I am a 22-year-old woman currently living in a studio apartment alone. It is 500 square feet of me, myself, and I. My friends always ask me, “How is it?” and “Is it worth it?” and honestly, I ask the same question. But my response every time is, and always will be, “I think everyone should try it at least once.”

I am 22 today and, in this economy, I completely understand that it’s nearly impossible. But I got lucky with finding a somewhat affordable apartment with the perfect space for myself. Now, I have no pets and my boyfriend was moving in with a friend, so the things I had to think about most were my furniture and belongings. But living completely by myself in such a small space has brought its adventures, trials, and quirks, if you may.

Here I have rounded up a couple of advantages and disadvantages from opinion and experience that are helping me, and hopefully help you, figure out if studio living is worth it.

1.      You call the shots.

The obvious, and most satisfying part of living in a small space on your own, is you get to call the shots. The layout is specifically up to you, how drawers are organized, and the temperature. It is your space, and you get immediate freedom from the small things like decorating to where the scissors go. That junk drawer, if you have one, is all your junk. And the best part is even if it does not make sense to other people, you do not have the option to care.

2.      It forces you to minimize and prioritize.

Minimize and prioritize. When you have a kitchen, living room, bedroom, office, and more in one room, you are forced to minimize what you need and prioritize what you have. For example, I do not have a couch and my bed is 5 feet from the kitchen sink. It sounds silly, but if it is just me why not save money by not buying a couch and sitting on my bed? Understanding what you need at that moment helps you prioritize your current belongings and plan future expenses when needed. For example, I will buy a couch when and if I move somewhere it is needed.

3.      Nothing goes missing.

Speaking from experience, I lived with both brothers for 2 years, and my food went missing. All. The. Time. It was excruciating. There is no feeling like going in for those leftovers you have been thinking about all day, and your sibling got it. Or even going to do laundry and having no more detergent. Or taking the garbage out only to find no more garbage bags. Not only is that problem eliminated, but everything also even lasts longer, and you can tell when it is time to replace it! No more empty cracker boxes in the cupboard.

4.      No “social” space.

If you like to hold parties or big gatherings, maybe have it outside. The downside of having only one room is everything is going to happen in it. Everyone is sitting on your bed, using your bathroom, bringing their shoes on the carpets, and on. There is not a lot of space to walk around with each other, but it is perfect for a stay with a partner or 2 friends for a couple of hours or a weekend. But if you have the option to hang out somewhere else, I recommend it.

5.      No laundry in the unit.

Most know that with a studio apartment, you are sacrificing not only different rooms but also having laundry in your unit, in most cases. Sometimes the building may not offer it as well. Luckily, mine does and I chose a unit close to the laundry room for convenience, but this is something to consider.

6.      Your space will get messier and faster.

Your apartment will get messy, and it will get messy fast. Unless you are completely self-disciplined and clean up after yourself right away. But I am not, and one problem at a time here. But you do all your “living” in one room and the dishes will pile up and even worse: you can see it from your bed. Nancy Mitchell wrote from Apartment Therapy agreeing, “At first it felt weird and un-cozy that I could see the clock on my microwave from my bed. . .” (Mitchell) Unfortunately, you have different versions of messes that would usually be in different rooms, all crammed into one.

               Read her article here: Living in a Studio Apartment: 5 Things to Know | Apartment Therapy

7.      You get creative.

You get very creative with multiple things when you have a small space. Utilizing that small space is an opportunity to get creative with storage, and most importantly, surfaces. You do not have a lot of surfaces unless you add them with furniture, and you can get creative with the uses of that furniture in your kitchen/desk. Whatever it may be.  

8.      Self-discovery.

This comes with living on your own in general, but you truly get to discover yourself when living in a studio apartment. Are you picky about cleaning? Am I prepared to call maintenance if my shower isn’t draining? Do I keep all the lights on around the house? And you can discover a lot about being alone and what that is to you, how it feels, and what you do with it. Living in a small space is an amazing opportunity to get to know yourself, especially if you are young and that is exactly your job.

9.      It feels powerful.

The most exciting part for me about living on my own is the feeling of power you get. You get to dictate and decide not only your life and choices but your environment. You get to tend to that environment to feed yourself, and that is an incredibly powerful feeling. Unlocking your door and putting your keys in the jar or on the hook (it’s up to you!) while looking around at your space, is decompressing and motivating. I think it is important to feel that power for yourself at least once.

So, to answer the “Is it worth it?” question; yes. I think it is worth it to live in a studio apartment if you can afford to, at least once in your life. Like any living situation, it comes with its quirks and things. But ultimately, you get to learn a lot about yourself, which I think there is not enough time to do. It is the perfect opportunity to not only grow up but grow within yourself.

But I think that decision can be made from things you already know about yourself. Do you like being alone? Can you make your schedule? Can you take out the garbage? The simplest things will have the biggest impact if you do not already have the motivation or drive to motivate yourself for them. Or are you willing to find out if you enjoy living alone or if you like living with others? Life is too short to not figure it out.