Coming on my second year of living with my significant other, I wish someone would have told me the realities of living with someone the opposite gender of you. DO NOT GET ME WRONG! There are some positive benefits of living with a boy! I believe that living with a guy has strongly defined the “what is mine, what is yours” roommate mentality. He’s not asking to borrow my clothes. He’s not asking to borrow my Naked Heat palette. But, living with a boy, gave me a clear understanding of how, I believe, guys function. Here are my significant other and my own tips and experiences of living with each other.
1. Passive Aggressive Sticky-Notes Don’t Work
I’ve asked my boyfriend what tips I should include in this article and this was the first thing that he said ~loudly~ over the phone. In my past experience living with girls, I think it was easier to talk to each other by writing little notes all over the house. It avoids awkward confrontation. But, writing a sticky-note over the trash can, reading “please take out,” will in-fact get thrown in the trash. I’ve found that guys are way more black-and-white. They’d rather you say it to their face. Saying, “Hey can you take out the trash this week?” versus you moving the trash in front of the front door so that they “see” to do it, is a better way to enjoy your living space
2. To Talk or Not to Talk?
I’m a very extroverted person, so when I come home, I’m still bubbly from my school day! I want to start asking him, “How was your day?!” and after, tell him about my day and what I have planned for the rest of the week. Understanding that sometimes he doesn’t want to talk after a day of work, was a learning experience! However, this can go both ways. Sometimes I want my quiet alone time and it just takes practice to find out when each-others quiet times are.
3. Don’t Fight the Football Games
I get mad if he walks in the living room and makes a comment about me watching Say Yes to the Dress, Great British Baking Show, or the Bachelorette, then he definitely gets mad when I make a comment about watching the NFL. It’s okay that we like different shows. Respect that since the living room is a communal space, his football game is just an important as your Say Yes to the Dress.
4. Share Decor Ideas
Remember that just because he is a guy roommate, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have any choice in picking the decor of communal spaces. I might want my fuzzy yellow throw pillows on the couch, but he wants a scotch and whiskey display bar. Learn to comprise on decor ideas and talk to each other about what you like and dislike. Worse-case scenario, you have to move your huge Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster to the second bedroom.
5. Someone will clean more than the other.
This goes for any roommate you have. I’m messy when it comes to my makeup or clothes and he is messy with his shirts and socks everywhere. I don’t like doing the dishes, so he does them and I do the vacuuming. Chore-charts sound stupid, but again, compromise and communication is key.
6. Bathroom time?
I know I spend at least a half hour to an hour every morning in the bathroom. He spends like 10 minutes or less. Bathroom sharing is just awkward in general; little hairs in the sink versus makeup-wipes all over the counter. I remember when I first moved in with my boyfriend, I would buy the small boxes of tampons and pads because I somehow felt that they would gross him out? But then he thought it was stupid that I didn’t just buy the Costco bulk supply. Look at the GIF below.
7. “Maybe you should just take the second bedroom closet”
I can’t help that I have more clothes.