Love this! I'm in my 30s and moved into a community house with five roommates last summer (a change from the one roommate I had before), and a ton of people thought it was a crazy decision. But it was the best one! I love having people around, and a stocked spice cupboard is a big plus :)
This is amazing, Gillian! I can sincerely agree. Having a full house and a full table are joys that not much else can match. Even down to the spices and oils, living alone is just hard. It leaves it up to invites or eating out which can both be hard. The best things happen with proximity and spontaneity!!
Your experience with room mates sounds lovely and it's really nice to hear that people like yourself are out there loving life with decent room mates!
For me, I really crave the experience I had when I lived abroad for College, people who I liked (and disliked) were always around and you just got to know people and develop really organic communities. I had more mixed experiences post college with room mates and since Covid have been back living with my family. Even though I'm living with 3 people (and a dog!) I genuinely feel so alone most the time it's difficult to let new people in. I hope to find room mates like yours one day!
Wishing you the best! I will say the shortest route to community is generally food - if you feel comfortable hosting people for dinner or a potluck brunch it’s a great way to create community even if you’re not all living under the same roof. I like doing taco Tuesdays because it’s easy to prepare and accommodate dietary restrictions (if someone is vegetarian or can’t eat cheese, they can just leave it off their tacos).
1. create a public-ish post (to the extent you feel comfortable) outlining what you're looking for. Back in the day I posted on Facebook about wanting to share a townhouse in Manhattan with friends who wanted a place that could be a home but also a place to build our professional lives. Being clear about what *you* want will help you attract folks who are looking for the same things.
2. If you're looking to join a specific community, ask if they have a food share. Nothing is a better indicator for whether the housemates are actually friends than if they regularly share food. If they don't it doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a strong community, but if they do you can usually guarantee there is :)
Yes yes yes! I’m in my 50s and have had housemates for 8 years. It’s so much better than living solo.
Good luck!
This is great to hear! I’m in my 50s and getting ready to rent out my attic, wish me luck :)
Love this! I'm in my 30s and moved into a community house with five roommates last summer (a change from the one roommate I had before), and a ton of people thought it was a crazy decision. But it was the best one! I love having people around, and a stocked spice cupboard is a big plus :)
Love this! I love my roommates and hope to always live with other folks 🙆🏻
This is amazing, Gillian! I can sincerely agree. Having a full house and a full table are joys that not much else can match. Even down to the spices and oils, living alone is just hard. It leaves it up to invites or eating out which can both be hard. The best things happen with proximity and spontaneity!!
Your experience with room mates sounds lovely and it's really nice to hear that people like yourself are out there loving life with decent room mates!
For me, I really crave the experience I had when I lived abroad for College, people who I liked (and disliked) were always around and you just got to know people and develop really organic communities. I had more mixed experiences post college with room mates and since Covid have been back living with my family. Even though I'm living with 3 people (and a dog!) I genuinely feel so alone most the time it's difficult to let new people in. I hope to find room mates like yours one day!
Wishing you the best! I will say the shortest route to community is generally food - if you feel comfortable hosting people for dinner or a potluck brunch it’s a great way to create community even if you’re not all living under the same roof. I like doing taco Tuesdays because it’s easy to prepare and accommodate dietary restrictions (if someone is vegetarian or can’t eat cheese, they can just leave it off their tacos).
I’m dipping my toe back into roommates and communal living, the upsides definitely resonate with me!
Any tips on how to find good places that are interested in being social vs just a collection of people who live in a place but don’t really interact.
I'd do two things:
1. create a public-ish post (to the extent you feel comfortable) outlining what you're looking for. Back in the day I posted on Facebook about wanting to share a townhouse in Manhattan with friends who wanted a place that could be a home but also a place to build our professional lives. Being clear about what *you* want will help you attract folks who are looking for the same things.
2. If you're looking to join a specific community, ask if they have a food share. Nothing is a better indicator for whether the housemates are actually friends than if they regularly share food. If they don't it doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a strong community, but if they do you can usually guarantee there is :)
So good!! Drop the YouTube dance link!
So glad you asked! I can’t remember the exact one but this one feels spiritually similar https://youtu.be/lCRBVAV0yio