SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Perfect list to find this morning when I was having an attack of the lonelies! I can add to the already excellent lists:

1. Singing out loud to any song I want to at any time of day

2. The cupboard doors in the kitchen stay closed

3. Lower power and grocery and water bills

4. Not having to listen to anyone else's opinion before a decision is made.

My place is always spotless. In fact my gf has said many times..."Does anybody actually even live here? There's never even any clothes lying around anywhere" LOL

When exWW traveled I would keep the house very clean. I never wanted her to come home and ever feel like the house went to the dogs and she had to clean up. I never liked things all over the counters and kitchen island, etc. Maybe I'm a bit OCD about that. But I think it's more like my mom raised me well and taught me to always clean up as you go along because it makes choirs easier in the long run. When WW would get home instantly there was piles of crap all over the place. The worst? She used our dining room as a sewing room and would leave her sewing shit all over the place for weeks on end (including a sewing machine) until either I said something or we were to have guests over and she would clean it up. Her home office was always so cluttered even though she had a great place to store everything. But you know everyone has their quirks, so I loved her and just learned to live with it. But she got that habit from her mother growing up.

I'm hoping she's enjoying not having her house boy around anymore to clean up, do her laundry and take care of her yard and pool.

When a remodeling project gets started, it actually gets finished. No more living in squalor with plywood floors for months on end because someone decided we needed a new tile floor but never finished the job.

Y'ALL QUIT TAUNTING ME!

There are perks to living with people, but man, I loved living alone.

My place is always spotless.

OMG Yes!!! Tools are back where they belong AND cleaned. Cupboards are in order and junk is not left on the counter tops. Best of all, when I do laundry, no more f’n skid-marks!

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I had forgotten how much living alone rocks!

My bedtime is my business. I came come home from work and head right to bed and watch TV till I fall asleep, or I can stay up doing chores, talking on the phone or whatever.

When I buy groceries, they stay there until I eat them.

My grocery bill is so much cheaper now that I don't have to buy specialty foods for Mr. I have arbitrary dietary restrictions.

I don't have to worry about anyone kicking, whacking, mushing or otherwise manhandling my furbaby.

If I leave something somewhere, it stays where I left it. Instead of it being thrown away or "put away" in the wrong place.

I don't have to sleep on a tiny sliver on the edge of the bed because someone else has spread out and is taking up all the space and pillows.

My pillows are all mine and free of mounds of dandruff and crusty drool.

My sheets are free of skid marks so I don't have to change my sheets every handful of days.

Yeah, living alone is super awesome!

My sheets are free of skid marks

WTF!? Skid marks on the SHEETS!? How does this even happen????

I struggle to understand how it's even possible in undies, let alone sheets!

I share my bed with at least one corgi at all times, but it is nice to have my very own 1/2of the king sized bed!

I don't have to ride along with him to get a haircut.

NO IN-LAWS!! Woot!

I can go to wal mart in sweats and a ball cap, and no be called horrible names.(lazy, slob, pig). Seriously, jagoff-it's just Walmart, not the Ritz.

My sheets are free of skid marks

WTF!? Skid marks on the SHEETS!? How does this even happen????

Sadly, I have experience in this matter as well... I don't get it either, Ama, but I am here to tell you that it can indeed happen.

OMG, yes... no ILs FTW!

I get to have the whole couch to myself.

My kids hate this, but they know when I'm home, its MINE.

I especially love that I don't have to worry about if my partner is mad, etc. I don't have any relationship drama. Only teen drama, which is enough for me.

Everyone has already hit on so many of the top 100 reasons.

The thing is, living with other people is a completely different mindset. If you all are like me, you spend your work-day dealing with other people (customers, bosses, co-workers). Coming home and not having to deal with another human, to me, is heaven!! My career and my volunteer job are very service related. So having my home be all about ME is the only way I'm able to do the other two.

Ok... so, to continue....

*the garden, yard, and flower beds are exactly as I left them. Nothing has been "weedwacked" that shouldn't be.

*No one is asking me "where is..."

*I don't hear, "I need..." or "can you?"

*No bitching if there aren't certain things in the fridge or cabinet.

*Knowing that money spent is being spent in a reasonable way.

* I can open the windows!! My ex was allergic to everything. For many years I never had open windows because of pollen.

I will end this, though, with a bit of an exception. I had a friend live w/ me for a month while he was between housing situations. It was so much easier than I thought it would be!! When he left, it was really, really hard to adjust to him NOT being here. I missed him like crazy. He was helpful and there were no additional demands on me. We were very compatible as room-mates. Yeah, I missed some things like being able to leave open the bathroom door or walk around inappropriately clothed.

So, I guess it all depends on how compatible your situation was while living with your ex/so/kids/inlaws/friends/room-mates/whatever.

I can think of tons of the little things - like watching whatever I want on tv, and not having to pick up his messes - but honestly the best thing is being able to come home and not feel tense or anxious all the time. Things got REALLY bad at the end, and the tension and anxiety were taking it's toll on me both physically and mentally. After he left, the whole atmosphere here changed for the better and my home feels "safe" again.

I don't live alone-- I have three little kiddos at home still-- but I can throw in what I like about the times when the kiddos are asleep or with XWH:

1. I can watch whatever I want on TV without anyone complaining. I watch about six hours of TV a week, and XWH acted like I watched 16 hours per day.

2. I can paint my nails without anyone complaining about the smell. It got to where I would hide in the bathroom with the door closed and the windows opened so I wouldn't have to listen to his griping. This is from the same man who was happy to spread his gaseous waste around on a daily basis, but I was stinking up the joint with my weekly manicure!

3. When he has the kids, I actually have a social life. I see movies, go out to dinner, and stay out as late as I want (ha ha-- like midnight if I can make it that long) without anyone questioning when I'll be home, why do I have to go out, whine whine whine. I don't have to worry about keeping him happy and entertained while he's with me; I can relax and just enjoy myself.

4. Grocery bills are lower, money isn't wasted by various expensive home projects, cost of living is overall way down compared to when I was with XWH.

5. At night, when the kids are in bed, I can do WHATEVER I WANT. I love that. I don't have to entertain anyone, watch something I'd rather not watch because XWH wants to, etc. I thought I'd be lonely and sad, but it's glorious, and I look forward to it every night!

Oh, there are so many other things I could put here. Living on my own has been so much easier, happier, and more relaxed than I could have ever imagined.

Just S right now and have my 3 teens a lot...but when they aren't here??

No snorer to kick

Sleep sideways on the bed (or however I want!)

Food stays where I put it

No looking for someone else's lost keys (OMG!!!!)

Most importantly: I CAN LEAVE THE THERMOSTAT WHERE I WANT IT!! No more freezing my a$$ off!

I am sure this list could be longer... :)

WTF!? Skid marks on the SHEETS!? How does this even happen????

He used to sleep nude and let's just say had filthy hygiene habits.

I won't even get into the pee in the sink incident.

I have developed a whole host of OCD behaviors from living with him.

t/j on "skidmarks in bed"

Making the bed one morning, before we had children, I was to see skid marks on the sheets. On MY side of the bed! I just stared at them for a few minutes. Still....

I got really brave and decided to smell

Yup. Melted chocolate. From the M&M's I had been snacking on in bed. Few must of gotten away from me, then I slept on them, melting them.

t/j over.

I can leave the toilet seat up. 'nough said.

skid marks in the bed?!?!?!??!

EWwwwwwwwwww!!!

Sorry, had to comment on that. Nasty.

[This message edited by kernel at 10:17 AM, July 28th (Sunday)]