Not everyone goes away to college. If you have decided to continue your education locally, you may also choose to remain living at home in order to save money. But, now that you are a college student, is this living arrangement going to work? After all, you are an adult now, and want to live by your own rules. But, since you will still be living in your parents’ home, they will likely expect you to live by their rules. The trick is for both sides to be able to make some compromises. Here are eight tips that will help you make living at home work.
- Discuss Expectations
You will expect your parents to treat you as an adult and not as a child, and they expect you to be respectful of their house rules. What chores are everyone expected to do? Do they expect you to pay any bills? Do you expect them to start giving you more privacy? Make sure that everyone knows where they stand with this living arrangement. - Discuss Visitors
It is important to discuss visitors. Do you plan to have people in regularly to study or visit? Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and want them to be able to spend the night? The rules are different now that you are an adult and in college, but this doesn’t mean that your parents are going to be comfortable. Discuss it with them before you invite anyone over. - Discuss Rent
If you expect to be treated like an adult, you need to behave like one, and this means paying rent. This can be quite beneficial to you, because you would be considered a tenant, which means that you have a lot more say as to when you come and go, what you eat, who you hang around with, etc. - Save Your Money
One of the main reasons why you chose to live at home while attending college is to save money. “So, start saving your money. If you are working at a part-time job while going to school, this is a great time to start saving for the future (or have money to pay off student loan debt later on),” suggests an expert from Flipping Houses 101. - Find a Quiet Space
Now that you are paying rent, you may want to ask about having more space. Your bedroom likely isn’t the best place for studying. If there is another room in the house that isn’t being used, such as a spare bedroom or a rec room, as if you can turn a corner of it into your own personal study area. - Talk about Curfews
You will need to talk about curfews, which should now be a thing of the past. While you are still living at home, you are no longer a high school student, and you need to have rules that you can actually live with. For instance, you may no longer need a curfew, but you can agree to let your parents know if you are going to be coming home late, out of consideration. - Join Clubs and Teams
One of the biggest problems with living at home is that you may be less likely to take part in school activities, because you aren’t living on campus. You can still get that full college experience, even if you are living at home. Be sure to find clubs, teams, activities, etc. that you are interested in, and sign up. This will also keep you from being at home all the time. - Work on Family Relationships
It can be difficult for adult children to live with their parents. You may not always agree with the way they run the home, and they may not always agree with your lifestyle. You need to take time to work on family relationships. Encourage open dialogues, schedule family activities, etc. in order to get along well and remain close.