You’ve Moved In. Now What?

Now that you’ve moved in, what should you do? Have a meal together.

The first few weeks of living with a new housemate are always a transitional time. Hopefully you followed a good selection process and the path won’t be too difficult. One very nice way to smooth the transition is sharing a meal. There’s something about eating together that warms our connections with others.

It’s human. It’s universal. Think of barbeques, picnics, pot-lucks, Thanksgiving dinner, dates, wakes, weddings. People break bread together and create connections.

Depending on your culinary skills, pocketbook, and location this could be a meal you cook or you could bring in take out. (Cooking is cheaper and more fun.) Do eat at home.  It doesn’t have to be a fancy meal, in fact don’t make it too big a production.  It should be a shared effort. Find a good time, plan what you’ll eat, divvy up the shopping (so everyone has contributed monetarily to the meal), do the cooking, and clean up as a shared activity. There are lots of ways to collaborate. Do what works for you.

What you talk about is up to you. This could be a get-to-know-you conversation or the continuation of conversations already started.  Talk about interests, hear stories of experiences, and discover the other person. Listen as much as you talk.

Getting to know each other over a meal will ease your transition and allow everyone to settle into the new arrangement comfortably.

Perhaps you’ll decide to do it again.

Check out these articles about the lifestyle of sharing housing; Keeping and Sharing a Healthy Lifestyle , Breaking Bread