Whether you’re a college student owning the night at a frat party, or a woman with a career who ends every weekend with a girls night out at the club, there are some of us who just can’t wait to party hard whenever possible. Unfortunately, your roommate might not feel the same way. Learning to live with someone who has a different lifestyle than you can be a challenge. But, lucky for you, there are ways to make it work.
Be Considerate
The BEST way you can learn to be happy with your roommate is to be considerate of them. That doesn’t mean you have to give up your fun Friday nights and follow the exact same schedule as them. But, if your roommate has something important coming up (like a test or job interview the next day), show them some care and plan to pregame at your girlfriend’s place instead, or plan to find someone else to spend the night with instead of stumbling in at 3 a.m. (We’re never as quiet as we think we are.) If you’re planning on having the party at your place, ask your roommate if she’s comfortable with it first. Give her a head’s up – ten minutes before the party starts doesn’t count as telling her. You don’t always have to inconvenience yourself, but showing some care for your roomie will always benefit your relationship.
Don’t Force Your Lifestyle on Them
Along with being considerate, don’t try to pressure your roommate into living the same lifestyle you do. If you respect their lifestyle, they’ll be more likely to respect yours in return. We all know partying isn’t for everyone, and annoying your roommate by constantly telling her she’s too boring isn’t going to make your living arrangement any easier. If one rare weekend she does decide to go out and tear up the town the way you know best, you can always bring her along as part of your squad, but don’t pressure her to accept your every invitation to the bar.
Keep the Place Clean
By the time you get home after a night out, the main thought on most people’s mind is a greasy late night snack and a place to fall asleep. It doesn’t matter if you got take out from the sketchy Chinese place down the street or you just pulled week old leftovers out of the fridge; if you make a mess attempting to satisfy your stomach, try to keep it as clean as possible. Your roommate isn’t going to want to wake up to cheese fries that have been sitting on the kitchen counter all night. Worst case, fall asleep with the mess out, but be sure to clean up what’s yours in the morning. If you’re planning on having people over to your place, make sure you take responsibility for any mess you or your guests make. Don’t push that on to your roommate. Nobody likes cleaning in the first place, and it’s only worse when you have to clean up a mess that isn’t yours.
For the Love of God, Don’t Puke on Their Stuff
We’ve all been there: the pizza rolls and beer you had at four in the morning just didn’t mix well in your stomach. Ideally, get yourself to the bathroom and go straight for the toilet (the shower or sink can be a close second). If, God forbid, you miss the porcelain throne, clean up the mess as soon as you possibly can. The only thing worse than cleaning up someone’s gross food is cleaning up their vomit. The absolute worst thing you can do is puke ON your roomies’ things. In the event it does happen, clean it as best you can right away. Don’t try to lie or weasel your way out of the situation. Be upfront and honest with them about what happened and apologize. (Maybe avoid waking them up too late, though.) If anything was seriously ruined, offer to replace it, even if it was a cheap bathroom mat their mom gave them. They’ll at least appreciate the offer.
Overall
Living with someone else always means making compromises. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but your life will be a lot easier if you at least get along. Not having similar lifestyles can make having a happy home more difficult. Luckily, if you’re willing to work together and make small accommodations for each other, it is definitely possible to achieve.
