{"id":92395,"date":"2025-03-20T02:30:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T02:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/12-women-on-living-alone\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T02:30:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T02:30:40","slug":"12-women-on-living-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/12-women-on-living-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Women on Living Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u201cIf you\u2019d asked me 10 years ago to imagine myself at this age, I would have told you that I\u2019d have a husband, kids, and a house in the suburbs,\u201d says Catie, 40. \u201cTurns out, I\u2019m so happy living by myself. Many people think of living alone as a stepping stone to something better, but I don\u2019t long for anything else.\u201d Catie\u2019s Manhattan apartment (above) features a gallery wall, favorite books, and flowery wallpaper she didn\u2019t have to convince anyone else would look great. Below, Catie and 11 others share what it\u2019s like to live alone\u2026<\/p>\n

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Katie\u2019s pattern-filled home<\/em><\/p>\n

On leaning into your personality:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to relax peacefully at home with no one around to witness me is a balm to my introvert soul.\u201d \u2014 Katie, 34, has lived alone for 13 years, rural California<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving alone is so much fun! PJs and true crime as soon as I get home from work? Spontaneous sleepover with a guy from Hinge? Knowing exactly what\u2019s in the fridge at all times? Yes. Yes. Yes.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Natalie, 34, has lived alone for four years, Chicago<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a devastating marriage and an even more devastating divorce, the process of rebuilding myself from the ground up was so daunting. I didn\u2019t know who I was or how I wanted to live in the world. When do I want to go to bed? Do I love incense? What do I want to watch?<\/em> A free weekend was terrifying. I got nervous just going to Target by myself. So, living in my own space, decorating, cooking, and learning to be alone was wildly important. It\u2019s the most rigorous way I\u2019ve found to understand what I really want.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Kaitlin, 44, has lived alone for eight years, <\/p>\n

\u201cI love peeling off my clothes on a hot day and walking around the house naked.\u201d \u2014 Claire, 25, has lived alone for 1.5 years, Chicago<\/p>\n

On inspiration:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Katie\u2019s farmhouse<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI rent a 1870s farmhouse that\u2019s off the grid and two miles from the closest paved road; wild animals come through the yard, day and night. What makes it extra special is that it\u2019s the same home my mom moved into as a young woman before she met my dad, so it feels a bit like continuing a legacy of strong, independent and capable women being \u2018raised\u2019 by this house.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Katie, 34, has lived alone for 13 years, rural California<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up watching \u2018The Mary Tyler Moore Show,\u2019 so a woman living on her own has always felt exciting.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Cheryl<\/a>, 69, has lived alone for 13 years, Little Compton, Rhode Island<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of the Diana Ross song \u2018It\u2019s My House<\/a>\u2019 when I describe solo living.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Catie, 40, has lived alone for 11 years, Manhattan<\/p>\n

On challenges:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCovering the rent by myself is hard, especially in a big city, so I\u2019m not saving as much as I\u2019d like.\u201d \u2014 Catie, 40, has lived alone for 11 years, Manhattan, <\/p>\n

\u201cI used to complain that it was tough to cook for one person. These days, I\u2019ve pivoted to saying, \u2018I\u2019m good at feeding myself.\u2019 This means making satisfying meals of the most random things that are already in my pantry. There\u2019s no one around to judge!\u201d \u2014\u00a0Allie, 40, has lived alone for eight years, Mill Valley, California<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like solo living when I am sick. Being in pain all alone in the middle of the night is the pits.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Clara, 37, has lived alone for four years, Cornwall, Ontario<\/p>\n

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Allie and Toby<\/em><\/p>\n

On staying social:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLiving with a pet feels like having a witness as you go through your life. My dog, Toby, gets me out of the house four times a day, and my favorite thing is hanging out with him on the couch in the evening.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Allie, 40, has lived alone for eight years, Mill Valley, California<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving alone actually keeps me very social, since I need to proactively make plans to see people. Once or twice a week I\u2019ll invite friends over for dinner, and at least once a month an out-of-towner will come stay for a weekend. After my last relationship ended, I moved closer to family. Now, my twin sister is right next door and we can wave to each other from our kitchens.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Clara, 37, has lived alone for four years, Cornwall, Ontario<\/p>\n

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Clara lives alone\u2026in a house right next to her sister\u2019s<\/em><\/p>\n

On transitioning from a shared space:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter getting divorced, I stayed in the house where my ex-husband and I had lived for 12 years, so the transition was bittersweet. To make the house my own, I switched out the art and replaced the bedroom furniture. And I\u2019ve been lucky enough to find a close-knit community of women who make living here wonderful and leaving here unimaginable.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Cara, 41, has lived alone for two years, Boulder, Colorado<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived solo since my husband died in 2008. At first it was hard \u2014\u00a0the lack of human interaction once I got home from work felt like an enormous, gaping hole in my life. But now I cherish the quiet. I\u2019ve been dating a guy for years, but I don\u2019t want to live with him or anyone else because I love my autonomy.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Margarita, 57, has lived alone for 16 years, Minneapolis<\/p>\n

\u201cThe #1 reason I live alone: I will never again come home to find my roommate trimming her boyfriend\u2019s toenails on our living room couch.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Jan, 45, has lived alone for 23 years, Portland<\/p>\n

On design decisions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sarah\u2019s living area<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEight years ago, I bought a fixer-upper apartment. I had to check the \u2018single, unmarried\u2019 box many times on paperwork! The renovation was lots of work, but now my apartment is entirely mine, from the paint colors I chose to the antique mirrors I sourced. I designed my home and I design my days \u2014 there\u2019s something incredibly powerful about that realization.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Sarah, 38, has lived alone for eight years, Manhattan<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remodeled my bathroom and while I didn\u2019t set out to build a girly pink bathroom, somehow, I ended up with a girly pink bathroom. I absolutely love it.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Jan, 45, has lived alone for 23 years, Portland<\/p>\n

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Cheryl at home<\/em><\/p>\n

On valuable lessons:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband Kenny and I lived together for 30 years, and I\u2019ve lived alone since his death. My home is where we raised our children. But the regular maintenance of a house is never-ending. I liked making those decisions as a team, but I\u2019ve become incredibly confident in managing it on my own. I\u2019ve also found people I trust to do work.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Cheryl, 69, has lived alone for 13 years, Little Compton, Rhode Island<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever someone asks me, \u2018How do you know how to do that?\u2019 I always laugh and say, \u2018Who else is going to?\u2019 Recently I had to change out the shower handle, and thanks to the power of Google and trial and error, I did it and felt like a badass.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Catie, 40, has lived alone for 11 years, Manhattan<\/p>\n

\u201cThe house I lived in after college was a shoebox-sized cabin in the woods. The first night, a mouse climbed down from the sleeping loft, looked me in the eye, and practically dared me to do something about it. The next day, I stocked up on mouse traps, and I also learned how to sand and refinish floors while living there. 1000\/10 would recommend all women live alone at some point in their lives!\u201d \u2014\u00a0Katie, 34, has lived alone for 13 years, rural California<\/p>\n

Do you live alone, or have you in the past? What were the pros\/cons?<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. 12 readers share their solo travel photos<\/a> and a vintage lover shares her solo living dream home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photos provided by the interview subjects, except for the portrait of Cheryl, which was taken by Sarah Petrarca<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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62<\/span> COMMENTS<\/p>\n

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