Why everyone in their 20s should try living with roommates

Everyone likes their own space (some more than others), but living with roommates can be an incredible experience. Especially when you're in your 20s, roommates can help you figure out both life and yourself, getting to grips with a city as you laugh your way through the good and the bad times as a team.

1. They help you get your arms around a new city

If you're new to a city, roommates are the answer to several of those newbie problems. First, they help you tick off the problem of not knowing anyone. Reach out to your roommates and smile and you'll probably find the favor returned to you. If they've lived in the city for a while, they can be a good source of insider knowledge from everything from how to order a local ID to which grocery store is the cheapest, or if they're new like you you can spend time exploring the city together and making new memories.

2. They can save you money

Most people know it's cheaper to live with roommates. High rents in cities means it's much more affordable to share spaces, and in co-living apartments like Outpost you can both save money and have more overall space by living with roomates, thanks to the communal backyards, rooftops and common rooms many of our houses offer. What you might not think about is how all the little things you share with roommates can add up to save you money: cooking potluck dinners, sharing a pizza on movie night and sharing other goods like blenders and tupperware can all add up. In a traditional living environment, you'll also share on bills, toilet paper and other add-ons by splitting the costs, but thankfully at Outpost that's all included in our flat fee.

3. They can broaden your horizons

Moving in with roommates (especially strangers) is essentially throwing yourself into a new, alien situation. That might sound scary but it's great for personal growth. By living with people you'll get to meet both them and their friends, opening yourself up to things and ideas that you may not have come across otherwise. If your roommate is a professional rock climber you might become an expert on rock climbing. Or if you're lucky enough to live with a film or television young professional, you might end up at a premier. Anything could happen when you decide to live with new people.

4. They teach you to be considerate

When you live on your own, you're the only one you have to take care of, but really life in the broader sense includes a good deal of consideration and sharing. Living with roommates can teach you consideration because you know that other people share the space at the same time as you. That means you shouldn't leave your dishes for days on end or leave the bathroom or the backyard in a mess. You also don't bring friends home at late hours of night or talk outside someone else's door because, well, you're a nice person, and it's better that way. 

5. They're a shoulder to cry on

Moving to a new city is tough. Starting a new job is tough. Actually, most things you'll do in your twenties will be tough, but also equally amazing and character building. Roommates mean there will always be someone to come home to to laugh or cry about your day. You can share the highs and the lows with them and hopefully come out with some life-long friends who can handle your worst and still deserve you at your best.

The beginning of a career growth process can be challenging and uncertain. You will face this problem on your own since you don't have anyone to turn to for assistance. Every young person must go through the stage of coliving, and the Outpost Club's job is to make sure your future apartment has the greatest possible conditions.