Things Only People Who Live Alone Do

Many of us have had a little jive in the kitchen every now and then. However, it's only those who are lucky enough to live alone who can let the sauce burn with impunity and dance until their feet can't take it any more - or the neighbors complain about the thumping!

Like dancing in the kitchen, most people warble in the shower occasionally. And, like dancing in the kitchen, it's only those who live alone who can let rip without fear of offending the ears of their family or roommates - or opening themselves up to later mockery.

For some people, spending the day in their pajamas is a real indulgence. It's also something that others may look down on. 'Can't you bothered to get dressed?' they might say. Or, 'If you're ill, shouldn't you be in bed?' The guy or gal who lives alone need not fear facing inane comments and can happily get on with slobbing around in their pajamas.

Oh, the remote control wars! As anyone who's ever had to share a couch, a TV and a remote control with at least one other person, there's little that's more annoying. Having sole control of the remote is one of the greatest joys of living alone and, for many, one of the best reasons for saying 'No thanks' to ever living with anyone else.

Whether you're a diligent housekeeper or more slobbish, it's very frustrating to come into a room that's not as you left it. The careful cleaner will want to scream in frustration at the crumbs on the counter and the plates in the sink. Meanwhile, the slob will bridle at the tidying away of something important. Of course, people who live alone never face either problem!

Some people like fresh sheets daily. Others are weekly changers while another group stretch it out even longer. Whichever category you fall into, it's irksome to be encouraged to change the sheets according to someone else's schedule or, on the other hand, to feel that responsibility for linen changes falls on you because your bedmate can't be bothered. Living alone means it's up to you.

Have you ever realized that you're narrating your activities out loud rather like David Attenborough providing the voiceover on a wildlife documentary? We'd like to bet that you have and we'd also like to bet that, if you live alone, it's something you do more regularly and more thoroughly than you'd ever feel comfortable admitting to.

Of course, some cohabiting couples walk around naked all the time but most don't. Even fewer people who share a home with children, other relatives, or unrelated roommates would feel uninhibited enough to do the same. Not so the happy solo home occupier. If they want to walk around in the buff, they'll do just that!

Washing up can be a chore especially if you're the only washer-upper. Using a dishwasher isn't always very practical if you live alone as you have to wait so long to fill it up. Here's where having "just enough" silverware comes into play: owning, say, a single fork, spoon, and knife means you'll never have a pile of them to wash up.

You can forget cake slicing and sharing etiquette if you live alone. Unless you've invited someone over to share your cake, you can eat it exactly as you please. If that means taking a spoon and delving straight into the center of the cake then so be it!

Spend any time on Reddit investigating some of the habits of people who live alone and you'll quickly come across a happy group who all claim to have hammocks in their living room. Some use them for daytime naps but others apparently bed down in them at night - which isn't something that would please the average live-in partner.

It might sound a little tragic but, if you live alone, who else is going to say 'Bless you!' or 'Gesundheit!' if you sneeze? There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying it to yourself - which is exactly what many people do when they don't have live-in partners or roommates.

Solo karaoke nights won't be the top pick for evening entertainment for everyone who lives alone. However, they're surprisingly popular - and why not! After all, music karaoke apps on the TV mean that lyrics and backing tunes are available at the touch of the remote control (which, remember, no-one else has control over).

Even the most enthusiastic kitchen disco fan or karaoke queen might feel their enthusiasm wane without the occasional appreciative audience member. However, this doesn't necessitate a sudden need to advertise for a roommate or even invite a friend over. No, as many people who live alone fully appreciate, a pet dog or cat can make an excellent audience.

One step on from narrating your daily activities is pretending that you're being followed by a camera just like in a documentary or music video. It's not as egotistical as it sounds. For some, it provides a brief dopamine hit. For others, it's a way of grounding their life and confirming that, yes, they are here.

Come on! Everyone's gross some of the time. It's just that living with other people forces us to moderate when we belch or fart, and be considerate as to how loudly we blow our nose or where we leave our dirty socks. Meanwhile, the person who doesn't share a home with anyone else can be as gross as they like!

Apparently doing the housework in high heels is a great workout - even if it's not the most efficient way of getting your bathtub clean or your kitchen floor mopped. It's also a habit that will inevitably prompt raised eyebrows (at best) from a spouse or roommate, which is probably why it's a practise that's usually the preserve of those who live alone.

Again, this is one of those living alone habits that won't be for everyone. However, if you're a fan of living your life in the dark (or semi-dark), it's definitely easier to do so if you don't have someone else constantly flicking on the "big light" or insisting that a room needs "a few more lamps".

If the electricity bill is a concern or you're simply worried about the state of the planet, you're probably pretty conscientious about switching off lights you're not using. This is super easy if you live alone. It's much less easy if you share a home with someone who likes lots of lamps and twinkle lights...

People who live with other people generally never think to leave notes saying where they're going, when they left and when they intend to be back. That's because they assume someone will notice their absence. However some people who live by themselves make a point of leaving this information on their fridge or other prominent location in case they mysteriously disappear!

Do you live out of your clean laundry basket? If so, you're probably either an overwhelmed parent or you live alone and so have no-one to chastise you for the habit. Provided you don't care and aren't actually struggling for storage space, where's the harm in it!

Reading aloud is an old-fashioned habit that, once upon a time, many people indulged in. It was a way of passing the time in the evening and, perhaps, of ensuring that person stuck with darning the family's socks also had some entertainment while they worked. Nowadays, reading out is generally limited to parents reading to their small children or someone who lives alone.

We've already mentioned a couple of the downsides of having to share a living room and a TV with other people. Another of those downsides is having to put up with people groaning when you try to binge watch your favorite show for the eleventh time. If this isn't a good reason for living alone, we don't know what is!

Carpet picnics are something that parents occasionally allow their kids to indulge in. As a rule, once we're past our teens, the attraction of eating on the floor starts to wane. However, this isn't always necessarily the case with someone who lives alone. Every now and then, this person might choose to eat on the floor just because they can!

Ah, the bliss of spreading yourself out in your own bed! Without a partner to steal the comforter, kick you in the night or argue over whether or not the window is open, going to bed is bliss. No wonder that the joy of star fishing or sleeping diagonally makes the average single person think super-hard about the pros and cons of coupling up.

Living alone doesn't necessarily mean a reduction in standards. Then, again, who's to say what those standards are? If your personal standards involve not having to do unnecessary dishwashing, you might be more than happy to eat your batch-cooked meal out of the same Tupperware container that you reheated it in.

In the absence of an ensuite, you probably feel you have to put on a robe when making the journey from bedroom to bathroom if you sleep naked or in something very skimpy. This isn't a concern for the person who doesn't have any roommates - unless, of course, their house is very cold

Take the time to ask around and you'll probably find that many people who live alone will admit to using the bathroom without closing the door. And why not! Shutting the door is generally merely a matter of convention and concern for the sensibilities (and noses) of others.

Perhaps people who live alone aren't the only ones who sometimes have fake arguments - often with themselves in the mirror - but, at least according to Reddit, it's more common. And what do they get from it? It's difficult to say but perhaps there's a jolt of adrenaline or it's simply something to do!

Some people get very touchy about throw pillows on the bed. Why, they will ask, should we clutter the bed with pillows if we're just going to remove them before we go to sleep? It's a fair question but nonetheless annoying to someone who likes lots of pillows. Luckily, if you live alone, you can have as many (or as few) pillows as you like.

Sleeping on the couch seems (sort of) understandable if you don't have a guest room and your partner has kicked you out of your bedroom because you snore or she's heavily pregnant and needs all the space to herself. It's less understandable if you live by yourself and have a perfectly comfortable bed in your bedroom. And yet, if you prefer the couch, why not!

Heating wars are one of the commonest causes of arguments between spouses and roommates. Whether they arise out of financial worries or because two people disagree on the ideal room temperature, these fights can be vicious and protracted. There's rarely an outright winner. Obviously, living alone means you can please yourself (and your bank balance).

When it comes to decorating, compromise is often the name of the game. However, if you live alone and want a bright blue wall in your living room, you can get busy with the paintbrushes. Equally, if you want to fill your bedroom with gonks or jellycats, there's no-one to quibble if you don't have a live-in partner.

Living with a partner or children usually means either endless negotiations over what to eat or being faced with someone who regularly tells you they don't like what you've just spent an hour preparing. Conversely, living alone means you can please yourself. If you want to eat the same meal four nights on the run, you can. And if dinner means cereal, so be it!

When you live with other people, it's usually seen as common courtesy to let them know that you're going out and, often, roughly when you'll be back. Not everyone sees this as any kind of encumbrance but it can sometimes feel like it, especially when someone who lives by themselves can swan out without saying anything to anyone.

Clearly, there has to be a caveat to this. Even someone who lives alone may well have neighbors who might be disturbed by any loud noises. However, they don't have family members or roommates who'll complain that their music is too loud or ask why they feel the need to do a load of laundry at 3am.

Friends are blessing - or, at least, they're a blessing if they're your friends. Other people's friends aren't always quite so great but, unfortunately, living with other people usually means having to put up with their friends at least some of the time. Even if you like the friends, they might be hanging around your home when you'd rather have it to yourself.

Whether you live as part of a family or with roommates, some shared finances are almost inevitable. For the lucky few, this works without a problem. More usually, however, there are frequent arguments over who bought the last carton of milk, who still owes their share of the electricity bill or who is dipping into the savings account. Living alone suddenly looks really good, doesn't it!

Cohabiting with a partner definitely has its plus sides. However, it also has its downsides - and one of those shows itself if the two of you prefer to go to bed at different times. The Lark is disturbed when the Owl goes to bed, and each can end up resenting the other. Living alone means this is a problem that never arises.

Just as going to bed when you like is unproblematic when you live alone, so too is getting up when you choose. (Well, school and work obligations aside, of course.) If you want to linger in bed until after midday, you can do so without fear of someone coming in for the fifth time and asking, 'Aren't you awake yet!'