Moving in With Friends – Yes or No?
Posted in Moving Tips & Tricks,Planning the Move on November 25, 2022
Moving in with friends has always been a dream for many people. But is it smart to turn that dream into reality? Everyone had that moment with their peers discussing what it would be like to live together. You don’t stop to think if there are any downsides to sharing a living space with a friend. That’s why we’re here with a list of pros and cons to help you decide if it is bad to move in with friends.
What Should I Know Before Moving in With a Friend?
On first thought, living with your besties seems like all sunshine and rainbows. It’s like a sleepover that never ends, thus, the fun never ends either. You’ll have parties all the time, cook together, and hang out every day. Even doing chores could be fun. But you shouldn’t be that naive to think everything will run that smoothly. What happens when real life takes its course? When bills your roommate can’t pay start rolling in?
A rule that a couple should move in together a year before getting married is no coincidence. You can never get to know a person’s true colors before you start sharing a living space. The same goes for friendships. That’s why moving in together is the ultimate friendship test. After this part of your life, you will either remain besties for the rest of your lives, or your friendship will come to an end. Before embarking on this journey, here’s a list of things you should know about having your buddies as roommates.
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The Advantages of a Shared Life
While it’s not a thing to be taken lightly, there are many benefits of moving in together. Even though it won’t be exactly like the picture you had in your mind, living with a friend can be a great adventure, and if you find the right person, it beats having to live on your own any day. Here are just a few reasons to move in with a buddy.
Friends Living Together Share the Cost of Everything
One of the biggest perks of having a roommate is that you share most of your home expenses equally. That includes rent or mortgage, utility bills, groceries, home repair bills, and much more. Not only will you share post-move expenses, but you will also probably split the cost of hiring movers. It’s one of the best relocation hacks out there. Just think about all the money you will save by splitting your bills in half every month.
Splitting bills in half will save you a lot of money
You Will Never Feel Lonely
One of the worst things about relocating is potential depression after the move. Having a friend by your side will help you deal with it. They will also be there for you if you get anxious about the move. The best part of this process is that you will always have someone you trust by your side, and you won’t have to worry about feeling lonely or making friends in a new city.
You Will Be Splitting the Housework
Besides the expenses, another thing you will be dividing in half is the chores. The burden of housework will not fall entirely on you, or at least it shouldn’t. It will create more free time for you. Make a deal with your roomie on how you will split the housework. Create a chores chart or any system you will follow and fairly divide the chores. If you function well together, you don’t have to hang a chart on the fridge, just talk it through. It can be as simple as you cook – I clean the dishes, or one week you vacuum, the next week your roomie does.
Dividing the house chores will give you more free time
Why Moving in With Friends Is a Bad Idea?
Before you make a final decision, you have to see both sides of the story. So far, you have only read about the advantages of sharing a living space with someone. We are here to remind you and to warn you that it might not be as magical as you pictured it. So take a look at these cons before you regret not relocating to another state alone.
Moving in Together Reveals Some Ugly Truths
As we mentioned, you will only get to know someone once you move in together. Everyone has their habits, some of which are good, some of which are bad, and some habits are simply unacceptable. It’s one thing if your friend leaves boxes around because they’re slow at unpacking after a move. It’s a completely different thing if they constantly leave dirty clothes and dishes everywhere and they never clean up after themselves. In that case, you don’t have a roommate, you have a slob.
When we say this is the ultimate friendship test, we mean it. Friendships break because of a difference in manners and an unreliable roommate. Not everyone was brought up in the same way, respecting the same values and habits. Those are the things you can hardly notice in day-to-day situations. You can only see it when you live in close quarters with a person. So choose carefully when picking out your future roommate.
Is it bad to move in with friends? You never know
Even Best Friends Start Fighting in Close Quarters
If two people aren’t fighting while sharing a living space, something is very wrong. Fighting is normal when two people are sharing life. It’s inevitable that you and your roommate will start fighting. You have to communicate, whether it’s just a squabble over who ate the last pudding cup from the fridge or a more serious issue such as unpaid bills.
Healthy communication is key if you want your situation to work. You have to find a way to resolve your conflicts in a healthy, mature way. Until you get the hang of it and figure out how to coexist, you will need a lot of patience. Don’t be stubborn, or it could cost you your relationship. Find a compromise and resolve your conflicts. If you want some advice on this topic, take a look at this video:
You Will Lack Privacy Sometimes
Having your bestie by your side is great, but everyone needs some time to themselves. Even when you’re sharing a life with someone, you need to have some privacy. Your roommate doesn’t have to be involved in everything you do. No matter how much two people love each other, spending 24/7 with someone isn’t normal. Give each other some alone time and set up boundaries. Just don’t get caught up in separate lives and neglect your friendship. Figure out a way to cherish it, you can:
- Plan a trip together,
- Set a weekly “date night” and go out for dinner or drinks,
- Plan out some fun activities to do together, such as board games.
Is It a Good Idea to Move Into a House With Friends?
Living with your closest buddies in a big house could seem like the start of a great sitcom. In reality, it’s much different. You will all be stepping on each other’s toes, and it could feel like being in a college dorm. Sure, you’ll have a lot of fun. But all the negative sides of living with a friend that we’ve mentioned will be multiplied. More people under the same roof means it’s going to be harder to navigate and organize everything.
Moving in With Friends – Tips You Should Keep in Mind
After taking a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of a shared life, if you’re still set on your decision to move in together, we have prepared a few relocating tips on how to be a great roommate and make sure you and your friend are a good match for each other. These tips are all the things you should talk through and consider before looking for a new home together and hiring long-distance movers and their packing services.
Be Sure Your Priorities Don't Clash
The criteria for what makes a great roommate isn’t just if you guys have fun. Sure, you don’t want to live with someone you don’t have a good time with, but you need a partner that can keep up with you. If the point of your long-distance moving is relocating to college and you want to study and get excellent grades, make sure your roommate’s priorities are similar.
You might have had the plan to be disciplined – work and study, and occasionally go out. Maybe that’s not what your buddy had in mind. Perhaps they wanted to throw parties every weekend and have fun all the time without caring about responsibilities. So be sure to talk about your plans and ask your potential roommate many questions to be sure you are a good fit. Ask them anything you would ask someone you met through roommate websites such as Roomster.
Talk About the Budget
Money talk is always uncomfortable among friends. But it’s one of those things you will need to learn to cope with if you plan to live together. You have to set a budget that suits both of your needs. A relocation budget is a topic you will have to come across since it is a relocation essential. You can’t plan a move to another city without it. Setting a budget is important for so many reasons. You have to know how much you can afford to spend on the move, from renting an apartment to hiring cross-country movers.
Finding a new home that fits into both of your budgets might be a bit more difficult than you think. If you can’t settle on a simple thing, such as finding a home to live in, perhaps you shouldn’t go through with it. A difference in income could be a problem since one person is always going to settle to live below their means. Don’t make the relocation mistake of choosing a person who is relocating without a job as a roommate. Be sure you both find a job before you move.
Set Some Ground Rules You Both Have to Respect
The key to an efficient move with a friend is to set some ground rules. A shared life requires compromises and understanding your roomie’s needs. Create your own rules that you will both respect. Those new rules can include anything from not having parties or guests over at late hours to not using a blender early in the morning. Create to-do lists, chore charts, and anything that could help you have a peaceful life together.
Once Your Mind Is Set, You’ll Need Professionals to Take Care of Your Things
If you’ve made up your mind and you still want to move in with friends after taking our pros and cons into consideration, you’re meant to be roommates. All that’s left for you to do is hire cross-country moving services. Any move is tough enough on its own, but when you include moving across the country with another person, you will definitely need professional help.
