How to Survive Living in a Full House

A lot of people living in one house can be the cause of many arguments. With so many different personalities there is also a lot of drama. It is easy to become overwhelmed and unhappy among the chaos and crowds of a full house. I know, I live in a house of nine, right now and that’s with my two older sisters, my brother-in-law and my niece moved out. Here some tips on how to keep your sanity.

#1 – Find a private space.

Even if you have to share a room with someone, find a place where you can be alone. This could be anywhere that you can go and be by yourself. Whether you just sit there for a couple moments to calm yourself or you spend a few hours reading a book, it will help. This can be difficult to do however in a crowded house. Don’t restrict yourself to the inside. Even sitting out on the front lawn by yourself can work.

#2 – Never expect the house to look spotless.

You have to accept that fact from the beginning or it will drive you crazy. When a lot of people share one house, one living room, one kitchen it doesn’t stay clean. Many times, even after you’ve just cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, it will still look cluttered. This is because everyone has stuff and most often there won’t be room for it to all be put away. Just accept this fact now and it will save you plenty of grief.

#3 – Food is never just yours, even if you bought it.

This is a very easy concept to understand, but it will still frustrate you time and time again. You buy yourself a treat, put it in the fridge, come back to eat it the next day and there’s one bite left or it isn’t there at all. Labeling it, sometimes works, but not always. Either invest in a mini-fridge, only get stuff for yourself that you can keep in your dresser, or resign yourself to the fact that you can never expect your food to still be in the fridge when you want to eat it.

#4 – Learn the art of ignoring.

This could be the most useful thing ever for surviving a full house. Ignore the fights, ignore the noise, ignore the drama, ignore those things they do that just drive you crazy. Learn how to ignore your housemates and you can be happy in any house.

#5 – Lock the door.

Privacy is merely an illusion in a large household. It’s not a purposeful thing; it’s just the way it is. Even you don’t want to be walked in while using the restroom, showering, changing your clothes, writing in your diary or anything at all, lock your door. Granted, not all doors have locks and you might be sharing a room. But at least lock the bathroom door. If the bathroom doesn’t have locks, get some.

#6 – Try to be neat.

This tip may seem to contradict number two but it’s useful as well. Just because the house won’t be spotless doesn’t mean you should be messy. If you keep things tidy and put away the house won’t become a disaster which is very easy to happen in such a large household.

#7 Get out.

No, I’m not saying to move out of your house, although I suppose that would solve the problems associated with living in a full house. Just, make sure you go out a lot. Visit your friends, go to a movie or dinner, take a walk. If you’re in your house all the time you’ll feel cooped up and go absolutely crazy.