LIFE

We’ve said it before but we’ll say it again: Sharing a room is *not* easy. Whether you're at boarding school, heading off to college or simply shacking up with a sib, you’re bound to run into some conflict, but fortunately here at GL we happen to know a thing or two about interacting with girls. We’ve created a list of the top three reasons you may argue with your roommate matched with the cat-fight free solutions so you too can live in sweet harmony.

You let your new roommate borrow a tank top (you're helping a girl out!). Fast forward three weeks later and you’re looking for the top, but it’s nowhere to be found. You also can’t seem to find the MAC lip stain you let her borrow the other morning and your fave skinny jeans...

Before you jump to conclusions, take a moment and think. Did you misplace the lipstick or did your roomie not return it to you? The best thing to do to avoid this situation all together is to establish boundaries early on. Your closets may be in close proximity, but you need to let your roommate know that it’s not necessarily an open exchange. Next time you two are alone in the room together remind her of what you lent to her and ask her if she’s seen your stuff. Setting boundaries is a must!

You may not be the most Type A girl, but these days it feels like you’re basically living in a pigsty. Textbooks are all over the place, garbage is piling up, clothes are strewn across the floor, pizza boxes from a late night study sesh are laying on the floor. Your room is a mess and you can’t live like this.

Mom and Dad aren’t making up the chores around the house anymore but it’s definitely time you start making your own. Text your roomie that you need to talk and designate a time for you two to work out a game plan for how to keep the room clean. Avoid playing the blame game, though. You both live there so it is both of your responsibility to clean up after yourselves. Making a chore chart will hold you both responsible for taking care of your living space.

It’s 11 p.m. on a Sunday night and you’re in the zone trying to get in your last hour of studying in before your calc quiz at 9 a.m. on Monday. You’re enjoying the peace and quiet of your room when suddenly your sib/roommate busts in the door with her BF and two other friends tagging along. They begin talking loudly and even turn on some music. Suddenly your zen study time has been turned into social hour. What’s a girl to do?

You may be feeling frustrated but now is def not the time to start a scene. In this instance, either ask your roommate politely if they’ll turn the music down and try to really focus or find a place to relocate for the evening. The next day, find some time to talk it out and explain how you feel. Designating quiet hours and visiting hours will be super helpful to avoid instances like these. You and your roommate should develop a system for letting each other know before they bring guests into the room and be fair about it. It’s a shared–probably small–space so there will be times when you have to find an alternate place to study or choose a different spot to chill with friends. Communication and compromise are key.

How do you handle sharing a room? Tell us in the comments! 

by Karlyn Sykes | 9/23/2017