Ways to Staying Organized With Roommates

The housing market is tough, especially for millennial and Gen Z people who are just now graduating from college and moving out of their parent’s homes. When we throw in the pandemic, the saturated job market, and the student debt epidemic; it’s virtually impossible to have your own house right away. Even renting can be too costly so many people find roommates to be able to afford the rent. There is no shame in it, but it can be quite challenging to live with friends or even strangers.                                                                                                                                        

When you are put in this situation, how do you ensure that your living conditions are still good? No matter how big or small a shared home or apartment is, one of the biggest challenges is keeping organized. So, here are a few tips on how to make living with roommates more bearable (and even enjoyable!)                 

The number one rule when keeping organized is that everything should have its proper place. When items are shared like a vacuum cleaner or ingredients in the kitchen, it can be hard to keep track of where the last person put it back. But, if you’ve already pre-assigned where everything goes, putting things away will be so much easier. Invest in storage that is sturdy, long-lasting, and nice to look at. Labels also help so that you do not have to keep reminding each other where something goes. This will also help prevent cleaning-related arguments in the future.                                              

You may be the leader when it comes to designing your home, but don’t forget that other people are going to be living right alongside you. If you want things to stay organized, you have to get your roommates to care about the state of your home. The more they are involved in creating your home’s design, the more they will want to keep it beautiful. People tend to value things that they own more than things they don’t. How will your roommates feel ownership over the home if they had nothing to do with its creation?                                                                                      

When designing your home, give your roommates options to choose from. The good thing about this is that the options you give them are ones you already like. So, whatever choices they make, it will still be according to your own personal style. It appeases everybody involved. If they have ideas of their own, don’t dismiss them. You may find you like their input. If your tastes are different, there will always be a compromise that you can settle on.  

If you are living in a home with roommates and not family, deciding who has to bring what items can be quite an ordeal. Whose job is it to provide tableware? Who should be the one to refill the spice rack? If you are planning to live with these people for a long time, it’s worth it to chip in to purchase some shared items. You can buy plates and silverware that is owned by everyone in the apartment. You can even purchase furniture together. Of course, you can bring in things that you already own, but it should be established what is for sharing and what isn’t. For consumables, you can create a budget for monthly or even weekly supplies you will need to buy. The most important thing is that everybody should respect each other’s belongings.                                                                                                                

Along with sharing things, you should also be sharing tasks. Make sure that everybody has a role when it comes to cleaning. Make a chore chart for who vacuums, mops, cleans the bathroom, etc. Establish rules like you have to wash your own dishes after eating. Communication is the key. Everyone must know what tasks are assigned to them.

Shared spaces work better when there are designated areas for specific tasks. For example, you can have a designated area meant for just working. It’s a place that has to stay quiet and clean. So, nobody should socialize or eat food there in consideration to somebody who might need that place to concentrate.                                                                                                                

It is also helpful to restrict certain activities for certain times of day. It is a matter of respecting each other’s boundaries and schedules. Maybe the television is only allowed at a certain volume by the time most of the home’s occupants need to go to bed. Maybe you can only have a certain amount of people over during weekdays                                                                           .  

Ultimately, everyone should feel like they belong and that they’re not restricted in their own home. So, again, it’s matter of communication of what should and shouldn’t be allowed. The creation of these rules should be collaborative, and everyone’s opinion should be taken into account.