Fast forward nearly nine years and I'm now rapidly approaching my 30s, with a dead end job, stuck with my parents still, enough cash to put a deposit down on a place but not enough income to afford a mortgage (and anxious about renting in a bad area / from a bad landlord)
How about a house-share?
When I got my first 'proper' job in London, I got a room in a shared house and it went OK (but it wasn't exactly perfect). After 6 months, I moved in to another house, and ended up living there for 5 years. It varied from being awesome (for around 3 years) to being a bit of a hassle, but in general it was a great move as it allowed me to live and work in London where I met a ton of great people.
Don't get me wrong - it is far from perfect, but late 20's/early 30's is an ideal time to house-share; it's a good way to live independently without breaking the bank, and in my case it allowed me to save for the deposit on my flat. I was 37 by the time I could afford to buy my own place (though I also rented my own place from aged 32).
House-sharing can also open up a wealth of possibilities in terms of where you might live and work. I got a job in London and found a room about half a mile from work, so I didn't need a car or public transport. Granted, I lived with my auntie and uncle for 2 months while I looked for somewhere to live, but if you don't have family who can help, you can always stay in a B&B or a short-term (like 3 months) lease while you look for something.
friends who I don't feel I relate to anymore, no stories to share, no passions or vested interests. I'm just... here.
To coin a cliched old phrase, Rome wasn't built in a day - but you can start to work on these things.
Since I've had my own place, I've gradually rediscovered a lot of interests that had fallen by the wayside while I focused on my studies, my work and my relationships. Now I choose to be single and live alone, but I am still quite socially active, and my family live nearby too, so I don't feel isolated in any way by choosing the single life - but you don't even need your own place (or to be single 😅) to cultivate your own interests.
However it is important (for me anyway) to devote time to 'personal' interests - playing guitar, songwriting, cooking, gaming, snooker etc., all stuff that I used to do when I was younger but neglected for many years. It takes time for interests and skills to build, but it's relatively easy to set aside time to develop new (or indeed old) interests - but it won't just 'happen', you have to make it happen.
Songwriting is a very personal and solo pursuit for me, but while it mostly involves me beavering away alone in my flat, it has also led to me becoming part of a community online and sharing stuff with people all over the world, not to mention various offers to join bands or to collaborate with people. It's kind of like gaming - it doesn't need to be entirely solo/anti-social; hobbies can be a great way to meet like-minded people, either online or beyond. Ultimately, doing stuff that involves other people - either just for a bit of interaction, or because your skills/knowledge might end up helping other people in some ways, can be very rewarding and a great use of your time.
