Some people choose to live in a flat share or community. Others can't imagine leaving their perfect flats to live with lots of other people. Why would you ever do such a thing?! I moved into a house with 13 other people I didn't know when I moved to a new town in Switzerland. Your dream home or worst nightmare? Let's look at the pros and cons.
If you live alone, you always know who made that mess in the kitchen. You're responsible for your own space – both the tidy bits and the messy bits! You have the advantage of being able to control the environment; if you like it cool and clean, no heating battles or other people's mess for you! If you need your quiet space, you're guaranteed to have it. You don't have to share the sofa or your Netflix subscription with anyone and you always have peace and quiet to catch up with work or have a long, undisturbed bath.
On the other hand, there's no one around if you need a helping hand. If something gets broken, you'll have to fix it yourself, ask a friend, or worse – pay someone to fix it! You can be alone quite a lot, and you don't have contacts at home to invite you out and help you meet people, which is important if you're in a new town. There's no one at home to have a cup of tea with and talk about how your day was. Of course, you could call a friend, but it's not the same as having somebody with you around the kitchen table.
It's not all rosy when you live with other people, though. Sometimes when you get home, the cakes your colleague gave you as a thank-you present are mysteriously gone. That spaghetti you wanted to take to work the next day for lunch has also disappeared, and whenever you want a relaxing bath, there's no hot water left and someone wants to come in every five minutes. Your home is certainly messier than if you were alone. Lots of people bring lots of stuff, and they have to put it somewhere. It's also rarely quiet – someone always seems to have a birthday party when you want to get to bed early.
But despite all that, there can be some wonderful moments. Like waking up to the sound of the Hoover and realising someone else is doing the cleaning for a change, or coming home to a thank-you note and a chocolate for something you did the day before. And when you come home after a long day, knowing you haven't been shopping yet, and you find your housemates making pizza with leftover vegetables to eat while you watch a film, that's when it all seems worth it.
*Note from the blogger: There are now only 7 people in the house and the hot water problem has been solved.
Would you prefer to live with a lot of people or on your own?
