Moves for Seniors Blog

Have you ever thought about living with a roommate? Sure, you had one when you were in your twenties, in college, or when you started a new job, but once you got married had kids, you lived with your spouse. Or maybe, you were married to your job, living on your own, working crazy hours. Either way, thirty years later you find yourself living alone in your 50s or 60s, and it just doesn’t seem right. You feel as though something is missing. Have you ever considered finding a roommate? If you haven’t – you should!

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Rather than selling your large home, invite other single people your age to live with you. There is a network called The Golden Girls Network created for people in their golden years looking for companionship. The Golden Girls website is set up like a dating website. You create a login with all of your personal information – whether you are a man or woman, what state you live in and what you are looking for in a roommate. The only difference is that you are looking for someone to live with and not a date.

This is a great opportunity for seniors (both male and female) who are currently living alone and for those who have outgrown their house but do not want to invest in a senior living facility. It is also the best way to keep your home that you have lived in for the past 3-4 decades.

The only issue that comes with a roommate is conflict. If you have lived alone for thirty years, that means you are very set in your own ways, especially if someone else is coming to live in your house. Or maybe your family grew up in this house and there are so many memories and you are nervous about allowing someone else to move in.

Keep these three things in mind when deciding to join the Golden Girls Network.

• Share – Once you have a roommate, everything becomes “ours” rather than “yours” and “mine.” If there are certain items that have too many memories with and you do not want to share, put them away or keep them in your room, but otherwise, plan on sharing everything.

• Cleaning schedule – Either come up with a schedule OR if you are a very clean person and your roommate is not, then set boundaries.

• Take your roommate as is – This means you cannot try to change them. If they are sloppy, they will always be sloppy, so make sure you are OK with it. Or if they are a morning person, don’t try to change them and have them stay up late with you. They are who they are – remember that!

Make sure that you discuss all of these items with your potential roommate before you move in together. These will help you to determine if you would live well together.

And lastly, if you aren’t sure if the housing will work out, come up with a date (maybe a month after your roommate moves in) to take a look at the situation and figure out if it is working.

Good luck with finding a roommate and remember to call Moves for Seniors when you need the items moved into your new house. We are here to help with all things senior!  Call us today – 800-227-0515