Living with a roommate comes with challenges and perks. Whether it's a stranger or a best friend, here are tips for how to be a good roommate.
Discover the 7 telltale signs that your marriage feels like roommates and learn some practical tips on how to reignite that flame.
Groceries are often the biggest expense people have after rent. Learning how to budget food costs is easy. Here are some tips for saving money on groceries.
If you really want to be a good roommate, these are the habits you need to break.
Moving out of your parents’ house and into your own place is a big step. It’s also a great opportunity to learn how to be a good roommate. If you’re a young adult just starting ou…
Here are a few tips for living with a roommate; how to tackle the obstacles, setbacks and how to find the perfect roommate
5 Tips to Peacefully Share Spaces with Roommates It can be difficult to share spaces with roommates, this is especially true if you’ve never lived with a roommate before! Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Don’t get frustrated or unhappy, instead, use these 5 tips to peacefully share spaces with roommates! Communication As with any […]
If you're looking to find the perfect roommate, the whole process can be a little nerve-wracking and overwhelming! There are so many factors to consider before moving in with someone. In this post, I'll be breaking down how to find yourself the right roommate and tips on how to survive living together.
You’ve probably heard about roommate agreement meetings, but maybe you don’t know how to best go about holding one. It’s awkward sitting down with all of your roommates and discussing your house rules, but it’s super important. If you establish clear rules now, it’ll be much less awkward later on when issues arise. If you’re living in the dorms, your RA will probably arrange a meeting for you and lead it, but if not, it’s a good idea to hold one yourself. Here is what to expect from a roommate agreement meeting. Before the roommate agreement meeting: If you have more than one roommate (this includes everyone in your suite, apartment, etc, not just your bedroom), agree on a time when all of your roommates can meet together. Everyone needs to be there so that everyone can discuss and agree on rules together. Think about what is important to you. Can you live without an empty sink every night, or will dirty dishes drive you crazy? Do you absolutely need to shower at seven am because that’s the only time that will work with your schedule? Try to pick only one thing that is really important to you, and be open-minded or flexible about other issues. You have to compromise a lot when you live with other people, so be prepared to do so. At the beginning of the meeting: Encourage everyone to speak up. If you have a quiet roommate, be sure to encourage them to speak at the beginning of the meeting, and ask for their opinion throughout the meeting. Make it clear that everyone will get their turn to speak, and that there will be no interrupting each other. Get out some paper so that you can write your decisions down. The document you create will be your roommate agreement contract. What to discuss: I suggest breaking it up into categories and going through each one at time. Here are some potential questions. Be sure to tailor them to your own situation: Visitors: Do you have to ask permission before having people over? How many people can you have at a time? Are visitors allowed to stay the night? Same gender visitors only? How often can you have an overnight guest stay? Quiet hours: Are there specified “quiet times”? Do you have to be quiet when the other roommate is sleeping? Keep the lights out? What about if a roommate is studying? Do you have to be quiet then? Sleeping: What time do you wake up each and go to bed? Can the person who gets up earlier or stays up later turn on the lights? Sharing: Will you share anything? Cleaning supplies? Appliances? Clothing? Food? Do you have to ask first? Who is in charge of buying shared things like toilet paper or cleaning supplies? Cleaning: What is the cleaning schedule? Will you rotate chores, or will each person be responsible for the same thing every week? What are the consequences for not cleaning? Shared spaces: How will you split space in the room, fridge, pantry, bathroom, etc? Schedules: Will you have a shower or bathroom schedule? Are there times when each roommate will be alone in the room (when the other is in class, etc)? If not, is that important to the roommate? Rent and other expenses: Are you responsible for paying rent and other bills each month? How will you handle that? What will you do if a roommate is late paying? Special needs: Do any of your roommates have any allergies or other special needs that the other roommates need to be aware of? Anything else: Did you discuss everything that you wanted to? Are there any other issues you can foresee arising that you need to discuss now? How to handle disagreements: Allow each roommate a chance to speak their mind. If you can’t reach a consensus, make some kind of compromise. Whoever is dissatisfied with one decision gets to have a different decision made in their favor. If it still can’t be resolved, come up with a different kind of perk for the person, such as the good parking spot, extra storage space, more time in the bathroom, etc. If you have an RA with you, ask them for suggestions. Don’t move on until everyone is okay with the decisions being made, or it will cause more problems later. After the meeting: Make sure that everyone agrees with everything you’ve written down. The time to voice any dissatisfaction is now; don’t let resentments over decisions fester after the meeting. Once everyone is okay with everything written down, have everyone sign the roommate agreement contract and put it somewhere everyone can see, like on the door or the fridge. You may want to schedule a follow up meeting in a few weeks to see how everything is going and if you need you need to make any other adjustments. Most importantly: be sure to hold up your end of the agreement. You can’t expect your roommate to follow the rules if you don’t!
In this post, we've compiled a list of the best 20 questions for roommates in order to ensure compatability and a pleasant living arrangement.
Finding a roommate is hard. But NYC is the city of dreams. And there are a lot of people out there trying to reach theirs. So you’re bound to run into someone who needs a cheap apartment much like yourself. But not all roommates are created equal. And finding a person to live with isn’t […]
Living with roommates can be a great experience but requires clear rules and guidelines. Learn about essential house etiquette to make shared living spaces comfortable and respectful.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I just released a book (a post about the book is coming on Sunday!) I've recently been kicking myself in the foot about all the things I wish I included in it (seriously, I have a huge bruise!). Maybe this is a sign for a book #2??
If you decided on a college, you are probably now looking at roommates! I have a list of questions that you need to ask your roommate before moving in!
Tips to make living with a first-time roommate work. It doesn't have to be tough to share an apartment with roommates.
How to be a Good Roommate by Hollyburn Properties, Apartment Rental Listings Across Canada. Stay Up to Date on Hollyburn Properties News, Tips, Recommendations And More.
If you're looking to find the perfect roommate, the whole process can be a little nerve-wracking and overwhelming! There are so many factors to consider before moving in with someone. In this post, I'll be breaking down how to find yourself the right roommate and tips on how to survive living together.
Download a roommate agreement templates & forms from our website to avoid possible future conflicts.
Trying to be a good roommate for the first time can be intimidating. Here are a few rules to live by so you ensure that you are a good roommate.
If you decided on a college, you are probably now looking at roommates! I have a list of questions that you need to ask your roommate before moving in!
Seven college roommate conflicts — and solutions
A new study finds that even among friends, finding good roommates can be challenging.
"She's one of those people who literally believe that poor and homeless people should just "save more money" or "get a better job."
Hey darlings! In honor of me finding out my roommate yesterday, I decided to make today’s post focused on getting to know your future roommate. I know it may seem scary to stay in a room with…
Is Joey your perfect roommate?
Is this your first time renting a place and moving in? Don't worry because here are 5 questions to ask when moving in with your first roommates.
It's the luck of the draw! Let's just hope they don't make you wish you'd paid for a single.
Looking for a roommate? The good news is a few well-thought-out questions can help you find roommates whose values, lifestyles, and habits you can comfortably live with. Here are some questions to ask when looking for a roommate.
Keep Your Room Clean | Surprisingly Keeping your room clean is a lot easier in college! However, this does not mean your room will never get messy. You should keep your room clean because one, who doesn't love a clean room, and second, its just courteous to your roommate. No need to have her tripping all over your things when she is heading to the bathroom or walking out of the room. Be There for Her | Your roommate may get homesick, and this is totally normal. The best advice I can give is to b
Ask these questions for your college roommate to make sure you are a match! Brilliant questions to find the perfect roommate.
College roommates will do some things that will downright annoy us sometimes. Whether they are your friend or a total stranger, we all have our pet peeves that roommates are bound to test. Here are 10 annoying things that college roommates do.
If you decided on a college, you are probably now looking at roommates! I have a list of questions that you need to ask your roommate before moving in!
Here are ways to resolve roommate conflicts - advice from psychologists.
One of my favorite things about Furman is the ability to live on campus all four years of college. Over my first two years of college lived in dorms with one roommate and this last year and this year I upgraded to an apartment that I am sharing with 3 roommates! While I there is good and bad with each living situation I can say with confidence that so far this year (senior year) has been my favorite. Even though we are a little less than a month in and you may be thinking this is the honeymoon phase the girls I live with all balance each other out and overall have very similar schedules and ideas of how to live together in a mutually beneficial way. Not to forget that these girls are some of my best friends, a major win in my book. You could say I have a bit of experience when it comes to living with other people so I thought it could be helpful for any of you new college students to share the tips I have to make your living situation comfortable and cooperative! Even if you're not a freshman but want to make sure that you and your roommates are all on the same page these tips and the roommate contract included will certainly help to make sure that you can all live happily in your home together. Although this year and last we all have our own rooms within the apartment we still have a great deal of shared space that needs to be respected so you can bet I'll be checking back on some of these tips myself to make sure that our living situation is a great one! 1. Communicate Expectations at the Beginning | By starting out by clearly stating the expectations you each have, those expectations are more likely to be a reality. This beginning communication is crucial as you begin living together. If you're really particular about certain things, let your roommate know of that! communication is key for having a great experience! 2. Lock the Door | This should go without saying. I do not understand my friends who don't lock their dorm room doors! How terrible would you feel if you left the door unlocked and your laptop and great grandmothers pearl necklace were taken. Now picture if that same thing happened to your roommate and it was your fault. Locking your door takes about 15 seconds and is an easy way to prevent conflict. A fun bonding event could be you and your roommate shopping for cute key rings to keep your key on! 3. Give Your Roommate Alone Time In The Room | This is something that I think everyone should be conscious of and I personally had to focus on during second semester of this past year. It is unlikely that your roommate and you will have identical schedules so by just going to class you are already likely providing your roommate some time alone in the room. In college you are surrounded by people nearly all the time so a little alone time in your own space is nice! Go to the library or the gym to allow them some alone time. 4. Respect Your Roommates Things | This is something you and your roommate can talk about when you communicate your expectations, as suggested in tip #1. I would recommend that you always ask before borrowing even if y'all decide that your stuff is my stuff and my stuff is your stuff. 5. Make A Roommate Agreement | Furman does this at the beginning of the year for all freshmen and that may be why so many roommate relationships are a success. This is a survey of sorts that we did with our RA that covered questions ranging from: How do you feel about room visitors? / What do you think of your roommate borrowing your things? These questions provided great insight into your roommates lifestyle. 6. Be Courteous of their Schedule | Your roommate goes to bed early and you need to stay up late and study? Turn off the overhead light and allow her to sleep and flip on your desk light so that you can still see to study! Today is your roommates sleep in day and you have class at 8:30? Try to turn your alarm off after the first couple rings and be quiet as you head out the door! 7. Be Clean and Cleanup After Yourself | Nothing is more annoying than coming back from a rough day of class to dishes in the sink and clothes strewn about because someone had a presentation today. You wouldn't want to do this to your roommate and hopefully your roommate won't do that to you! Your room doesn't have to be as immaculate as a museum but try to keep things organized and your stuff on your side of the room. Take turns taking out the trash and vacuuming the room! 8. Deal With Problems As They Arise | Don't let emotions and conflict build up between you and your roommate. If you deal with problems as they arise corrections can be made instead of you just assuming your roommate will pick up on your passive aggressive hints. Don't blow up on your roommate, everything after that will just be uncomfortable. 9. Be Intentional With Your Relationship | You're going to the dining hall to grab some coffee, ask if your roommate wants some or wants to come. Going to the grocery store, see if your roommate needs anything! Just by offering you are allowing your roommate to see that you want to get along and you are finding ways to grow closer. 10. Offer Help | See that your roommate is struggling with something? Offer assistance! It won't go unnoticed and it's likely that help will be offered to you in return. So as I talked about in number five, a roommate agreement or roommate contract is a great way to lay some of the ground work for how you and your roommate plan to live before the school year really kicks into high gear. Furman requires us to do one our freshman year and encourages it the following years. Freshman year our RA mediated the discussion which was incredibly helpful so I know that other years it is a bit less likely to be done because no one loves talking about potential conflicts with someone they are spending the year living with. While this may initially be uncomfortable it will be so beneficial in the long run. I've created a roommate contract example for y'all to use in case your school doesn't do this so that you know the questions to ask and since having a sheet of paper to guide the discussion can ensure that you stay on track. I created this based on the one Furman gave us but added in additional questions that I think could be helpful. Also, keep in mind that this is catered to people who live on campus and doesn't encompass discussions that you and your roommates should be having about rent, electricity, wifi, moving out, etc if you live in a place where you will be responsible for those things. I'd love to hear any other suggestions y'all may have to help make a living situation even better!
It's getting wild in here...
Getting along with roommates has been hard for people since the beginning of time, but the truth is, we all have to do it. Here are some tips!
Dear Amy: I've been married for 30 years, I believed happily. My wife was never demonstrative emotionally, but I believed that we loved each other.
If you're planning to move into an apartment with a roommate, you're probably wondering how to split monthly rent. How do you make the payment to the landlord? How to fairly split rent to make sure everyone is happy? Quick Summary Video (if you prefer) and then keep reading... 1. Decide How to Split The Bills Generally, roommates should pay an equal share - that is 50-50 split in the case of 2 people living together or 33.3%-33.3%-33.3% in the case of 3 people living together (or about a third each). However, if one person has a bigger room or
Roommates can be a pain in the a*s sometimes. It can be extremely hard to live with someone whose lifestyle doesn't match with ours and they someone who doesn't take their responsibilities seriously. When two or more people are living together in an apartment or in a dormitory, there are certain responsibilities that each roommate
"I told her she isn't my guest, I'm letting her stay with us as a favor."
the answers can make or break things
Honour thy roommate, knock before entering.
If you're looking to find the perfect roommate, the whole process can be a little nerve-wracking and overwhelming! There are so many factors to consider before moving in with someone. In this post, I'll be breaking down how to find yourself the right roommate and tips on how to survive living together.
