flowers, I love the winter. I hate being hassled on walkies and I hate that I have been excluded from things like hiring horse paddocks and joining the gym because I am a renter and not a rate payer. I hate the extreme heat of summer, the blackouts and water shortages. I'm trying to figure out how to reject my neighbours boxing day lunch invitation this year. Its sweet that he invites me but I should never have said yes the first time cos now we've been doing it for years and I dont want to anymore. That small town social stuff is tricky.

 

[CardboardGhost]

I'm currently a student and live in on-campus housing with roommates, and when I go home for breaks I spend time with both parents (divorced). My first year, I lived alone, but even that I wouldn't really count since it was just one room and I shared the bathroom with the entire floor, ate in the dining hall every day, and spent most of my time in friends' rooms that were less than five minutes away; functionally, I was living with every other freshman. And afterwards I've always had a roommate. After I graduate, I'll probably stay with my parents for a few years before I figure out exactly what I want to do. I have some career goals, but where I go to pursue that is still up in the air.

I don't know that I'd ever like to live truly alone. I need a dedicated space that is mine, but having people close by is really important to me. The dream would be to live next door to a friend, or have a roommate or two in a really large house or something. And a cat. I don't currently have one and can't because of living on-campus and then going home to my family that hates cats, but that will be the first thing I do when I have a place of my own and some disposable income.

 

[Moptop]

It's just my wife and I and our two pups Charlie and Cooper (pestus maximus)!

 

[ILLYRIAN]

Regarding the post #17 by CardboardGhost, one thing to do when you graduate would be to design the living accommodation for the idiots who designed your living accommodation, see how they like to share a bathroom with a lot of strangers.