During my first year of college I lived with a roommate and now I live with my boyfriend, so I have lived to tell about both experiences.  Having a roommate has pros and cons just as living with a boyfriend or girlfriend also has pros and cons.  Eventually over time, your boyfriend may become your roommate, or your roommate may become your boyfriend.

Having a Roommate is cost efficient; it ensures that there will always be someone living with you in your apartment to share the monthly bills.  The difference between living with a roommate and living with a boyfriend is that having a roommate should be treated liked a business deal; but living with a boyfriend or girlfriend is an emotional commitment as well as a living arrangement.

Sharing our Privacy with a Roommate

Sharing Privacy with my Roommate was an ok experience for me because I grew up with a younger sister.  My roommate was my age and we both moved to a new city to attend college.  It was comforting to share my experiences with someone who was experiencing the same things.  There was really no invasion of privacy with a roommate since we both had separate rooms and we shared the kitchen, bathroom, and living room.  Since we both grew up in households with siblings we were used to sharing, and respected each other’s privacy. Communication is the key to having a good roommate.

Sharing privacy with my boyfriend is a completely different living experience because we share everything.  There is only one bedroom and there is nowhere to escape when we want or need some personal privacy.  The difference between sharing privacy with a boyfriend and sharing privacy with a roommate is that we are probably more excepting when our loved one invades our privacy than we are when a roommate (and total stranger) invades our personal privacy.

Preserving our Privacy with a Roommate

Preserving our privacy is easier with a roommate because we can always leave the apartment or go to our own room.  However, when our roommate is our boyfriend or girlfriend preserving our privacy becomes a more problematic situation.  My boyfriend and I each have our own dressers and closets in the bedroom for our personal belongings, but we don’t have any other individual space.  All of the other areas and spaces in our apartment are for common use.

My boyfriend also lived with a roommate his first year of college.  I asked him if he preferred having a roommate or living with his girlfriend, and he declined to answer the question.  I definitely prefer living with my boyfriend rather than having a roommate.  I can always count on my boyfriend both financially and emotionally, but we can’t always count on a roommate.  Roommates come and go, but boyfriends or girlfriends are forever…hopefully.

Other posts in our Leasing vs. Buying series include:

The Pros and Cons of Buying a Home

The Pros and Cons of Leasing an Apartment 

Photo by Tulane

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