October 3, 2022 Posted in How-to
Hannah Michaelson

Hannah is a freelance relocation writer from NYC that has become an expert on packing and unpacking.

Tips for Moving in With Friends

Are you considering moving in with friends? Whether you’re looking for a more affordable option or just want to live with people you know and like, there are a few things to keep in mind. In this post, we’ll give you some tips on how to make the relocation go smoothly for everyone involved. Keep reading for more information!

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If you need some moving in with friends tips, you're in the right place

Is Moving in With Friends a Smart Idea?

You’ve decided where to live and even found a perfect new apartment, and you’re excited to start a new chapter in life. But then you realize that the rent is a bit more than you can afford on your own. So, instead of saving money, you start thinking about whether or not it would be a good idea to move in with friends. When it comes to moving in together with your friends, there’s much more to think about than just which cross-country moving company you should hire for relocation services – there are pros and cons to consider before signing a lease.

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Advantages of Residing with Friends

When you share a home with a close friend, you’ll be in it together and be able to support, encourage, and constantly enjoy each other’s company – doesn’t that sound amazing? You’re probably already thinking about organizing packing for a move. Here are some other benefits of moving in with close friends that you shouldn’t overlook.

Saving money

Since you and your friend will be splitting rent, utilities, and other housing costs, both of you could potentially save hundreds of dollars each month! The practice of moving in with pals after graduation should not be surprising.

Sharing chores

When you live with your friends, you will split the costs of housing as well as the household chores. For example, one of you will wipe the counters and dust the furniture while the other vacuums the floors. Whatever arrangement works best for you, you can take turns, assign specific duties to each of you, and work together to complete the chores or any combination of these. In either case, the work will be finished considerably more quickly and amicably than if you were to handle it all alone. Additionally, dividing up difficult domestic chores and obligations could deepen your bond.

Avoiding risks

Since a friend is a person you already know and trust, there is no need to conduct a background check or contact previous roommates to ensure your new roommate is trustworthy. You can relax knowing that your friend won’t steal from you, lie to you, or cause you harm in any other way. Your house will make you feel secure and at ease.

Having companionship and support

If you live with a wonderful friend, they will always be there for you, so you’ll never feel lonely or bored. You’ll have a trustworthy buddy by your side anytime you need them, someone to share joy and suffering, hang out with, celebrate your accomplishments and support you in bad times, hear you out, and offer advice when required. The two of you will have a great time.

Being authentic

When you live with a friend, you won’t have to put on a show or maintain a spotless reputation. Your old friend is already familiar with you, understands you, and expects you to always be courteous and upbeat. You can be yourself and even share your deepest thoughts with your friend if you’re feeling anxious, unhappy, or fatigued rather than forcing yourself to smile and claim all is fine.

Cons of Residing With Friends

As is customary, there is another side to every story. While living with your best friend has many advantages, it also has some serious drawbacks. Here are things to consider before starting to plan your efficient move:

  • Lack of privacy – Spending all of your time with your friend may be too much for you – there may be times when you’d like to be by yourself or engage in a solo activity.
  • The awkwardness – Sharing your personal space with a friend can easily result in awkward situations because it can be difficult to tell your roommate to clean up after themselves or let them know that you’d rather they didn’t eat your leftover food.
  • Being able to see your buddy for who they are – When you live close to your friends, you may begin to see parts of them that you didn’t know they had. You could be shocked to learn how disorganized, petty, or self-centered your friend is.

Living with someone, even when that someone is a close friend, can be tricky sometimes. Occasionally, you might wish for some alone time – don’t ignore that instinct. If you want some tips for self-care routines, check out the video below for some great ideas.

Discuss Budgets Before Moving Cross Country

You should make sure that you and your friend are in agreement on everything before moving in together if you believe it will be beneficial to both of you. The best way to accomplish this is to have frank conversations with each other about your ideas, goals, beliefs, and worries. Try to reach a consensus on the various aspects of sharing a home by sitting down with your companion. You must take into account issues like rent obligations, house rules, and chores.

Find a Living Solution That Fits You Both

Of course, the talk about money has to come up – this is extremely important, and you should have this talk way before you even book a cross-country moving service and packing assistance. Although talking about money can be uncomfortable, it’s crucial that you and your friend do so before signing a lease together.

You have to come up with a solution that fits both of your budgets. Compare your disposable income and spending patterns, decide what you can and cannot afford, decide how you’ll share the payments, and plan ahead for what to do if one of you runs into financial trouble. Also, don’t forget to count your moving budget into this equation and the price of booking one of the best cross-country moving companies.

Dollars and coins in a glass overlay
Talking about the money before you move in with your friends is essential

Compare Daily Routines and Talk Through the Differences

While moving tips are important, tips for after the move may be even more valuable. Make sure you both are aware of each other’s wake-up times, workday lengths, routines for early mornings and late nights, preferred temperature ranges, and other schedule-related demands and preferences. Try to plan your everyday activities and lifestyles so that they don’t conflict and you both feel at home in your shared space. This will help you feel comfortable and avoid depression after relocating.

Talk About Cleaning Habits And Chores

Discuss your housekeeping procedures and establish clear ground rules for your shared residence – for example, no smoking inside and no stacks of dirty dishes in the sink. Make a list of your daily, weekly, and monthly responsibilities and decide how to split chores. You can either rotate the tasks or designate particular responsibilities for each of you (this is a fantastic solution if one of you doesn’t mind doing something while the other one despises it to death). Create a system that is effective for keeping track of who needs to do what and when.

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Start organizing the responsibilities the moment you move in

Discuss the Way Shared Space Will Be Used

It’s important to choose your strategy for using shared places – don’t put this off, but rather do it the moment you’re done unpacking after the move. You’ll be sharing the living room, kitchen (and kitchen items), and probably the bathroom (and, hopefully, not bathroom items), so you need to make rules on how to use them.

Talk about how to use the space that is available, what you can and cannot do in them, how to maintain and decorate them, and how you can improve your home. Despite the fact that you may be close friends, it’s crucial to establish and uphold limits – this will help you keep your friendship intact and truly make your apartment feel like home.

Talk About How You Feel About Sharing Stuff

Choose how you and your friend will share the refrigerator and electronic devices. Don’t forget to talk about whether or not you want to share stuff like the iron or the vacuum cleaner and your feelings regarding sharing pieces of clothing, makeup, and accessories. This is extremely important! Obviously, make sure never to borrow anything without first getting your friend’s okay! Things like this show that you respect their boundaries – they will love you more for it, and your friendship will be better than ever.

Don’t forget to discuss how you will share food as well. Discuss whether you will go grocery shopping separately or together, share food or some common products like cooking oil, and whether you prefer that each of you just use the items that you bought yourself. Make sure you divide the cost of buying the items you’ve decided to share – if one of you purchases the majority of them, there will eventually be issues.

Define the Guest Policy Beforehand

One of the things you might forget to do when you move is define your guest policy. Make sure you discuss both drop-in and planned visitors. Agree on the frequency and length of visits from family and friends, the ideal amount of advance warning, and who can stay in the apartment when one of you is away.

Find out whether the other person is okay with it and if either of you wants to have your significant other over the majority of the time. See how you feel about hosting events and parties – establish clear guidelines on drinking, smoking, and noise levels.

Choose Your Strategy for Handling Issues

Conflict with a friend is far worse than conflict with a new roommate since you care about your buddy, don’t want to fight with them, and don’t feel comfortable reprimanding them. Therefore, you must find a strategy to deal with possible issues without endangering your friendship. Do this by being upfront about your worries, frustrations, and issues. It may be difficult to bring up concerns you have about your friend, but it’s best to bring up uncomfortable topics now rather than waiting for them to become a significant issue.

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Talking about how you will share the space will help you in the long run

Hire Long-Distance Movers to Ensure the Move Runs Smoothly

Moving is a big undertaking, no matter the distance. Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, there’s a lot to think about and do. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is whether or not to hire a long-distance moving company.

Hiring movers for cross-country moving services has a number of advantages, and it’s something you should seriously consider if you’re planning a long-distance move. With quality long-distance moving services and trustworthy cross-country movers by your side, everything will go smoothly – you’ll be in your new home before you know it.

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