I left home when I was 18 and, aside from popping back for the odd slice of banana bread or Sunday Lunch, I’ve lived independently ever since. I’ve had some rather nice addresses I must say, from living in super lovely WC1 to overlooking the sea on Third Avenue, Hove.

I’ve lived at my current London address for 18 months now, but this weekend marks the end of the first ever week that I have lived completely on my own.

So one week into solitary living, these are my thoughts on the pros and cons of living alone…

• When you return home from work everything is exactly where you left it, no more hunting for the mobile phone charger which has miraculously disappeared since you used it that morning. But, if you left the place messy in the morning, there is zero chance it has been tidied by the time you return.

• You get an entire bed to yourself, which means the joys of sleeping diagonally can be fully experienced and appreciated. The duvet is yours and only yours. But, the chances of a bit of hanky-panky are (understandably) greatly reduced when you’re sleeping alone.

• You never go to wash your hair/brush your teeth/clean the dishes and find that the shampoo/toothpaste/fairy liquid has been finished by somebody else and not replaced. But, you take full financial responsibility for all of these annoying items that aren’t fun to shop for but are life’s little necessities.
  

• It’s your night to choose what’s for dinner, every night of the week. No more arguing over whether spag bol deserves a weekly appearance on the menu (or was that just in my relationship?!). But, it’s always your turn to wash up.

• When you want to work, sleep or relax you can actually do so in complete silence. But, sometimes it’s just a bit quieter than you’d really like it to be.

• The wardrobe is yours. The wardrobe is yours. The wardrobe is yours. I dare you to find a downside to this point.

I was terrified I’d be lonely living on my own, but I find the pros definitely outweigh the cons (so far). I’m a bit confused as to how I will do ‘the big shop’ at Sainsburys on my own sans car, how do single vehicle-less people get their bags home?! I may as well warn you now that you may find yourself being drafted in to help me with that one.

I am praying to G-d, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Versace and anyone that will listen that I can negotiate my rent down so that I can afford to live here on my own for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, on the 15th of April I’ll be moving into new digs, most likely a flatshare with a bunch of strangers…an idea I find truly terrifying.