How To Not Be The Worst Couple To Live With
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If you and your partner are really social, or you want a little help with the rent, you might split a place with a friend. It can actually be a lot of fun, and a great way to transition into living just with your partner eventually. You might, however, worry that the roommate you bring in will have her quirks. But don’t forget: you and your partner might be the annoying roommates! Here is how to not be the worst couple to live with.
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Don’t host too often
First of all, don’t host all of the time. Between you and your partner, you may have a lot of friends over, and forget that maybe sometimes your roommate wants to use the living room to host.
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And don’t just host couples
Try not to exclusively host couple’s dinner parties. You’ll make your roommate feel excluded. Even if you’re generous enough to invite your roommate to join your dinner party, she won’t want to be the 5th or 7th wheel every time. Invite single friends over, too, sometimes.
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Don’t bring your fights out of your room
Don’t even let your roommate know you and your partner are fighting. She shouldn’t need to feel the tension in the air just because your relationship is troubled.
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Don’t hog the fridge
You and your partner should just get around half of the fridge—together—and your roommate can have the other half. You two probably share most of your groceries and plan your meals together, anyways. Don’t go overboard on the groceries, leaving your roommate a mere shelf.
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Bills aren’t 50/50
If your utility bill is $300, it shouldn’t be split up so that you and your partner each pay $75, and your roommate pays $150. You and your partner get to enjoy the big, nice common areas just as much as your roommate; why should you each pay half as much as your roommate does? You’re all benefitting from the heat or the AC or the running water; your roommate shouldn’t single handedly be paying twice as much as either of you do. Cut your roommate a break. That utility bill should be split up three ways, $100 each.
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Be aware of the common space
If you only have one big TV in a common space, clear it with your roommate before you and your boyfriend take it over every night for movie night. She’ll probably be cool with it, but she’ll appreciate you asking rather than feeling entitled to the space.
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Wear clothes
Just because you and your partner are perfectly fine walking around naked doesn’t mean your roommate is fine with that.
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Easy on the PDA
Don’t make out in the kitchen. Don’t dry hump on the couch in the common areas. Try not to have breakfast on your partner’s lap when your roommate is trying to have coffee and perk up.
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Stay out of her love life
Don’t take it upon yourselves to find your single roommate a partner. If she wants to share stories of her dating life, listen, but don’t pry every night with, “Sooo any dates soon? We’d love to host more couple’s dinners all together!”
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No babytalk around your roommate
If your roommate is in the kitchen at the same time as you and your partner, try to refrain from talking to each other in baby talk. Your roommate will inevitably feel excluded from the conversation. She doesn’t speak that language.
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Limit your photos
Limit framed photos of you and your partner to your bedroom. You can put one in the common areas maybe. Any more than that and your roommate will feel like she’s living in your home.
