27yo man sleeps on living room couch for 5 years and can’t move out because his parents still want him to contribute financially

SINGAPORE: After sleeping on the living room couch for 5 years, a 27-year-old man took to social media to share his strong urge to move out and have his own space.

“Should I move out? I’m considering renting a room for my own…[but] my parents are against it as they want me to stay with them, and to also contribute financially for the household, as my mom is a housewife and my dad isn’t earning much after he quit his old job few years back,” the man wrote on r/askSingapore on Saturday (March 30).

“Would like to add that I’m staying with grandma and 2 younger sisters..Im also staying in a 4 room flat so that’s why there’s no room for me.” The man also revealed that ‘his desire to move out’ stemmed from the fact that his health has declined.

He explained that his stress-induced eczema had worsened over the past six months due to the absence of air conditioning in the living room.

This lack of cool air made him sweat more at night, aggravating his eczema symptoms and causing frequent flare-ups.

Furthermore, he suspected that he might also be suffering from hyperhidrosis, although he had not received a formal diagnosis yet.

“I sweat a lot and have a hard time sleeping at night and even after I sleep, I wake up 2-3 hours later due to the humidity and I can’t sleep back after.”

“Try to move out. Change of environment might help your health/skin issues”

In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors expressed their admiration for the man’s devotion to his family and his resilience in enduring difficult living conditions for so long.

However, alongside their praise, they also offered a gentle reminder for him to prioritize his own mental and physical health. They stressed that while renting might come with a higher cost, it would ultimately lead to greater comfort.

One individual said, “Normally I’d advise against moving out to save money for buying your own in the future, but this seems insane. Mental health, physical health gotta come first.”

Another commented, “Try to move out. A change of environment might help your health/skin issues. For your parents, you might want to consider keeping/adjusting your contribution to them. Good luck and take care.”

A few Redditors added that he should consider renting a place near his workplace to save on transportation costs and reduce travel time.

Meanwhile, some proposed an alternative solution: if his living room had ample space, he could consider partitioning it to create another room.

One individual stated, “Have you considered partitioning a fake room using a portion of your living room? We did this in my house a few yrs ago. The room I have is really small but at least now I have my own room. Mine Costs about 1.5k.”

However, if this wasn’t feasible in his case, a few suggested that he buy a small bed and set it up in the living room, along with a compact standing air conditioner.

Read also: Man earning S$6k asks if “spending S$2k on rent is a good move”

Featured image by Depositphotos