Consider a Roommate After Retirement

Hmm.

Some say the marker of adulthood — true, real adulthood — is a room of one’s own. That’s probably true in some cases and it’s certainly been the way that I’ve thought, no matter how much I try to deny it. But this endearing story from the New York Times presents a very strong case for having roommates in your dotage.

Finding a Roommate When You’re in Your 60s

Beverly Tall lived in a rent-stabilized dream of an apartment in Morningside Heights and found Loretta Halter through a service that matches older people who want roommates with each other. Halter moved to New York from Georgia in her retirement and settled in with Tall.

“There comes a time when you become really realistic about your finances,” Ms. Tall said. “Also, when you get older, it’s nice to have another person around.”

The two women live in what sounds like an ideal situation — they have companionship but are able to maintain their own independence. A roommate is a nice thing, every now and again. Someone to talk to before dinner and on your way to the bathroom, before retiring to your room to read. Some part of me still thinks that this situation would be untenable — what else will I want in my golden years but long stretches of uninterrupted privacy and solitude?

Living with a roommate into retirement sounds nice. The financial benefits, of course, would be helpful. Retirement is probably easier to manage if someone’s helping out with the bills. Also, just knowing that someone is home is nice. Sometimes you need someone to help with the door. Maybe you ordered a mattress and it’s downstairs and you’d really, really like some help. Either way, living alone is a treat, but having someone around to make sure you don’t perish alone is much, much nicer.

It seems like these women have it figured out.

The women touch base each day to coordinate schedules and avoid any potential bathroom conflicts. Sometimes, they’ll attend a movie or a Broadway show together — they recently saw “Chicago” — and they both love going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Drop-in Drawing sessions. But they are also careful to give one another space.

It is, Ms. Tall reflected, “a very adult situation.”

“We’re both independent,” she said. “We live together, but also separately, as individuals.”

What a perfect situation.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.