7 Ways to Get off to a Good Start with Your Roommate ...

1. Always Strive to Be Courteous and Kind

Kindness goes such a long way. Always make it a goal to treat your roommate with kindness and courtesy. Simple manners can make living together much more pleasant. Your roommate is likely to treat you the same way in return. This can make becoming friends more of a probability, too.

2. Be Direct when There’s Something to Discuss

When you live together, there are going to be times you have to discuss things. It could be how to share space, food, chores or any other number of small issues. When those times come, the direct approach is best. Beating around the bush trying to get a message across doesn’t usually work well. Be direct but kind and things will go much smoother.

3. Pick up after Yourself

Another thing you can do to get off to a good start with your roommate is to pick up after yourself. Leaving food wrappers, dirty clothes or other things lying around isn’t going to endear you to your roommate. If you’ve got your own room then you have the freedom to be messy there. But make sure you do your part to keep the main living areas clean. As a general rule, it’s always good to treat your roommate the way you want to be treated.

4. Respect Their Privacy

You always want to respect your roommate’s privacy. That means never opening their mail or going through their things. It’s also good to give them privacy when they have a phone call. Another way you can respect their privacy is work something out if they want time alone with a date. Of course this shouldn’t be a constant occurrence but it’s good to be understanding if it’s only an occasional thing.

5. Ask before Borrowing

You may have lucked into getting a roommate with impeccable style. That can be great for you to get fashion advice or to borrow clothes or accessories. But always make sure you ask before you borrow an item. It’s the respectful thing to do, even if you know your roommate would most likely say yes. They’ll appreciate this small gesture.

6. Get Some Alone Time if You Know You’re Moody

We all get moody from time to time. When you know that you’re feeling this way, get some alone time. Those are the days when it’s a good choice to hole up in your room and watch Netflix. Getting some time to yourself helps to make sure you aren’t taking your moodiness out on your roommate. A plus side to handling moodiness this way is that alone time often cures it.

7. Don’t Bail when Rent is Due

Don’t expect your roommate to pick up your slack when rent’s due. Yes, that designer bag is gorgeous but make the right choice. You’ll feel much better about yourself when you act like the responsible adult that you are. There may be times you’re short because of legitimate emergencies, such as car problems or something similar. But do your very best to be on time every time in your financial obligations to your roommate.

These are 7 tips to help you get off to a good start with your roommate. What tips would you add? Your perspective is always welcome!