Do any of these sound like what you are living with?
Every month you worry about running out of money before your next check arrives. You manage—but you are watching costs go up and your income remaining the same. It’s not much fun!
You are living in the house in which you raised your children. You love the house—it’s full of memories and momentos. Most of the time you use the kitchen, your bedroom and one other room. The rest of the house is rarely used.
You spend a significant amount of time alone. Yes, you have friends and activities, but you get tired of constantly organizing your social life and sometimes you just give up.
Your only housing costs are the maintenance and property taxes—you paid off the mortgage a while ago. You think about selling and getting something smaller but the whole project is daunting.
The thrill of independence, of living your own life, is not what it used to be. You’ve proven you can manage on your own. The reality is you are often lonely. You’ve gotten used to it – it just seems to be what life is about.
You are really concerned about the use of the earth’s resources. All the stuff that is part of our homes: toasters, equipment for connecting to the internet, irons, vacuum cleaners, food processors, blenders, lawn mowers and snow shovels is just too much. Better to share with others.
It’s a lot of work to take care of your home. Everything from the regular cleaning to the outdoor maintenance. Sometimes it just doesn’t get done—it’s too much for one person.
Sharing housing works for:
- Single people.
- Boomers who remember with some fondness the fun of living in group homes.
- Divorced and widowed women and men who are empty nesters.
- Single parents with full- or part-time custody.
- People who work in a different city from where their home is.
It will work for you if:
- You like being independent.
- You are friendly.
- You are willing to speak up when you have something to say.
- You value both privacy and community.
- You feel the world would be a better place if we all could just get along.
- You look for the good in others.
- You see the bumper sticker “Practice random acts of kindness” and smile.
If you’ve recognized yourself and your situation and you are wondering if you can really make such a transition, find out more about how sharing housing can work for you.
Next Steps
Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of blog articles, and when we offer Q&A’s and other activities related to home share. You can do that on this page.
You might enjoy reading the story, When Genna Met Sally, that tells the tale of two people and how they explored whether they could live together.
Or read The Secret to Finding a Good Housemate if you are wondering if you can do it.
We also offer other education and resources. Explore this website, Create an account to enroll in our free mini-classes or access our free worksheets. You can do that on this page.
Check out our blog for regular stories and advice from home sharers, including What is Normal to You?
What we don’t do is offer direct matching.
