Six Common Living Situations: An Examination

By Lev Novak

Apartments are great, but you have to make them yours. Setting up the posters and N64 is an important step, but after that, you’re going to have to deal with the fact that you’re not alone. There are going to be people in your house. Who? Well, in a perfect world, you’d all have similar interests and thoughts. A house divided cannot (keg)-stand. But this isn’t a perfect world always. So what are your options?

1. Live with friends…but understand that not all of your friends are going to be the right fit for a house. Sure, “Crazy Dan” is a fun guy to hang out with, but there’s a reason they call him “Crazy Dan” and not, for example, “Takes Out The Trash Dan.” It’s important to figure out which friends of yours can match up with your life. Remember that close proximity can strain some friendships, especially high-octane people. Nice, calm people never wear out their welcome: people with nicknames and headbands sometimes too.

2. …Or Make Strangers your friends. Subletting or moving in with randoms doesn’t have to be quite so random. You can- and should- ask to meet or at least email back in forth about your lifestyles. Don’t worry about that being rude; they’ll be happy to talk to you, partially to make sure you aren’t a weirdo either. Expanding your network can be a better option than trying to rope your pals into moving to the spot you want: it might but easier to move into the spot and make friends later. Extra friends and a great apartment: it’s a great prize, but the risk of randoms scares off all but the bravest.

3. Subletting is an option you can’t live with friends, and you’re brave. Sublet hopping offers many advantages: it’s often cheaper, and will give you maximum flexibility with your leases if you’re unsure of where life will take you. You’ll maximize the different places you can live, and you can meet new people. The downside, of course, is that flexibility bends both ways: without any idea of where you’ll be, you could end up being more adventurous than you’d like.

4. Greek Life can be a great alternative for human housing. For the small price of swallowing a goldfish, you can live in party central with twenty of your soon-to-be closest friends. Not a bad deal, right? Well, not so fast. There are other costs than money involved: hours, dedication, and pride will come in to play. Plus, there will be vomit. Oh, there will be vomit.

5. Location-Napping is a good play for the social butterfly. The move here is to take a cheaper apartment near your friends and just spend all their time at their place. This strategy has many benefits: why spend money on a good apartment if your friends will? Just pay your dinky rent and spend all your time here. The risk here of course is you have to be friends with all the tenants here; if you want to crash on a couch every weekend and use the wifi they may ask you for rent if you’re not careful

6. Move In With Your Girlfriend or Boyfriend if, for example, you were dared to come up with the stupidest way to save $200 on rent. Some couples will make it, sure: but some won’t. It’s just statistics and risk: better safe than sorry. And it’s up to you to ask yourself what an ex-girlfriend roomie would be like.

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