Secrets To Surviving With a Roommate

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Living with a roommate can have its ups and downs, but hopefully more ups for you. We lived with roommates during our sorority house living days and it was a blast. However, there were definitely some challenges that we had to overcome with some of our roomies to make sure that boundaries were not crossed. There is nothing worse than not wanting to return to your living space because you and your roomies aren't getting along. Here are a few tips to help you survive living with a roommate:

1. Be vocal about your cleanliness. Cleanliness has got to be one of the top subjects to cause a quarrel or misunderstanding between roomies. If you know you're practically messy or practically a clean freak, then meet in the middle and agree to hiring a maid to clean the living space once or twice a month. Cleanliness should not be a major factor in a disruptive living situation.
2. Declare a chore rotation. If one person starts to take out the trash all of the time, eventually it becomes like their job. If you don't want that to happen then decide on a realistic chore rotation and stick it in a visible spot so there is no confusion as to who is responsible for what.
3. Always consult each other when it comes to bringing guests over. We can't tell you how many times this has been a problem in living situations because one roomie walked into the space to find a bunch of people she didn't know in the living space. Transparency is the best policy!
4. If something is bothering you, don't let it fester. Festering your feelings will most definitely lead into a big blow out. Living with another person isn't easy and you will try to get to know each other as you work through inevitable differences. The worst thing you can do is bottle up anything you're feeling about the living situation because a sudden burst of anger can cause a negative ripple effect on both the living situation and possible friendship.
5. Have a "Roomie Day"! We have come across situations where our roommates had some heavy expectations about living together which included hanging every night. Often times, that does not end up being the case, but you can definitely make time for what you want. To keep the roomie morale up, have a designated day to yourselves. This could be a Bachelor/Bachelorette Monday night rendezvous on the couch or walking the dog in the evening. Anything to keep the morale alive!

What tips do you have about living with a roomie?