Living with roommates can be tricky if you are new to the situation. If you have never lived with roommates before, these tips will be a lifesaver!
If you have just moved to Tulsa and are also new to Tulsa living you’ll want to read on for more posts about all the fun and exciting things there are to do here in this great city we get to call home!
For those of you who haven’t made the leap to Tulsa apartments yet, what are you waiting for?! We have some suggestions for great pet friendly apartments that you can live in alone, with roommates, with family, and of course…with pets!
Tips for Living With Roommates:
You’ll quickly learn that living with roommates doesn’t have to be all drama and arguments. It is possible to have a great relationship with your roommate or roommates even if they’re strangers!
Communication
Communication is key in all relationships and that is no different when it comes to living with roommates. No one is a mind reader. If you need them to understand something about what you want or what you feel you will have to express that.
Communication doesn’t have to be in person if that’s not how you communicate best. Figure out the best way to communicate and then do it! Letters, text messages, emails, over the phone, or in person! Either way you’ll need open lines of communication for a healthy environment.
Set Boundaries
It is totally okay to need and utilize boundaries. As with all relationships in our lives, boundaries are healthy and necessary for well-being. Boundaries go hand in hand with communication.
You’ll need to set boundaries and then stick to them if you want them to be successful. If something is going to make you uncomfortable or unhappy you need to set a boundary so that you don’t start feeling miserable in your own home!
Be Considerate
Being considerate goes a long way in relationships of any kind and especially when living with someone! It can be as easy as factoring them into your dinner plans if you like similar foods, wearing headphones when you listen to movies, music, or shows. Or giving them personal space and being sure to not make decisions about the house as a whole without their input.
It can be tricky at first if you are used to living alone, but being considerate of how a decision will make them feel is a top tip for being a great roommate.
Exchange Emergency Information
Exchange emergency information and discuss what you will do / like to have done if there is an emergency. Sometimes your roommate will be the closest person in proximity to you if you are living in a new city without family or friends.
It’s also important if there is an emergency at your home that you can get into contact with them in a timely fashion.
Learn Each Others Schedules
It’s nice to learn what is going on in each other’s lives when living with a roommate because you can be considerate of what they have going on. You don’t want to have guests over or be loud when they’re working on something big at work or have a home project happening.
Another reason to learn each other’s schedules is so you can plan for your own life / events without overlapping and ending up feeling flustered or irritated. This goes hand in hand with being considerate and communicating!
Make Financial Decisions Up Front
Before you start living with roommates you should hash out all the financial details. Even for bills that you can’t anticipate, you should have a plan on how they’ll be handled. Money issues can make living with a roommate a real nightmare, so it’s best to plan for those things before you start cohabitating.
Decide how bills will be split. How they will be paid (will one person pay fully and be reimbursed, will it always be split and accounts online be shared, etc.) and also decide who will be responsible for handling any chores that go with the bills. Delivering rent payments, handling emergency funds, etc.
