Five Steps To Be Successful At Living Alone

Many people enjoy the solitude of living alone, while others, especially if they find themselves unexpectedly in an empty home, find it to be a difficult transition. Besides not having the companionship of another person, living alone also means you don’t have someone to help you around the house with simple chores.

Living alone, and doing it well, takes a lot of independence along with some ingenuity. Being able to solve problems on your own, and overcome the challenges that come with it is crucial.

To help you overcome some of the obstacles, we’ve created a list of five steps to be successful at living alone.

Finances:
The good news is, budgeting for one is easier than for two. Your grocery bill should go down, though it takes adapting to buying less, and cooking differently. Ultimately, your utility bills should go down, also. These two areas will reflect your largest financial savings. Track your spending for 2 or 3 months to see how and where you are spending your money.

Get to know your neighbors:
One of the best resources you can have when you live alone are the people around you. Not only can they be a source of social interaction, you may find out that your next-door neighbor is a handyman, which can be a valuable resource in a time of need.

Invest in an alarm system:
Maintaining a sense of security can be hard. When others are around, you don’t feel vulnerable and alone. You have someone else with you in whom you can place your trust, in case of an emergency, or when you feel uncomfortable, or insecure. With a medical alert system from LifeFone, you have a layer of protection in case of any emergency.  Adding the mobile app to your phone can also help.

Understand your own needs:
If you found yourself unexpectedly living alone because of a divorce or death of your spouse, you may not even know what your own needs are. Take the time to find out what you need, and more importantly, who you are. You may find that you really like you, and that your needs are radically different then when you were living with someone else.

Final thought:
Don’t just ‘survive’ living alone, learn to enjoy it and have fun. It can be a hard time of transition, that alters the rest of your life, but it doesn’t have to be unhappy. Make some bold decorating choices, change your wardrobe, explore new places, and find new friends.

There’s so much more to living alone than being alone, so shed the fear and anxiety and enjoy it.