Bills, Bills, Bills… And Splitting Them with Roommates

April 11, 2016 | By Kalee AuthorMy First Apartment

By Kalee Cowan Receiving monthly bills that are your responsibility can be a major wake-up call. When I moved into my first apartment, the whole concept of living away from home was new to me. The biggest misconception I had was about bills. Away from home and my parents, I discovered a lot of bills…

Living With Your Introvert/Extrovert Roomie

March 30, 2016 | By Contributors AuthorMy First Apartment

By Erika Taylor So you’ve done the “easy” stuff: you found an apartment, started paying your rent (on time!), and got most of your furniture. Now comes a new task – living peacefully with your roommate! Your roomie might be an introvert or an extrovert, meaning their sensitivity to social stimulation might be different than…

9 Things to Thank Your First Roommate For

February 14, 2016 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

Not all of us are perfect, and I know I’m far from it! When I moved out of my parents’ house and into my first apartment, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t a perfect roommate in that year! I’m sure we all have faced that…

How to Be a Courteous Roommate While Moving Out

February 2, 2016 | By Anna R. AuthorMy First Apartment

Housing situations where you get along well with your roommates are something to definitely treasure! You begin to form friendships or work on existing ones, and your apartment starts to suddenly feel more like a home. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t work out when you live with others, whether they’re your best friends or total strangers…

Finding Roommates 101: Craigslist and Facebook

January 13, 2016 | By Tanner AuthorMy First Apartment

When looking for a first apartment, many people moving out of their parents’ house soon realize is that they just can’t afford their own place. As difficult as that truth is to process, there is one easy(ish) solution: roommates. When moving to a new city, however, you may not know anyone in the area. Or,…

3 Signs It’s Time to Part Ways with Your Roommate(s)

December 17, 2015 | By Anna R. AuthorMy First Apartment

So you moved into your new apartment months ago and were excited to get to know your fellow apartment mate and share the fun in decorating and spending quality time together. Unfortunately, your relationship with your roommate isn’t like it was before: your roommate’s cleaning habits, their ability to find and eat your leftovers, or…

How to Host An On-Budget Friendsgiving Party with Roommates

November 20, 2015 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

Thanksgiving is just around the corner (what?!) and for a lot of us, that means the 3 F’s: food, friends, and family. Even if you get to head home for the holiday, host a little Friendsgiving get-together with your roomies and take this opportunity to sit down for a fun meal and remind yourselves why…

Welcoming a New Roommate to Your Place

November 17, 2015 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

Getting a new roommate isn’t too uncommon, but what if your new roommate is joining after you and others already moved in? I recently ran into this scenario when a friend needed a place to stay for a couple months while she was in between job locations. My boyfriend and I have settled into our…

How to Manage When Your Roommates’ Relationship Ends Mid-Lease.

November 8, 2015 | By Anna R. AuthorMy First Apartment

Living with roommates can be a tricky situation. Things can get even trickier when you live with roommates who are dating, and, as if third wheeling 24/7 wasn’t enough to question your decision, they decide to end their relationship mid-lease. This happened to me two months after moving in, so for those in a similar…

Tricks to Splitting Costs with Your Roommates

November 2, 2015 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

One of the biggest perks of having roommates is the ability to split many apartment costs 50-50. As long as you have the space, the more roommates, the less your monthly costs should be. But when it comes time to pay the bills, it can get sticky. Who pays for what? And how much? How…