Overview: Why Living with Roommates Is More Common Now
Given the ongoing housing crisis, precarious living has become a fact of life for many Canadians. This is especially true for younger generations. Millennials and Gen Z have entered adulthood amid increasingly scarce employment opportunities, devalued degrees, and steep housing prices. The COVID-19 pandemic caused inflation to skyrocket even as lockdowns threw people into isolation, worsening mental health.
As a result, roommate households have become the fastest growing household type in Canada. Only a small proportion – less than 15% – of adults aged 20-34 live alone, while many others live with relatives or non-relatives (source: Statistics Canada). The situation is worse in major urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver, where nearly half of young adults still live with their parent(s).
Many individuals have difficulty covering everyday expenses. Many individuals may also struggle with low credit scores. This is where online installment lenders step in with a simplified online application process and no credit checks, giving subprime and near-prime borrowers one possible way to cover urgent expenses.
In this article, we’ve brought together five tips for living with roommates in these uncertain and precarious times. While shared living may not be ideal long-term, it has its upsides as well. We’ll view the growing trend in a holistic manner.
Tip #1: Have Realistic Expectations
It’s important to understand a few things from the outset. Your roommates/housemates are not your friends. While a friendship may develop, it’s not going to happen in every situation. It’s important to keep that in mind. Maintain a cordial relationship and set clear expectations as to what you will and will not tolerate.
Make sure your expectations are realistic, as not everyone may be an ideal roommate. Some may be messier than others, some may leave dirty dishes in the sink or crumbs on the kitchen table, some may listen to music loudly, and so on. You may have to compromise and accept things that are not entirely to your liking, in order to maintain peace in the household. Remember that you yourself may have behaviours that others may not find ideal.
Tip #2: Maintain Cleanliness
When you’re living with roommates, you may find different standards of cleanliness among different people. Make sure you do your part – take out the garbage, wash your dishes, mop the floors, whatever else is required – but realize that some people may be sloppier than others. Not everyone is equally mature and grown-up, and some may leave dirty dishes in the sink or forget to take out the garbage once in a while. While you may hold it against them, until you’ve either moved or gotten rid of roommates/housemates, you may have to accept less-than-ideal behaviours on the part of others.
Maintain cleanliness as much as possible and don’t give others an excuse to hate on you – but make sure not to escalate conflicts when it can be avoided.
Tip #3: Laugh It Off
If you are sharing your apartment or house with roommates, particularly strangers, conflicts are inevitable. One roommate may be in a bad mood one day and say something you don’t appreciate. The unjust and unearned remark may upset you. However, instead of escalating the conflict, you could choose to laugh off the person’s comments. Not everything is about you – sometimes, in a confined space, people will vent their frustrations and lash out at the person next to them. It’s likely that each of you has their own stressors to deal with, so maintain your composure. If you brush off the apparent insult, you may help keep the peace and save yourself quite a few headaches down the road.
Don’t take everything personally. Your roommates may not have the same conception of polite behaviour as you, and you may have to accept that until your situation changes.
Tip #4: Increase Your Income
While living with roommates has its benefits, you may eventually want to live on your own. This will likely require a higher income.
Here are some tips on how to earn a higher income:
- Earn online certifications, attend online bootcamps, and/or take online courses to qualify for a higher-paying job. Examples may include UX design, digital marketing, software development, cybersecurity, and more.
- Ask for a raise at your current job.
- Earn a promotion. If there is room for growth in your company, you may want to use that opportunity.
- Work for a different company. Sometimes, it’s not a matter of retraining for a new career. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of working for a larger or more established company.
Increasing your income may be the key to increasing your budget and the range of accommodations that you can afford. Many people start with roommates and then move to more private accommodations.
Tip #5: Develop a Smart Budget
Roommate living may allow you to reduce your housing expenses. It’s important to take advantage of this living arrangement while you can and develop a smart budget.
There are several different types of budgets. Here are just a few examples:
- Zero-based budget: Assign every single dollar of your income to a specific purpose.
- Pay yourself first: This budget has you set aside some money for savings as soon as you get paid.
- Incremental adjustments: This budget has you adjust your budget after reviewing your spending habits each month.
- Value-based budgeting: This budget has you spend money based on your values and not spend money on things you do not value. Your values guide your spending decisions like a GPS system of sorts.
If you’re living with roommates – or in any other living arrangement – sticking to a budget could help you get to your goals faster. You may be able to save more due to lower housing expenses. This may enable you eventually to obtain higher-quality housing.
Conclusion
Living with roommates may help you save on housing expenses. However, it may come with certain challenges. Following the above tips may help you make the most of roommate living while planning for a better future.
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