How to Get Along With Roommates in Your Apartment

Respect each other's property. This may sound basic, but there are certain liberties people can take with their own family that they can’t with others. While your mother had an open pantry and your siblings didn’t mind sharing their clothes, this may not fly in an apartment arrangement. Some people are guarded of their possessions, and rightly so. Establish the boundaries early – is it acceptable to borrow clothes, browse through each other’s music collection, use somebody else’s personal computer, etc.

Decide whether to share food or cook separately. Communal meals or dinner for one? There are advantages to both strategies.

• Sharing food can help you save money because you split the price of dietary staples. However, if you aren’t a large eater you may find yourself spending above your weight. Also, settling on a diet that everyone agrees upon can be difficult.
• Cooking for yourself can be more convenient because you only have to please yourself. If your roommates have boyfriends or girlfriends who often hang around the apartment, buying your own groceries won’t make you worry that you’re supporting the food plan of a ‘significant other’. Also, you can eat on your own time schedule and purchase whatever food you want regardless of others’ budgets. That’s not to say you can’t share certain foods though. Often apartment roommates share food staples such as milk, sugar and bread. If you run out of something, it’s nice to have an understanding with your roommates that you’re allowed to borrow something of theirs until you replenish your stock. If you all cook separately, and at different times, you might consider arranging a weekly sit-down meal together. Dining together is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to bring people closer.

Clean up after yourself. If you make a mess don't leave it for someone else to look after.

Take your turn to tidy, sweep, and mop the common areas. If you share a place, you all have equal responsibility to keep it clean.