Sharing with Others

Many young people keep their living expenses down by sharing a house with others. Living with your friends might sound like a great idea, and sometimes it can be, but sharing your living space with other people can be pretty stressful too!

1. You’ll have to consider the needs and habits of other people. Even if you are good friends, you might not have the same views on things like loud music, cleaning and privacy.
2. You’ll have to compromise sometimes. There’s no point in getting angry when you are doing the second load of other people’s washing up that day – it is better to discuss it with the other people who live there and to share the jobs out fairly.
3. Your guests need to be considerate too. When a house is already pretty full, houseguests can get in the way! Especially when they are sprawled all over the communal sofa, hogging the shower or making a mess! Make sure your guests are considerate of others.
4. Sharing bills can cause stress – especially phone bills. Utilities and rent bills are usually just divided equally between everyone in the household. Phone bills can be more contentious and lead to arguments about who made which calls. It might be safer and easier to use your own mobiles rather than have a landline.
5. Hello Kitty! It might be a good idea to start a household kitty for things like bin bags, loo rolls, milk and anything else you all use. Food, toiletries and washing powder are best bought separately as everyone likes different things and uses different amounts of them.
6. Ground rules – make an agreement with your housemates from the beginning about who will do which household tasks. Make sure the cleaning is shared out fairly and that everyone is clear about what they should be doing and when.
7. Finally, and most importantly, make sure you talk to your housemates! Don’t just share your worries with one person, and don’t just bottle them up until you are ready to explode. You might arrange a monthly house meeting, or just start conversations when everyone is around – if you address the little problems as they come up they are less likely to snowball into serious grudges.

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