3 Simple Rules for BF/GF Visits When You Have a Roommate

July 7, 2016 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

This post by Katherine, originally published in May 2012, has saved many roommate relationships from turning into ugly war zones because of BF/GF visits — like the ones described in the comments to “How to Tell Your Roommate His Girlfriend Is a Problem”! There are three issues that can turn a roommate relationship ugly: splitting…

Solving Roommate Conflicts the Smart Way

May 24, 2016 | By Sammie AuthorMy First Apartment

Did you wake up this morning to find a passive-aggressive sticky note waiting for you? Have you been giving your roommate the silent treatment because you are annoyed and she hasn’t even noticed? Maybe you’ve thrown a few passive-aggressive comments into your conversations lately? Roommate conflicts arise quite often. They are almost inevitable, but there…

20 “Roommate-Night” Ideas

May 21, 2016 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

One of the best things about having roommates is the chance to become great friends with them! While it’s definitely possible to have challenges when living with another person, it’s important to do your best to get along and have fun together. Doing so can often make both of your living experiences much better! For…

12 Questions Every Subletter Needs to Ask

May 15, 2016 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

As new grads start flooding to the housing market, subletting a roommate share is the time-tested way of scoring an apartment when your budget is not high enough for a place of your own. Whether you are looking for a short term sublet of a few weeks while you hunt for a permanent place or…

7 Ways to Stay Friends with Your Roommate

May 2, 2016 | By Kalee AuthorMy First Apartment

Living with a roommate can be fun and exciting, but it can also be hard. You and your roommate may have different schedules where you don’t see each other often. You may like a clean apartment while your roommate doesn’t mind a messy floor. You may not like your roommate’s significant other crashing every night,…

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,…