Living with a roommate can be the best decision you have ever made or your biggest regret from the moment you unpack your suitcase. Make an informed decision on whether living with a roommate will suit your lifestyle by reading the advantages and disadvantages of a roommate. Furnishing your shared apartment is affordable and easy with the cheap couches for sale at 5Star Furniture.
5Star Furniture:
5Star Furniture is a trusted furniture store that provides beautiful furniture pieces to the whole of South Africa. 5Star Furniture is based in Gauteng, with two showrooms in Pretoria and Midrand, and can supply furniture to the rest of South Africa through a reliable courier service.
5Star Furniture has a wide selection of quality furniture pieces which are both imported and locally manufactured. We are dedicated to being your one-stop furniture shop to save you time and effort when hunting for the perfect furniture you need to complete your home.
Buying furniture from 5Star Furniture is a quick process. In most cases, your furniture order will be processed and delivered within the same day in Gauteng. In other parts of the country, there will be a slight delay depending on the distance the courier company will need to travel to get to you. For items that need to be ordered, you can expect a two to four-week delay.
Buying furniture from 5Star Furniture saves you both time and money. We keep our furniture prices affordable so that a wide range of budgets can enjoy quality, comfortable, and stylish furniture. We often have furniture specials, such as cheap couches for sale, so that we are always saving you money.
Cheap Couches for Sale:
5Star Furniture has a variety of amazing and cheap couches for sale. 5Star Furniture offers cheap couches for sale that are made with materials that are easy to clean, maintainable, and comfortable. All 5Star Furniture cheap couches for sale come in various materials which range from suede to velvet.
You can acquire 5Star Furniture cheap couches for sale in a range of different colours. The cheap couches for sale come in various neutral colours, such as grey, black, and brown. There are also show-stopping couch colours, like red and green, available at 5Star Furniture. It is easy to find cheap couches for sale in a colour that will suit your home at 5Star Furniture.
Furnishing an apartment can be expensive. You want your space to be comfortable, well-furnished, and functional for you and your roommate. Save money, without sacrificing quality, by buying cheap couches for sale from 5Star Furniture for your shared apartment.
Living with a Roommate:
Deciding to live with a roommate is a big decision. It can be an amazing adventure or a never-ending nightmare. We are here to help you make an informed choice so that when you come home every day you are happy to walk through your front door.
Types of Roommates:
We have compiled a list of eight stereotypical roommates which you may end up sharing a bedroom wall. We have added some tips to manage these personality types to keep your apartment a happy space.
1) Disco Diva:
This roommate is the party person of the year. They are always up for a night out dancing, can be a great way to meet new people, and have a great playlist that will have your apartment feeling lively and fun.
The downside to the disco diva roommate is that your apartment is often the go-to place for pre-drinks and after-parties. You also have to handle them moaning on the couch while they nurse their hangovers. Disco diva roommates are fun if you set clear boundaries when it is okay for them to have parties in your shared apartment.
2) What’s Yours is Mine:
It is the end of the month, you had just enough milk left for a cup of coffee before work, and with the sleep still in your eyes, you find your milk carton empty in the trash. Roommates who feel they can use your stuff without asking can be infuriating and quickly cause problems in your living arrangement.
If you are living with someone, we suggest laying down the laws of the land before any issues can occur. People who borrow are often not intentionally trying to upset you but rather have different understandings of boundaries. Set these boundaries from the beginning and stick to them firmly to keep your home a happy space.
3) The Workaholic:
Work comes first always for the workaholic roommate. Their life revolves around their early morning meetings and late-night work sessions. The workaholic roommate’s work ethic can be inspiring and push you to increase your dedication to your work.
The workaholic roommate can also cause you to become concerned about them. A balanced lifestyle is always important and so with this type of roommate, you may need to step in and drag them away from the computer screen. Make sure your workaholic roommate respects your lifestyle.
4) Busy Bee:
Living with a busy bee roommate will mean your front door is constantly opening and closing. Busy bee roommates are constantly on the go as they shoot off to do the million little things they somehow manage to squeeze into a twenty-four-hour day.
Living with a busy-bee roommate can be great as they have their own independent life and will always have something exciting to chat about with you. The flip side is that living with a busy bee roommate can become lonely if they are never around.
5) The Lovebird:
Living with a roommate who is in a relationship can come with perks, such as not having to worry about walking through to a stranger in your kitchen in the mornings. The lovebird roommate can also be ideal if you are in a relationship as you can relate to each other and have the possibility of going on double dates.
Often the lovebird roommate can result in a third (unplanned) roommate. The lovebird’s partner will visit often and make themselves at home. It is important to respect their relationship and understand that the partner will be around at times, but if they are living in your space rent-free then a conversation will need to be had.
6) The Neat Freak:
You often come home to your roommate with their Marigold gloves on, broom in hand, and a look of satisfaction on their face. The neat freak roommate loves keeping your shared space sparkling from cornice to skirting board.
The neat freak roommate is ideal if you are often busy and do not have time to dust behind the fridge. If living with a neat freak roommate, we suggest showing your appreciation by offering to help where you can or spoiling them with some new cleaning products as a way to say thank you.
Living with a neat freak roommate can be trying. If you dislike your apartment always smelling of kitchen counter-spray and if them vacuuming the carpet while you are catching up on a series becomes a constant experience, it is important to step in.
7) The Homebody:
No matter the time of the day, you always seem to come home to find your roommate at home. The homebody roommate is generally low maintenance as they are always happy to be at home.
This roommate can be frustrating if you would like to have the apartment to yourself now and then. Especially if you are in a relationship, you will always have a third wheel hanging around. You are also often their only form of socialisation which can become straining if you want to just switch off and hide under your duvet after a long workday.
8) The Stray Animal Collector:
Whether it is a lost dog, stray kitten, or fledgling bird, your home is always being shared with a stray animal your roommate has found or is fostering. As long as you are happy with the arrangement, your roommate does all the cleaning duties for the animals, and your landlord is not going to terminate your leases, then the stray animal collector can be an exciting roommate to live with. You just never know what animal you are going to come home to next.
Advantages of Living with a Roommate:
Living with a roommate can be like a never-ending slumber party. Look through our top three advantages of having a roommate.
Socialising: Living with a roommate is having a constant friend a doorway away. Roommates can be a great companion and avoid the issues of loneliness that come with living alone. There is also the bonus of meeting your roommate’s friends which will increase your social circle.
Shared Responsibilities: No matter how much you may enjoy cleaning and tidying, there are some days where you cannot face these duties. Living with a roommate means having shared responsibilities in the flat. You can rely on each other to keep the apartment looking clean and tidy. There are other responsibilities roommates can share, like grocery shopping, cooking, and sorting out the recycling. Keep the responsibilities equally shared to avoid any possible issues.
Split the Costs: Paying for rent on your own can be difficult in South Africa. Having a roommate is someone to split your rent in half with which will save you money. There are also extra costs that are split between roommates, such as utilities, cleaning supplies, and possible extra costs associated with living in a gated apartment block.
Disadvantages of Living with a Roommate:
There can be downsides to living with a roommate which will vary according to your personalities. We have listed the three most common disadvantages of living with a roommate.
Increased Costs: Although your roommate is there to share the load, living with another person does increase your costs. This can become difficult in situations where you work away from home and your roommate works at home but then you still have to split the electricity bill equally. Ensure that you and your roommate can always have open and honest conversations about the costs of living together and respect each other’s financial abilities. Luckily, the cheap couches for sale from 5Star furniture can reduce your initial apartment furnishing costs!
Clashing Personalities: The risk of living with a roommate is clashing personalities. Even best friends can become enemies when living together. You must choose a roommate carefully to avoid any uncomfortable situations down the line.
Privacy Issues: Living with another person can often reduce the amount of privacy you have. Set clear boundaries to allow each other adequate alone time and privacy to avoid feeling overwhelmed and miserable in your own home.
Make an informed decision on living with a roommate and affordably furnish your shared apartment with the cheap couches for sale from 5Star Furniture.