Living with a roommate definitely has its ups and downs. In college, you and your roommates faced all the same issues—difficult professors, late nights in the library during finals week and figuring out just what you were going to do on the weekends. Now that you’re working women, you’re on different schedules, maneuvering different workplaces and working towards different goals. So when tension arises, finding common ground can sometimes be difficult. Small problems such as cleaning schedules can be easily fixed, while other issues may lead to bigger battles. Before potentially damaging the relationship you have with your roommates, take a look at some of the problems you may face and learn how to solve them.
1. When rent sneaks up on you
Weeks can go by pretty fast when you have rent to pay every month. One day you feel financially stable and then—poof—rent makes all of that disappear. Given that you and your roommates may be on different pay schedules, one struggle you may come across is having a roommate who isn’t quite ready to pay by the time rent is due. If this happens on a regular basis, take the initiative and start (politely) reminding your roommates in the weeks leading up to the due date that they’ll be responsible for a certain amount. Suggest setting up phone reminders or mark the day on a calendar to ensure that neither you nor your roommates are surprised when rent is due. Alexandra Woodaman, a recent graduate from Merrimack College, now lives with a college friend in an apartment. “Rent sneaks up on you pretty quick,” she says, “so my roommate and I remind each other with Post-Its and calendar marks when rent and bills are due so we aren’t thrown off guard.” You may feel a little pushy by doing so, but in the end it’s better than paying extra rent to cover for your roommate.
2. Messes on messes on messes
It’s one thing for your roommate to not keep his or her bedroom tidy, but once when it starts to spread to common spaces like the kitchen, bathroom and living room, it becomes a problem. There are only so many times you can clean someone else’s messy dishes, or put away their messes, before you need to address the issue. Tackle the matter in a calm manner so your roommate doesn’t get too defensive. Suggest making a shared cleaning schedule that rotates your chores so you’re not the only one doing the cleaning. Carey Hotsky, a recent graduate from Sacred Heart University, lives with a few friends from school and says, “We had a few fights over whose turn it was to clean the kitchen or take out the garbage, and a cleaning schedule really helped. We rotated every week so we each had a turn cleaning so it was easy to follow and fare.”
3. Eating your food without permission
Whether it’s the Ben & Jerry’s pint you’ve been looking forward to after work, or the leftover take-out you were saving for a midnight snack, nothing is worse than a roommate who eats your food without asking. Start by marking what’s yours—but if your roommate ignores that, don’t be afraid to take charge. Feel free to confront your roomie directly to ask them firmly not to touch your food, and sit down to establish a set of rules.
, you now have to be up and ready to go in the early AM. Sure you’ll feel like the parent of the house, but when the partying gets out of hand and creates damage, rules need to be established. Ask your roommate to clean up after the night’s events, and if their social life is negatively affecting your life, kindly ask them to take the party somewhere else. </p><div id=){kind=link}