FaithMcGregor
Whether you are a fan of cohabiting or not, you will most probably have to share your living space with a roommate at some point in your life. Students are mostly familiar with this way of living, which, however, doesn’t make it any easier. Often changing roommates can be another possible complication, and if you end up with a person who you find hard to live with, it can get even worse. Here are some useful tips to help you survive to cohabit with your roommates and make things easier for everybody.
Storage boxes are perfect space savers
When it comes to living with one or more people in a single household, it can sometimes get quite crowded (especially if you or your roommates are prone to cluttering). One very easy solution is to use storage boxes in order to keep unnecessary things away. It would be best if you could convince all your roommates to engage in storing their stuff in boxes. This way, you would not only have more free space, but you will also differentiate between your and your roommates’ stuff more easily.
Multi-purpose furnishing
If you plan on having a two-meter-long sofa in your living room, along with an armchair or two and a wide coffee table, then you must have a really big house to fit all that in a single room. Reality check – most rooms aren’t that big, and most apartments are smaller than you think. If you plan on providing space in your apartment for more people, you are going to need multi-purpose furniture in order to succeed. A sofa that transforms into a bed, or an ottoman that can be used as a coffee table could be great innovations to your living space.
Use name tags for everything
Using name tags can be especially useful when new roommates come around. Name tags can even be more convenient when you are living with two or more roommates. But how deep should you go into the labelling mayhem before you cross the line? This is a process that could be separated into several steps. First of all, you should buy long-lasting personalised name labels in many forms (iron-on labels, stick-on labels, bag tags, etc.). Then, you should focus on labelling the things that most easily get mixed up, such as mugs, toothbrushes and towels. After that, if you still see your roommates using your stuff without permission, you should try making the labels more evident so that they can’t possibly ignore them.
Distribute fridge shelves
One fridge is big enough for all of you – if you use it wisely. Stacking food everywhere without any order can lead to many conflicts (especially when it comes to money). If you and your roommates still don’t have a plan on how to organize your fridge, then it’s time to make one. Certainly, no one needs all the shelves in the fridge at once, so you can distribute the space evenly – a shelf for each person. This way, you will avoid getting into stupid conflicts like who ate whose leftover pizza.
Organize cleaning responsibilities
Nobody likes doing chores, but the one thing people hate more than doing their own chores is doing someone else’s. It would be most convenient if you and your roommates could arrange for each one to clean after themselves, but let’s face it – that’s never going to work for the long run. However, what might work better is to organize cleaning troops into separate sectors. Name a dishwashing responsible, a toilet-cleaning responsible and a kitchen-cleaning responsible for one month, then change the duties for the next month so that no one gets to be stuck with the same chore forever.
Keep in mind that living with roommates means you also will have to settle and compromise. Don’t be stubborn and selfish even if you are sharing your own place because your negative energy will affect everyone in the household, including yourself. Try to be kind and friendly as much as you can (even if you don’t like your roommates) because this will ultimately make cohabiting a lot easier.
