Group House Living: Setting Up House Rules

November 28, 2017 | By Dana AuthorMy First Apartment

You and your three friends have finally found a place to move in together, and everyone is excited about getting free of parents and dorm rules. However, you realize very soon that a free-for-all is not going to work – you need to set up some house rules for your new place. But how? So,…

5-Step Guide to Choosing A Roommate

August 23, 2016 | By Contributors AuthorMy First Apartment

Roommates can be a great way to save money, and possibly develop new friendships. If your dream apartment comes with a not-so-ideal price point for one, look no further for some great advice on how to make it through the process of choosing a great roommate. 1. Know Thyself Chances are, you will have a…

From the MailBag: “How to Deal with Roommate Conflicts”

December 4, 2014 | By Audra AuthorMy First Apartment

Welcome back to the MailBag, everyone. A couple of weeks ago, we dove into our very first advice topic and helped one reader with her question about “when to begin an out-of-state apartment search.” Today, we are taking a different route — we’re addressing several issues and many readers at once. Here’s why: Since My…

Dinner, for Three! First Planning Meeting with Roommates

May 20, 2014 | By Armando AuthorMy First Apartment

It has been about a week since the informal decision to move in with my future roommates, boyfriend and girlfriend, Chris and Kayla was made. Since the three of us are all in study mode getting ready for finals, it has not been very easy to get together to talk about logistics. Recently, we were…

Four’s a Party, Five’s a Crowd: Setting Rules on Visitors

November 1, 2013 | By Melissa AuthorMy First Apartment

When you live in a shared space, how do you decide on a fair guest policy? Some people love a crowd, they truly believe in the more the merrier, and are happy with friends passed out on every square foot of their apartment on a regular basis. Others prefer personal space and would rather check…

Relationship and Legal Issues When You Move In With Your Significant Other

April 21, 2013 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s a month before graduation and you have just found out that both you and your college BF/GF have landed jobs in the same city. Now the big question is, should you look for an apartment together? And if you do, what are the relationship and legal issue to consider before you take this big step? Cohabiting…

Top 5 Roommate Relationship Landmines…and How to Avoid Them

September 18, 2012 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Sabrina has distilled her 20+ roommate experiences into the top five areas that can explode with serious damage to the roommate relationship. And we have added some tried-and-true MFA tips for avoiding the danger zones. TOP 5 ROOMMATE RELATIONSHIP LANDMINES by Sabrina Roommates can be a fairy tale of exciting events and life-long…

What to Do When Your Roommate Bolts

November 10, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Katherine tackles an all-too-common roommate situation. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR ROOMMATE BOLTS by Katherine Uh oh. Your soon-to-be-roommate got cold feet at the altar, pulled a Julia Roberts a la Runaway Bride and is now halfway to Canada on a FedEx truck. This leaves you in a lurch, with the caterers…

I Bought the Toilet Paper Last… How to Avoid Roommate Conflict over Shared Supplies

October 31, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Katherine shows how to avoid a typical roommate conflict situation. I BOUGHT THE TOILET PAPER LAST! by Katherine So you’ve found yourself a roommate (or two) to split the cost of an apartment and save some major moola, good for you! Your wallet says gracias. But, with those 2am soul-baring bonding sessions…

4 Secrets for Getting Along with Roommates

December 30, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our blogger Elyse shares her strategies for handling money matters and common chores with roommates. I’ve lived with a lot of different people in my life. When I lived at home, I had to share a room with my sister right up until I went to college and shared a dorm room. When I got the apartment, one…