Moving is hard. Moving into a new place with 4 other people is harder. However, many recent grads are currently embarking on the adventure of living on their own and setting up shop in their first apartment, house, or glorified garbage can. Living with just one roommate, or a truckload of them can be as fun as it is difficult.
Company
The Ecstasy: There’s always somebody there when you get home from work. You have built-in best friends that are just waiting for you to come home, cook mac & cheese, and watch OITNB. Your best friend is always caught up on your life so you never have to go through the sparknotes of what happened last night when Cedric came over to “chill.” Instead, you have the luxury of always having a friend present and always having plans fall into your lap.
The Agony: There’s always somebody there when you get home from work. You just want to walk in the door, prance around in your underwear while you cook tacos, and not be bothered with the growing group of people in your living room. And did somebody just invite Stacy over? Seriously, like, who even wants her here?
Sharing is Caring
The Ecstasy: Between so many people, there’s a lot to be shared (mainly rent), which lifts the burden of having to do or buy everything alone. The pepper grinder, hair dryer, and that cool bouncy chair are all fair game now. If you’re going out and have nothing to wear, there’s 3 other closets that might bestow their blessings upon you.
The Agony: Between so many people, there’s a lot to be taken without permission. Because of the gray area that naturally results from communal living space, there’s always that one roommate that crosses the line and wanders into your room whenever they need a pen, sweatshirt, or your first born child. When you get home and want to veg out in front of the Xbox, somebody is already playing it. And don’t even get me started on coordinating shower schedules.
Cleaning
The Esctasy: Cleaning is so much easier when it’s divided between a group of people. Everybody has their day to take out the trash, do the dishes, and vacuum. Sometimes, you’ll find yourself cleaning the kitchen and your roommate will walk by and pitch in without you even asking. The job goes by quickly when there is somebody to help.
The Agony: Cleaning is so much easier when Jeremy is home all day with no job, so he can probably just do all the dishes I left in the sink last night. When you live with multiple roommates, we encounter what social psychologists coined as the Bystander Effect. When there’s a lot of people present that CAN take responsibility, we assume somebody else WILL take responsibility.
Going Out
The Esctacy: I don’t care what anybody says, going out with your roommates is the best. Thing. Ever. You spend all day hanging around the house, cooking food, and drinking beer, and then you get ready together, do your hair together, and dance together. It’s a bonding experience unlike all others. And at the end of the night, you get to take your favorite people home with you.
The Agony: I don’t care what anybody says, going out with your roommates is also the worst. Thing. Ever. You spend all day hanging around the house, so it takes forever to make moves. Once you finally do, your battling for the shower. When you want to go home at the end of the night, you have to round everybody up, which takes at least an hour. And somebody always manages to get lost or cry.
[Featured Image Credit: Allstate]
The Agony and The Ecstasy of Living With Roommates is a post from: LifeDaily