Living with your parents is one thing because they love you unconditionally, whether you leave your dishes in the sink or your clothes on the floor. However, when you move in with friends or total strangers, those bad habits must disappear.
Everyone has quirky things that they cannot live with or without. My thing is that I loathe the trash can overflowing and I change it regularly, but one of my personal bad habits is that I leave my shoes everywhere. When I moved in with my two best friends, learning how to share space and not get into arguments with one another were trials we all had to overcome.
Yet being friends and living together is definitely a trial for us every day. The other day I brought the mail in and forgot to sort it into our mail slots, which is a frequent habit of mine, and the girls scolded me for not remembering. Mallory, one of my roommates, was looking for our gas bill for about two weeks and it was lying under a pile of junk mail I left on the counter. Oops! But since we are friends first and roommates second, they aren’t mean about my little slip-ups, and we never get into huge arguments over who left stuff in the living room. Communication is really important to have in co-habiting relationships.
“I’d say patience and understanding (are important to have). Respectful of others’ property, I’m a neat freak and I hate messes after cooking and when people don’t clean up. It doesn’t have to be spick and span, just tidy,” said nutrition senior Kristi Melchiorsen.
My roommates are pretty much clean freaks and they LIKE cleaning. Don’t get me wrong; when I’m pissed off or frustrated, the first thing I do is pull on my rubber gloves and clean the entire house. However, I don’t do it on a regular basis. Finding out what you like and don’t like to do is easy. Have a checklist of chores, and maybe another roommate will like to clean the thing others hate.
Getting everything out in the air will help when you get frustrated that someone isn’t doing their share of the household work.
“Being respectful of my stuff is really important, and having common sense,” said Rachel Hutchison, a graphic design sophomore.
Just because there is food in the fridge doesn’t mean it’s yours to take. Labeling food, as lame as that sounds, is a good way to know what bread belongs to you, or what Top Ramen package is yours. Also, when you move in, making a list of all your belongings makes situations easier when it comes time for someone to move out. Then you aren’t fighting over pots and pans or towels.
Another thing to keep in mind is schedules. In my house, we have a whiteboard calendar to keep track of all of our school/work schedules. That way, if someone comes in late or not at all, everyone knows where she is and doesn’t worry.
“I really like it when our girls have their schedules printed so everyone knows where they are. Especially living in a house with so many girls, it’s important to know where everyone is at all times because of safety reasons,” said Madeline Dauphine, a marketing junior and a sister of Sigma Kappa.
Having roommates can be fun, especially if you are close with them and like to do the same things. You always have someone to talk to, go out with or just kick it at home with. Just remember to pick up your stuff, and if you live with me, take out the trash!
Raiza Canelon is a journalism junior and a Mustang Daily reporter.