How to Save Money as Roommates

Just moved into a coliving home? Have you been living with housemates for a while? Whatever situation your house is in, you might wonder how you can save some money as a group. This article will give you some ideas about doing just that. 

Shop and cook together

If you all have similar tastes when it comes to food, why not do your main shop as a house - and take turns cooking for each other? Not only is it lovely not having to cook for yourself all the time, but you’ll save plenty of money by making meals in bulk. Cooking like this will also ensure that no food is wasted! 

Eat meals at home

This brings me to my next point. Eating your meals at home is much cheaper than dining at restaurants. So, next time you want to spend some quality time with your housemates, why not cook a delicious meal at home instead of going out to a local restaurant? Even if you include three courses and wine in your at-home meal, it will be a fraction of the price of all of you going out to eat. 

Make sure everybody is aware of how much electricity and water they are using

One of the difficulties of living with people - especially if they are strangers, to begin with - is splitting bills. Some people use more water and electricity than others, so it’s a great idea to sit down and discuss ways to reduce bills. 

You could, for instance, agree on hours that you will all have the heating on. Or, you could pledge as a house to keep showers to ten minutes. These actions do all add up and can result in big savings - and you’ll be helping the environment as well!

Chip in for entertainment

If you’re living with housemates, you may as well all share one Netflix account. You can have up to five users on one account, so this is perfectly legal, and you can log in anywhere! This is the same with Amazon Prime and other streaming services. 

Share clothes

Why buy new clothes when your housemate has a fab wardrobe of garments you love? If you have a mutual agreement to share clothes, you’ll feel much less inclined to keep purchasing more. 

Make sure that you both feel comfortable with this, and set some boundaries. For example, it’s fine to share, but don’t walk into the other person’s room when they aren’t there and go through their wardrobe. 

These steps will help you and your housemates live cheaper, more efficient lives and become great friends in the process!