Millions of young adults move out of their parents homes every year, and many of them can not afford to live on their own and look for roommates. Here are some things to consider before deciding whether or not to move in with a friend or to get a roommate from the paper or internet. I have also added some of my own experiences from when I lived with my two former best friends.

Personal Space and Quiet time:
When living with friends you will not have any privacy or quiet time, and the closer the friends you are the worse it will be. You may not realize it now but you are not always in the mood to be with your friends sometimes you may want to just sit in your room and relax, and if a friend called you up you could say you were busy but if you live with a friend they will be knocking on the door and bothering you all the time, and good friends will often borrow things of yours without asking you. Where as someone you found online will usually leave you alone when your door is closed except for something important.

I can not begin to count how many times my roommates ate something I had been saving or went into my room to borrow my things without asking, and the worst part is when I asked them to not touch my things they took it as a insult like I don’t trust them with my things, or I am cheap for not letting them eat my food.

Finances:
The reason why you moved in to an apartment is because you needed help being able to afford your expenses, and someone you don’t know will usually be more responsible with making sure they have the money to bay their half of the bills then a friend will, a friend will ask you to help them out when they are short on cash.

One of my friends would always spend his rent or bill money in online casinos playing blackjack, or in poker rooms online. I like to play some poker online just as much as anyone else but I always made sure to not gamble in an online casino with my rent money. If I was short on money I would not gamble, but I would never allow myself to not have the money to pay my share of the bills.

Cleaning of the Shared Spaces:
In the past roommates I had found in the news paper always made sure that any space we shared like the kitchen or living room was kept clean. If you cooked something any mess was cleaned from the counter and pots, pans and plates would be put in the sink and were taken care of within 12 hours, but friends may take advantage of the slack you will give to a friend, because they know you would be ok with it.

The girl I used to share a place with was a neat freak if I cooked something and left a pot soaking in the sink for 8 hrs she would complain to me until I started cleaning them immediately after cooking, but she would always leave pots and dishes in the sink. When I confronted her about this she said that she can not stand to see my stuff in the sink when she comes home from work but her dishes in the sink do not bother her so I have to clean them immediately but she does not.

Power Consumption:
Unless your roommate has lots of money and lets face it if they had cash they would not need a roommate, then they will be looking to save money and not want to waste money on electricity, and once you agree on things like using the dryer or air conditioning two roommates who meet online or from an add in the paper will usually respect the rules better then two friends will. Friends will usually bend the rules, like leaving the computer on all day or running the ac all night.

When I have lived with friends I would constantly come home and find my roommates using the dryer even though we agreed only 1 usage a week per roommate, and the worst was how often I would come home to find the AC on in one of the bedrooms and no one is even home. This is a very common way for friends to take advantage of one another.

By the time I eventually moved out of that apartment I was no longer on speaking terms with my former best friends and that is why I recommend that you do not ever move in or allow friends to move in with you.

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