I have never before lived with a roommate and I have not thought about it so much before. Maybe you guys already know how it can be. Of course this is also depending a lot about the person you have as a roommate.
For me it was a good friend. We do everything together. It does not help that we live in a city where neither of us knows other people well. We literally have nowhere else to go. I have nothing as an excuse when I want to stay at home or be alone. That can be challenging even for a good friendship, because we both have a personality that needs their own space. Sometimes we can support each other and make something that we probably would not do alone. That is always nice.
In both good and bad
Of course having a roommate has its' pros and cons. You need to accept that there will be fights and bad days too. There will come days that you are like best friends. Laughing and doing funny things with them. That is great. You do not have to be alone and you always have someone to talk to. But sometimes you might feel alone even though they are there. They might need their own space and you should appreciate that.
The first thing people say is a pro with having a roommate is probably the money. You split the rent. It is often cheaper that way than living alone in a smaller apartment. I have noticed that this too has its downside. You most likely have to buy quite much food together, if you do not have another system with that. You split that bill too. That should be cheaper too, to buy bigger portions.
However, what if the other person wants to buy expensive stuff or eats most of the food? Or what if you need to buy something for the kitchen or the living room and they want the more expensive options there too? A table that you would have bought with a hundred euros will cost a thousand euros and when you split it you still have to pay five times as much as for the option you wanted. Fair? No, but it won't always be.
Timetables might variate much from person to person. I myself am an night owl, who likes to sleep long. My roommate is an early bird. It is difficult. She always wakes me up with noises from the kitchen or burnt smell of some bacon she has been frying. And then again I might accidentally wake her up when I go to sleep in the night. Also, I'm almost a vegetarian and she is not. This is also a difficult combination. I think about the nature in everything and want to use more organic products and less plastic wrappings etc. She does not care for that as much, which is why I too have to carry huge plastic piles to the recycling bins.
How to make it work
You do not have to give in on everything, it is your life too. I think it is also very important to not only be depending on them. Make sure it is only temporary if you do not have any other people around you. Even the sweetest person will not be as sweet if you have to share every second of your life with them. Put your limits and tell them in the beginning if you have some special wishes.
Talk to them when you feel something is wrong. Not that you need to nag about every small thing. Just tell them if something bigger bothers you. It is better to get it off your chest than let it grow to a bigger problem. Also learn to not take it personally if the other one is having a bad day or tells you in turn about something that bothers them.
As an example I am a little like Joey from Friends, the TV-show, I do not like to share food. If I have food on my plate or if I have bought a bag of sweets I do not like it when someone takes out of them. I do not like the question "Can I taste yours?", when I drink something. I am a bacteria freak maybe, but I think it is not good to mix each others saliva otherwise than when you are a romantic couple. I too share my candies and food if I feel like it, but I do not like it when someone makes me do it. It might sound childish, but if you are hungry and have only a small plate of food for yourself you might not like it when the other person eats out of it even though they have their own. People can make a problem out of everything. Even a small thing like this. Talk about even these kind of things.
Some people just does not fit together. Sometimes it does not work out to live together, not even if you try your best. Then the only option might be to move out.
Here is some pros that were listed on this site:
1. Splitting rent. Internet. Cable. Electricity.
2. When you run out of shampoo, you can just "borrow" hers.
3. Staying in together and binge-watching Netflix is considered a social activity.
4. You can still get into your apartment when you forget your keys...again.
5. Never having to cook for one.
6. A second opinion—on outfits, guys, whatever—is always just a holler away.
7. Your social circle immediately doubles. "Your friends are my friends, my friends are your friends..."
8. You always have a plus-one when you need it. Workouts, parties, you name it.
9. If your roommate has a pet, you basically get to rent a furry friend.
10. When her family visits, they take you out to lunch.
11. When you use the last of the toilet paper and find yourself trapped on the toilet, someone can bring you another roll.
12. Every meal is a recipe swap.
13. Pep talks when you need them most.
14. Impromptu dance parties in the living room.
And then there was this link to 11 pros of living alone right below it:
1. Blasting the Spice Girls at 7 a.m. without worrying about waking anyone up? YUP. No roomie, no problem.
2. You don’t always have to refill the toilet paper right away.
Related: You don’t have to have the awkward conversation with your roommate about how it’s simply *unacceptable* when she doesn’t refill the toilet paper.
3. You can leave your phone on the table without worrying that your texts will be exposed.
4. Similarly, you don't have to close yourself into your closet when you want to have a private phone conversation.
5. Peeing with the door open = OK.
6. You can talk to your cat like a person. Dude: We all do it.
7. You don't have to worry about your roommate hearing you have sex.
8. The nutritional value of your “I’m too lazy to cook” cereal dinner will never be questioned.
9. You know how some people have to DVR Dancing with the Stars because someone else is watching
10. Monday Night Football on their TV? NOT YOU.
11. Three words: all naked everything.
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