How To Make Driving Cheaper

Driving is something that makes life easier in a huge number of ways. If you commute to work then having a car with you can give you back hours of your life on a daily basis. Likewise, being able to drive will mean you can visit more friends and relatives around the country and will come in incredibly useful the next time you need to do a weekly shop and then somehow transport it back home.

Unfortunately though, there is one way in which driving can make life more difficult, and that’s the financial aspect. Buying a car is a large investment in the first place, but then on top of this you will need to pay for fuel, for MOTs and servicing and for insurance. This is a big financial commitment, but fortunately there are a number of ways you can make driving cheaper if you know how. Read on to find tips that can help you do just that.

Buy a Cheaper Car

The first and most obvious way to make driving more cost effective is to buy a cheaper car. Instead of buying the latest sports car that will cost you tons to buy and to insure, consider buying something with a smaller engine that’s perhaps second hand. Often you can get just as good a vehicle but this way you’ll be able to save a lot more of your money for inevitable servicing down the line.

Check the Reviews, Specs and Service History

This ‘inevitable servicing’ can also be managed to a degree though if you buy smart. Make sure to read reviews of the car you’re about to purchase and to look into the service history of your particular vehicle. This way you can make sure that the car is known for being reliable and that it doesn’t have a particularly chequered past. This doesn’t guarantee you won’t have problems, but it does make expensive and repeat issues less likely.

Most important of all, you should aim to get a car that will be efficient and not guzzle fuel. Getting just a couple more miles to the gallon can save you immensely over the long run.

Get the Right Insurance

The right insurance will make a big difference to the cost of driving as this is one of the biggest associated costs often. Shop around for the best deal for you, and make sure that you don’t settle too early on. If you buy your car second hand then that should mean you can use ’3rd party only’ insurance which will be considerably cheaper. TO bring it down further, try to amass a no-claims bonus by driving as safely as possible and avoiding any potential road accidents. You can find out your driving record online and some insurance companies will even let you ‘buy back’ your no-claims.

Drive Efficiently

As well as driving safely, you should also aim to drive as efficiently as possible. Generally this will mean driving further behind traffic so that you don’t have to stop and avoiding running unnecessary features in your car that can guzzle power.

This article was written by guest blogger Samantha Brave from 4SafeDrivers.com. Samantha is a blogger and she loves taking long road trips in her car.

How To Avoid Bad Tenants Who Could (Potentially) Destroy Your Property

When you purchase investment properties, most of the time you’re looking for an investment that can bring in residual income. For many property owners, investment property is not purchased to be flipped. Instead, it’s rented out so that they can use the rent to pay the mortgage. One of the few downsides to renting and receiving that residual income stream is potentially picking tenants who are careless with the property, and end up damaging the property.

As a landlord, one of your most important steps with opening a home or building to renters is to take care in screening your potential tenants. Otherwise, you could end up with tenants who end up destroying the property you worked so hard to acquire. To protect yourself and your property, there are a few things you should consider doing. These include:

• Verify Employment & Income – All landlords need to verify a potential renter’s income. You need to make sure they have the ability to pay the rent on the property. Look for an applicant who has a reliable and steady monthly income, that is at least three times the rent. In addition to verifying employment by phone, ask for paycheck stubs for at least two months. When verifying employment, research the employer’s telephone numbers yourself instead of relying on what the tenant gives you. This way, you know you are actually speaking to the employer and not a friend or family member. If you notice that a potential tenant bounces from one company to another, you want to make sure that paying rent in full won’t be a problem.
• Contact Previous Landlords – You want to verify with the potential renter’s current landlord as to whether they were a good tenant or not. Ask questions like: Did they pay their rent on time? Were there ever any problems from them? Did they do any damage to the property? Also ask what condition they typically keep the property in (and how they left it, if they have moved out). By asking a few basic questions, you can get more insight on who you may be renting to, and if possible verify through public records that the landlord name and phone number given by the applicant are truly the landlord’s. Lastly, take the current landlord’s word with a grain of salt – the fastest way for a landlord to be rid of a problem tenant is to help them move elsewhere.
• Perform a Credit Check – Although a poor credit rating doesn’t mean that a tenant won’t pay the rent, it may help to know their history of making payments on time or at all. Usually there is a fee to process a credit check application that the potential tenant would have to pay (often this is collected as an application fee by the landlord).
• Document the Condition of Your Property – While this may seem like common sense, you want to document every aspect of your property. From the larger aspects to the smallest ones. This way you can account for any damage that was already there and any new damage that is caused by your tenant. For example, if there was a deep scratch in the door, you will know this was not caused by your tenant. It’s easy to forget over time exactly what damages were there beforehand, especially if you have a tenant who rents from you for a few years. That’s why documenting everything is important, with a Move-In/Move-Out Walkthrough Checklist. The same form should be used when they move out, performing a move-out walkthrough together.
• Secure Against Damage with a Deposit – Most often, landlords will ask for one month or even two months’ worth of rent as security deposit. That’s because if the property gets damaged, the repairs can be taken from the security deposit instead of directly out of the landlord’s pocket. Security deposit is dependent on the building or home owner and can sometimes be paid in monthly payments if it’s a high amount.
• Routine Inspections – Once you have a renter, perform routine inspections. Many landlords shy away from this out of laziness or because they feel that it may be an invasion of their renter’s space and privacy, when in reality it is not. You should always give them a few days’ notice, depending on the law in your area.

As a landlord, your property is an investment in your future. Taking these necessary steps in order to ensure that your property remains in good condition is important. An investment in good tenants is precisely what makes the rental property a solid investment in your future.

Brian Davis is the Vice President of ezLandlordForms, a leading provider of legal documents for landlords.

How Teens Can Deal With Peer Pressure

Everyone who has gone through high school has faced peer pressure at some point. Teenagers are especially susceptible to peer pressure, as the high school years are full of trying new things. Teenagers might feel pressured to do a lot of things, including wearing certain clothes, playing certain sports, participating in certain activities, or experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Many teens give into peer pressure in order to feel socially accepted and not ostracized at school or social events.

The problem with peer pressure is that it can lead to extremely harmful behaviors, especially when drugs are involved. For this reason, teens need to learn how to respond when pressured. The following can help.

Have confidence in yourself

Many young people buy into peer pressure because they are insecure or confused about who they are. However, if you are confident in yourself there is no reason to try to impress people, knowing what they are doing conflicts with the type of person you want to be. Believe in yourself and learn to feel good about who you are.

Find a good group of friends

The people you spend time with greatly influence your ability and need to deal with peer pressure. If you find a group of friends who accepts you the way you are, you won’t even have to worry about trying to change you. True friends will always support your decisions and never treat you differently because of them. You don’t need to hang out with the “cool kids” especially if they are doing drugs.

Participate in activities with your friends that you will all enjoy. Stay away from parties or other social gatherings where you know there will be drugs and alcohol. Stay active and plan fun outings with your friends. One of the best ways to deal with peer pressure is to simply avoid it.

Role Play

Know beforehand exactly what you will say to someone if they pressure you into trying a drug. Don’t worry about having to justify or explain your decision. Most teenagers don’t care about the logic behind why you don’t want to participate. Respond politely to the people offering three times, and if they continue to pressure you be a little more firm. Say something like, You have asked me three times and I have said no. Please stop asking or I am going to leave.

It is always a good idea to try a conversation like this out before you are in the real situation. Ask a parent, a sibling, or a friend to take on the role of the person pressuring you. Or talk out the situation over and over in your head. Tell them not to be easy but to act like a real teenager would. If you role-play different scenarios you wont be caught off guard when it really happens. You will be able to respond forcefully and intelligently.

Always remember the consequences

Finally, never forget that there are consequences to your actions. If you try a drug, it could lead to problems with the law, family, or a whole list of other health problems, as well as possible death. Ask yourself, are these consequences really worth the brief social acceptance?. Teenagers often fall into the trap of not thinking about the end result. Don’t be one of them. Remember that every action has a consequence.

About the Author: Hyrum Taffer is a freelance writer with a great deal of experience in drug addiction/recovery.  He is currently working with DrugRehab.org to help individuals everwhere deal with addiction.

How To Find The Perfect Scholarship Online

Finding a scholarship that will help to eliminate the financial burden of attending college can be done in almost any industry you plan to work, regardless of the degree you are looking to obtain. When you want to find the perfect scholarship and you want to do so on your own time, there are plenty of resources available online that can help.

Have a Plan

Before you begin comparing online scholarships, knowing the type of assistance you need can come in handy when you are applying for the scholarships that fit your industry and the skills you currently hold. The more you know about the type of future you want, the easier it is to eliminate scholarships that are not beneficial and will not come in handy with the degree you need to work towards.

Ask for Assistance at Your School or College

Paying a visit to your counselor or financial aid adviser is highly recommended before you begin to search for online scholarships yourself, especially if you are inexperienced with the process. Financial aid advisers and counselors may have pamphlets available that include detailed information on how to apply for scholarships that are relevant to you and your future career path.

Use Online Scholarship Communities

Online scholarship communities are ideal places to begin searching for scholarships online. Many scholarship communities and sites update frequently and provide detailed information about how to apply for scholarships and what qualifications are recommended.

Use online scholarship communities to research the providers of the scholarships and to find options that offer the most financial support based on where you live and your qualifications after you apply. Some scholarships provide full tuition and additional necessities including housing, whereas other scholarships may offer to pay for a portion of your tuition, depending on the scholarship company and your own personal educational history. The more qualified you are for a scholarship, the more likely you are to receive a full ride.

Joining a mailing list for an online scholarship community is a way to receive frequent email updates that include new scholarship opportunities that may work for you based on the industry you are hoping to work in. The more frequently you check scholarship sites and communities, the more results you will find that you can apply for yourself.

Scholarship Books

Purchase an updated scholarship book that has been published in the year you are sending out scholarships applications. The more updated the scholarship book is, the more assistance it will provide when you begin to search for scholarships that are right for you. Many scholarship books also include information on how to apply for the scholarships you have in mind right from home, online, ultimately saving you more time.

Compare the Options You Find

Once you have found the scholarships that are relevant to you within books, from your counselor or financial aid adviser and even online, it is essential to compare all of the options you have to ensure you are applying for the right one. Compare scholarships based on the amount of financial aid and support that is offered, what it takes to be qualified and how many students receive the scholarship annually. The more thoroughly you research each scholarship individually, the more confident you will feel with the decision you choose to make when you begin applying.
Searching online for the perfect scholarship can help you to make the best decision based on your skills and own future outlook. When you browse for online scholarships, you can also bypass any of them that are not ideal for your needs and the type of career you have in mind.

Randi Barker is a nurse practitioner who has written about accelerated nursing programs online at College Degree Search.

How To Build Your Family Tree?

Building a Family Tree is something that has become much more widespread and easier to do in recent years. With the introduction of genealogy websites that allow people to create family trees with hardly any effort on their part, people find that jotting down their family history for future generations is enjoyable and easy to do. It is worthwhile keeping the following ten strategies in mind in order to help you when building your family tree…

Understand how large your family tree can potentially be Often, when people start working on plotting their family tree, they are unaware of how large their tree can become. People keep in mind siblings and even the first circle of relatives but forget extended relatives. Most people are able, with relatively little effort, to trace their family tree back 150 years- or five generations. This often equals thousands of potential people!

Work Backwards or Sideways?

You have to decide whether you want to take one family branch and follow it back as far as possible or to go sideways and try and note all branches that are still alive. Such decisions depend on where your family originates and how much time you have to devote to the project. If your family comes from a place that has official records then you will have an easier time working backwards. If not, it may be easier to start with the second option and try to build up a tree of living members.

The Older the Records, the More Effort Required

Usually people will try tracing their family tree both backwards and sideways simultaneously. If you decide to do so it is probably best to start tracing branches that are easiest to trace- which usually means the younger branches. In general, the further back one goes the more time, effort and resources required. Keep in mind that tracing information about one person from centuries ago may take the same amount of time and effort to trace a few people from an earlier period so think about where you want to concentrate your efforts.

Talk to Family Members

Living members of the family will often know information about the family that you don’t and it is worthwhile talking to as many family members as possible in order to build up the family tree and to fill in gaps that you yourself may not know. Take advantage of older family members who may not be around for long and who tend to be most knowledgeable about family history.

Don’t Waste Time Researching What Others Have Already Researched

Do make sure to find out if a family member has family records that could be helpful to you before doing your own independent research only to find that the information was under your nose all along! There are also online genealogy resources that contain records from genealogy forums and online family trees- make sure to check them out and to see if some family relative has been doing research before you started.

Use your Local Library

Much genealogy internet research can prove to be expensive with some charging monthly or pre-record fees. Free records do exist online but it can take some time to find them. Check out the free resources before dishing out money for the subscription websites. In addition be sure to take advantage of your local library- many libraries have internet subscriptions to popular genealogy websites.

Question Sources

It is important not to accept all sources as they are- not all people are vigilant when creating family trees, sources can be wrong or questionable. Make sure to read sources more than once and to verify that they are reliable.

Make Sure Your Records Are Reliable

As a natural follow-on from the above point, make sure that your records are carefully made. Document sources and it is worthwhile keeping a genealogical journal to prevent you having to redo work that you may forget about later. In addition, there will be periods when progress is slow and you may have to leave the work for a period of time and pick it up again at a later date when there are new leads. Be prepared to treat your family history research as a hobby on the one hand and on the other hand a serious hobby that you make serious records for.

Conflicting Information

It is commonplace for genealogists to come across conflicting information especially in the cases of individuals from many centuries ago when less people were literate and records were not kept as carefully. By keeping careful records and questioning all sources you will have an easier time sorting out such conflicting information.

Enjoy it!

If you want to be successful in building your family tree you have to know that at times the work will be slow and takes time and effort. Genealogy can take a long time but the most important thing is to enjoy the process! You are noting down invaluable information for generations to come and your family tree will reflect your ever-growing family- have fun with it!

Rivkah Abrahams writes for Ajudaica.com blog. At Ajudaica.com believe that it’s important to cherish your heritage. A unique collection of Family Tree can be a great gift for any occasion.

How To Prepare A Good Wedding Speech

All of us have best friends or family members who will eventually get married. This means, a time will come when you will become the best man or the chosen bridesmaid to deliver the wedding speech. The weird thing about a wedding speech is that there is no middle ground to how effective it can be. You either give an awesome wedding speech or you say something that is as damp as the river bank.

An amazing wedding speech will make you a rock star at the wedding. A dull speech will see you hiding from people who think of you as a boring person and make people wonder if you are simply too dumb to come up with a nice speech or just plain lazy.

Pick An Objective

Before you set out to do some research as to what you want to say in your wedding speech, you need to ask yourself, what mood are you going for? This is like the main objective. Once you choose your objective, at least the direction in which you should walk becomes clear. This speech is a big responsibility because your friend or family member is counting on you making a good impression.

There are several styles of wedding speeches. You could go for comedy and make people laugh. You could opt for something serious, appeal to the elderly folks in the audience. You could also go for some drama and make people cry. You could simply go with something religious, narrate an event that relates to the religion of the couple who are getting married.

You can also mix and match these effects. You could start off with some comedy, lighten up the mood and slowly transition to produce a dramatic effect. You could start off with some nice drama and end it on a religious note. There are a lot of options. Remember to connect these options with your personality. In the run up to the wedding, as the best man or woman for the wedding, you would have interacted with many family members who are involved with the wedding.

If you are the fun sort of person, they are probably expecting a wedding speech that is laced with some comedy. So, go with the impression you normally make on people who meet you.

Gather Information

Once you have decided what kind of speech you want to deliver, you start collecting some necessary information about your friend who is about to get married. You probably already know all there is to know about the bride and groom. Or else, you would not have been chosen to be the best person at the wedding.

There is such a thing called as too much information, if your friend who is getting married is known to you for ages, then your thoughts can get lost in an avalanche of information. If necessary, grab a paper and pen and start jotting down important and relevant information. Some things you should note down are life events like how you met your friend, how did he help you out in times of crisis, what is the coolest part about this friend and some humorous or drama filled events that must have happened between you and your friend.

Such things can become part of the speech opening. You can definitely end at that point or you can proceed by saying how happy you feel about the wedding and why you believe that the couple make for a wonderful pair. To be able to do this, you will need to collect some information from your friend about the future spouse. Rather do this than say something which is inaccurate.

Delivery

Not to make a big deal out of it, but it may not be a bad idea to actually rehearse your speech. While weddings don’t really ban people from pulling out a piece of paper to deliver your speech, it seems more natural when you can say things without reading aids. If you want to pull this off and come off as an excellent speech person, stand in front of a mirror and start practising.

Don’t make it look like you have rehearsed. Try to make it a natural expression but practice just enough to avoid fumbling your words. Another item to remember is to discuss with the wedding planner as to what is your cue to deliver the speech. It is also an excellent idea to have a chat with others who have been asked to speak at the wedding to ensure that you don’t overlap with what they are saying.

The author, who has been a best man for quite a few of his friends, is an excellent speech writer and has done so for many weddings in Edinburgh.

How To Make Your Kid Ready For Child Modeling

The modeling industry has certain set standards for all niches of modeling and child modeling is no exception. Yes, your child may be beautiful and talented for this line of work and he may be a natural in front of the camera too, but still, he will need to do some preparations to tackle the pressures of this highly competitive profession. Rewarding returns will come only after that.

How to prepare your kid?

• First of all make sure that your child is agreeable to the idea of entering the business of modeling. This is because there are time commitments and dedication involved in this job and if he is not really willing to partake in all of this with eagerness and enthusiasm, there’s no point taking the effort. The results will then surely fall short of expectations.
• Children look best in their natural self and hence more than posing rightly in front of the camera, you need to teach your child the importance of following directions. This is what most photographers would love to find in a child model.

Your job

The first and foremost job that you have in hand for making a model out of your child is to find out a good model service company in the arena. Remember that a genuine service provider would not charge you a single penny for registration. The services they offer like Portfolio build-up or Z-card crafting will be paid ones though.

You would need to provide 2 digital photographs (a head-shot & a full-shot) of your child to the agency for the purpose of assessment and fill out a form for online registration. They will get back to you if they find your child’s prospective interesting for child modeling.

You will also need to accompany your child to auditions, if called, even at a day’s notice if necessary. You can’t pick or choose them at the start-up level.

You must know the ‘Child Labor laws’ of your state, as there are certain rules and tenets that you and the modeling agency are mandated to follow by law. You can’t overstep them.

Is portfolio an impending necessity for child modeling?

Well, the answer to this can be both Yes and No. “Yes” if you believe that pros would do a more professional job in the matter and “No” if you have moderate photographic skills in your hand. 3 well-clicked shots (head, smile and full-figure) taken amidst natural surroundings will be good enough in that case. Even if you are going for a portfolio, remember to choose not a very expensive package.  Children grow up faster than you know and he might need a different set only 6 months later.

Finally, never overfill your child’s schedule with child modeling chores, as it will leave him exhausted and tired at the end. Remember that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, weight and routine is important for any child at a tender age and if he is able to pack that up properly, he will be successful in all his endeavors in life.

Claudia Martinez is an expert content writer who writes for several blogs and websites including Fashion blogs.

How To Sell Your Gold

A lot of people own gold in one way, shape or form. People own it for all different reasons, and some things may contain gold without even realizing it. There are many different reasons why people have gold in their homes:

• Jewellery
• Investment
• Inheritance
• Used in Technology

So what if there comes a time when you either need the money or do not wish to have the gold any more, what is the best way to get rid of it? There are lots of different ways that you can sell gold, but you will need to do some research before you try and sell and work out what your gold is worth. Get yourself on the internet and do some research on selling gold. Find out the latest market price for gold bullion and also check out the scrap value price. Whether you are looking to sell gold in Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin or Canberra, educating yourself could make sure that you get the best price possible when selling your gold items.

What is your gold worth?

If you have gold that is used in technology, like connectors for a HDMI cable or other type of wiring, then the amount of gold in these items is very small and would not be worth very much. If you have gold bars or bullion, then this is worth a set amount, which is dictated by the market place as gold is a commodity. Gold jewellery though is different as the cost for a piece from jewellers and the scrap market value for the materials in the piece are usually very different. A jeweller will sell with large mark ups on items. This is where they make their profit. Although they may buy second hand jewellery, they will most likely give a lower amount that what you paid for. The unexpectedly low amount of money that they received would astound a lot of people. When something is artistic, though not everyone may agree on its merits, so what one person may think is beautiful, another may think it is just plain ugly. This means that unless the piece is a really dazzling one-of-a-kind piece, which is second to none, the jewellery that you sell is often melted down to be reused so you will only be offered scrap value.

Where to sell your gold

There are many places that you can sell your unwanted gold. A quick search of the internet will turn up quite a few options for you, but it does depend entirely on what you are selling.

• Gold Merchants
• Second Hand Jewellery Store
• Pawn Shop
• Online Auction
• Auction
• Local Advertisement
• Friends or Family

Everyone likes the shiny allure of gold, so it is pretty easy to sell no matter what it is that you have. One of the best places to go would be to a gold merchant that will usually buy all precious metals and stones, and they will usually have a wide range of jewellery on offer for sale at the same time. Likewise, with a second hand jewellery store, you may be able to get a reasonable price for your merchandise. You could even try going down the auction route, and you have both online auctions held over the internet, and a more traditional auction where you will need to speak to the auction host. Remember that both of these ways of selling will incur a commission charge for either method of selling. If you are looking for a quick sale, then one of the best ways to selling gold jewellery is the Pawn Shop. You can get cash quickly, but they will tend to give you the rock bottom price as they are also looking to make a profit. You could also try placing a private advertisement on a local internet page or put up a small ad in your local newspaper, and you may get someone calling you. You may just end up getting scrap metal dealers calling you, but it can save you some legwork. There may also be a family member or friend willing to buy your gold, but this can cause problems in the long run if they think they did not get the best deal, especially if the price of gold drops a week later! Make sure that you always get your gold or jewellery appraised before you try and sell it. I would recommend that the safest route is to go to a registered merchant who buys precious metals. If you do not like the price that they offer, then you can always wait and see if the price of gold goes up in the future. Just be aware that is can also go down!

Misty Angel is an experienced jewellery collector who likes nothing more than sharing her advice in the articles and blogs that she writes on the subject of jewellery and precious metals. Misty has been collecting and selling her jewellery for many years, and when she needs to sell an item to fund a new purchase, she goes to Gold Buyers Melbourne.

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep Before An Important Event – 6 Tips

If you have an exciting event soon and you have to deal with event management tasks, then you certainly know how difficult it is to get a good night’s sleep prior to that particular event. Your mind starts to wander and you involuntarily create all sorts of scenarios in your head – especially if you are a perfectionist and you want the event to go smoothly. However, sleeping properly before the event is essential, as the lack of sleep can affect your attention and decrease your productivity. Here you will find several hints that will help you rest properly:

1. Relax Yourself Before Bed

If you have had a stressful day, it is important to do something relaxing, something you really enjoy doing and that will help you let off some steam. Thirty minutes of meditation or warm bubbly bath are perfect – on the other hand, some soothing music and a good book should do the trick! It is essential to understand that if you go to sleep stressed, you will wake up just as stressed in the morning – that, of course, if you manage to get some sleep during the night!

2. Keep Yourself Properly Hydrated

Drinking something warm will help you relax your muscles and fall asleep quicker. A glass of warm milk is a great choice – on the other hand, avoid drinks that are high in sugars or caffeine, as they will boost your energy levels and keep you awake the entire night.

3. Clear Your Mind

It has happened to all of us at least once to go to bed and to be unable to clear our mind – when we have an important event ahead of us, we tend to overthink about it and to be more pessimistic than we normally would. This is not only very counter-productive, but negative thinking is known to attract negative energy as well!

4. Stick To Your Regular Sleeping Schedule

Even if you are excited about the event and you feel like you simply can’t fall asleep no matter what you would do, go to bed at the same hour. If you try to sleep too early, your body will be confused – if you will try to fall asleep later, you may be too tired to “shut down”.

5. Don’t Auto-Exhaust Yourself

Some people notice that if they sleep less, they will feel more energized the next day – this happens because those few hours of sleep are very intense and energizing. However, do not try this experiment the night before an important event and don’t stay up too late, otherwise you risk to be tired!

6. Don’t Look At Something Too Exciting

Last, but not least, if you watch a good movie or you look at TV before you go to bed and you see an interesting debate, your mind will tend to process that information over and over again, preventing you from falling asleep. This is why it is recommended not to look at anything too exciting before you try to fall asleep! If you take into consideration these simple yet handy tips, you will be able to rest properly before a big event!

Darren is a passionate blogger and works as an organizer specialized in event management in Perth.

How To Deal With Bad (or Creepy) Roommates

If you’ve ever lived with roommates you know that it can be a slippery slope. It can be totally awesome and the two of you could end up becoming great friends, but it can also be a nightmare if your personalities don’t mesh well. Living with someone and sharing personal space is the quickest way to really see someone’s true colors. Some people have little things that bother them, and if you commit one of their pet peeves, you’ll definitely hear about it.

The Note Leavers

How might you hear about it? Well, if there’s some sort of pressing issue, most (normal) roommates will just talk you in person. However, there are those who I like to call. . .dun dun dun. . .The Note Leavers. WTF are note leavers, you ask? Exactly what it sounds like. They’re people who, instead of discussing things with you, just jot down a weird, passive aggressive note and call it a day.

If you’re nodding your head right now, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of roommates who leave awesome notes like “Hey, I made cookies, help yourself!” but there’s also the kind whose note will read, “These cookies are MINE. If you touch them I’ll murder you.” Yikes! Obviously they’re not serious (we hope), but still, murder on the count of being a cookie monster? Seems a little intense. Threatening notes are worse when you don’t know your roommate very well because then you’re stuck wondering if they’re joking around or if they’re just plain creepy.

How to Deal

If you’re dealing with this kind of roommate, and it bothers you, then you should definitely approach them and talk to them about their annoying little habit. Let them know that you don’t appreciate finding their notes around the house every time they have a problem. It causes tension knowing that someone can scold you in a note, but they don’t have the guts to mention it to your face. Tell them their creepy notes are making you feel uncomfortable because you don’t have time to wonder if you’re going to wake up to your head being shaved, or something crazy like that.

Tension in your own house is the absolute worst feeling. You want to come home and unwind from your busy day, not deal with a bunch of B.S. So, once you have this conversation, the problem at hand should go away because people who live together usually don’t want to step on any toes. At the very least you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your roommate isn’t a creep and, in fact, just has a “unique” personality.

Ashley Welter is a writer for Instant Checkmate, an online service that provides tips to help you deal with bad situations.

Next Page »