4 great apps for keeping the peace in your share house

At some point we all come across a bad roommate or housemate who always ‘conveniently’ forgets to buy milk, perpetually doesn’t have cash on them for the group grocery bill or pizza and/or annoyingly never replaces the toilet roll.

Regardless of your unique share house pain points, here are our recommendations of apps that will help you keep the peace and save your sanity while living in a shared space.

For your finances.

Splittable is an app for splitting the bills and managing shared expenses with the people you live with. It’s a great way to keep track of who owes what in your shared accommodation. On the app you can track and split household expenses for everything from rent/utility payments to small expenses like toilet paper or cleaning supplies.

Download on iOS or Android.

For chores, shopping and household to-do lists.

Wunderlist allows you to create and share to do lists with other people. This is a great way to create shared grocery lists or chore lists with the people you live with. You can have multiple lists going and send your flatmates notifications when certain tasks have been completed so everyone carries their weight and knows what’s happening in the house.

Download on iOS or Android.

Wunderlist

For communication.

While most of us are already familiar with WhatsApp, it’s critical to have an easy way to be able to reach your flatmates. The best thing to do is to set up a specific group for talking about your house share on the service you are most accustomed to using and will check regularly. The most popular choices are Whatsapp or Facebook groups. You could also start a group text message chat.

Situations are going to come up where you show up late at night only to realise you forgot your keys or there may be a potent nasty smell emanating from the fridge and you need a way to contact your flatmates quick smart. At the bare minimum make sure you get all your housemates phone numbers ASAP after moving in!

Download on iOS or Android.

For working on your inner peace in a crowded space.

Can’t find your inner peace with the constant noise of flatmates around you? Headspace offers guided meditation through your mobile device or tablet. This way you can find your zen time while the rest of your house parties or when things in your share house are feeling tense. Scientific studies have shown that regular meditation can help improve everything from how you sleep, eat and train. It can also help reduce stress and improve focus leading to a happier life in your shared home.

Download on iOS or Android.

These apps should help to abate housemate tensions and common causes of conflict. For more ways to maintain a healthy and happy house share, check out these 4 ground rules to set before moving in with a new housemate and our tips on how to move in together and stay together.