Tag Archives: roommates

living with roommates

6 points to check if you live with a roommate

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Happy_roommatesI just had a conversation with one of my friends who asked me (yet again), whether I am happy living with a roommate, and that made me think. Why is sharing an apartment something so controversial that you almost feel embarrassed telling it to other people. Maybe something is wrong and I have to change my life, get myself a separate apartment and “grow up already”? But then I analyzed my feelings and came to a conclusion that I am perfectly happy with my present situation, and feel really comfortable and not at all depressed having to share an apartment with Marina. In fact I am happy to have her living with me and really hope that we’ll stay in touch, after each of us get’s her own nest. And that realization lead to the following thoughts formed in my head:

It is good to live with roommates when:

You are in college or a college grad settling in a big city.

You need to save money for a greater purposes

You are going through financially turbulent times

You feel like you want to have (a) roommate(s)

download (12)It is not good to live with roommates when:

You can not afford your own place and are not doing anything to change this situation

You hate your roommate(s)

You don’t feel comfortable in your apartment and prefer to go out rather than stay in the apartment

You are in a bad relationships with your roommate(s)

Things that your roommate is for you:

Your buddy, your style advisor, your confidante (to a certain degree), your drinking companion (on occasion), but most important, your roommate is rightful and respected member of your household.

Things that your roommate isn’t for you:

Your roommate is NOT your: babysitter, housekeeper, bank, psychiatrist, parent, teacher, boss, cry-shoulder or legal guardian.

Acceptable behaviour :

Joking, light pranking, time-to-time arguments, issue resolution

Unacceptable behaviour:

635657567093626916-370468642_12-loud-personFighting, passive aggressive behaviour, pressure, silent treatment, abuse (like exessive drinking or partying in the apartment).

And now, after checking all the above points I realized that not only I am happy living with my roommates, but also, I feel that I am doing a good thing for myself, because I am doing it fot greater person (I really hope to buy a2-family house for rent in the nearest future), I am really comfortable with my roommates and I am pleased to know that we are both mature adults and are solving our problems in a rational adult way. And I actually do feel myself a grown up now.

living with roommates

Roommate Pranks

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What would you do if you wake up in the middle of the street? Literally, in the middle of the street while laying down in your bed. You would probably wonder how you got there? Well, your dorm roommates pulled a prank on you and carried your bed outside while you were sleeping in it.. Haha…NOT funny.

While pranks are fun to watch, I assume, the prank victims are hardly amused by it, and the people who post prank videos on youtube never tell how the prank victims retaliate. So if you decided to pull one on your roommie I suggest you calculate the possible consiquences very well before doing it.

Anyway, pranks are a part of fun you have, when you are young and free, and live with the roommates so here are some pretty neat and light prank ideas for you.

1. From me to you.

buzzfeed.com

2.Do you think your roommate is trying to tell you something?

buzfeed.com

3.Have you seen the scissors?

buzzfeed.com

4.Classics of prank (works best with drunk roommates)

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5.And whatever this is

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6.Another funny thing that went viral

grabhouse

7. Patch Adams’ style

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8. And here you can actually see, what one of the prank victims thinks of it. Whoever made this hole obviously did not think that getting someone trapped in the bathroom is funny. reddit

living with roommates

Yet another article about sharing an apartment with a couple.

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rw3I had a couple as my

So I have moved to Tampa, Florida and shared an apartment with a college friend of mine whos name was Mary.

Few weeks later her boyfriend, Michael, has come to visit her from Ohio and decided to stay for good (as he was currently out of job). I wasn’t too happy about it, but since we lived in a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment I thought it couldn’t be too bad. But I was wrong. Here are the main issues I had with them:

images (5)-When Michael moved in, bills went up due to exessive cooking (he liked to cook), but were still divided by two, not by three of us. However, Michael had a full say in all house related issues and, of course, whenever the argument was present Mary always picked his side.

-I became a minority when it came up to any kind of decisions about our living space.

-I felt like a third wheel everytime all three of us hung out in a living area.

-Everytime I needed to use our washer there was another Mike and Mary’s load of laundry spinning in there.

-It was NOT fun to hang out together because everytime it ended with them fighthing.

-Few times I was awaken in the middle of the night by their screams when they went through another argument.

-It might sound crazy, but I felt like Michael was sort of… Competing with me for Mary’s attention and sometimes pushed his weight around just to test his power.

It wasn’t bad all the time though, and those things were not a big deal for me at first, but still, I got slightly irritated each time we had a “Michael and Mary” situation and soon enough the tension, that was gradually building up, resulted in fighting from all three sides. So over time we almost stopped talking to one another, and everytime all three of us were present in the same room heavy silence hung over the place. This was no roommate paradise.

Long story short: Michael broke up with Mary and moved out and so did I. As of today I do not talk to either one of them and I would rather live in a windowless basement (also I hope I will never have to face this choice) then share an apartment with another couple. No matter how sweet and laid back they are.

I do agree that a lot of it was my own fault as I didn’t stand my ground at the beginning and let them take over the decision making, but it is kind of hard to change the situation on the go. So if you consider sharing an apartment with a couple, you should know what you are getting yourself into. And maybe workout a strategy and discuss all the possible issues before you move in together (Here, I did it, I gave you a how to advice).

apartemnt search, shared living

Real cause of roommate wars

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Living with a roommate for the first few years after graduation is an unofficial but mandatory rite of initiation into your life as an independent adult. I think of it more as of a particular once-in-a-life-time experience and set of mind when you feel young and energetic and invincible and are waiting every second for something amazing to happen, than merely sharing your space with another person.

In this “empire” state of mind we pay little attention to such unimportant things as dirty dishes in the sink, the door that get’s slammed way to hard on the way out and the never-ceasing cat fur on the couch. We fail to notice things like that for a while, even if it is our own dishes, our pet’s fur and it was us who came home late or should we say early in the morning this last time and made noise that woke our roommate up. While this kind of behaviour is totally understandable and forgivable it is the main reason why the long time friendships break, people are going through emergency move outs and you would rather pay more than you can afford than live with a rommate. Ever. Again. Let’s take a look at the main reasons why roommates fight:

Cleaning issuesrmw

It all starts with a coffee cup left unwashed on the table, hair clogging the bathtub drain, pair of shoes kicked off hastily in the middle of a hallway. These are small things and no adequate person would ever make a big deal out of it if only it didn’t happen systematically. But when you step inside your apartment first trip over your roommate’s shoes, then have to remove her long beautiful brown hair thickly covering the drain, and then as if it isn’t enough find dirty dishes in the kitchen you just start feeling slightly irritated. Now imagine things like that happening everyday and if you recognize yourself in the exemplary mess maker you might just find an answer to why your roommate is being so cranky and difficult to talk to lately. To prevent the possible conflict just start paying more attention to what you do. It only takes a second or two to clean after yourself but it can save you a fight! If you are the one having to put up with a messy roommate don’t be afraid to talk about it. Commmunication is the key. Be honest, explain how you feel about his or her negligence, work out some basic cleaning rules, do it as early as possible because the less issues you have the smaller the talk is going to be.

Money issues

No, being late on rent is not a money issue. It is a major violation, and one should never find himself in this siturw2ation. Forgetting to pay your cable bill at the end of the moth is also a violation. Failing to notice a new paper towel roll in the kitchen or refilled hand soap in the bathroom and not offering to split the cost for it is a money issue that can lead to serious problems in the future and will most likely be thrown in your face at the first opportunity. What can you do to avoid it? Pay attention to small things or, to save the trouble, agree on a fixed monthly fee to cover household expenses.

Privacy issues

We won’t even mention unexpected late night parties and going through your roommate’s personal stuff without his/her permission as these are the no-no’s of a roommate 101 code (even if your roommate happened to be your best friend or a relative).  No, we will concentrate on less noticeable things that build up tension and cause fights and clashes over time. Such us joining your roommates friends in the living room everytime he or she has visitors. Or having your boyfriend stay ovrw5ernight 6 nights a week just because your roommate seems to be cool about it. Or borrowing your roommate’s shampoo without permission or asking for it too often. This is definitely not the full list and sure enough, if you just give it a thought you will be able to add more examples to it. We all do it, and again, this is not a big deal but whenever you catch yourself doing one of things listed above just stop right there. Living with a roommate is the only one aspect of life known to the author where you’d rather regret the things you haven’t done than the things that you have done.

Living with a roommate can be a memorable and joyful experience in your life which puts a nostalgic smile on your face each time you think about it or it can be a nightmare which you will never forget and will try to avoid at all costs. The difference is made by three seconds you take to rinse that cup before you run out of the apartment early in the morning, or an effort you make to lower your voice when you are on the phone with your best friend at 2 am. It is impopssible to be perfect, but if you put your mind to trying to be a good roommate the person you live with will most likely appreciate this and in return, try to be as good to you as you are to him or her. Word from the wise is co-existing peacefully with another human being is an extremely valuable skill that will give you an unquestionable advantage in life. The choice is yours and I wish you all the best!!!