Hellobee Boards

@scg00387: It sounds interesting! It would be so hard to find the perfect family to do it with though... and then, what if there was an affair? Argh...

@scg00387: You must be an optimist!! I am too but when it comes to shared living space, I do think it's tricky to have so many people living together. But I think if you did it right, it could really work!

I was in a co Ed bible group and we would joke we should have a communal property some day. Now we have our own families and live within a mile of each other with two families living right next door. It is pretty cool but life gets busy and we don't see each other as often as I like.

We have friends that purposely bought property in a blighted neighborhood in a bad part of town, and several other families joined too. They each have their own homes but they have a communal garden and urban farm. They all share one 'yard'. They did it to support each other as well as encourage and revitalize the neighborhood. I think it's pretty cool, but DH thinks they are nuts.

@luckypenny: I agree. I'm a people person and have always loved living with a lot of people- I thrived! It would be so hard to create a community that works though.

My DH cousin does this (they don't live in the US though). They live on a great property but one that needs a lot of rebuilding and work done, they have their own private space as well as lots of communal space. It seems like they put a lot of thought into writing things down and coming up with plans before moving in. So far they seem to like it.

But I would have reservations, I think a lot of people like the idea of something but then aren't willing to put in much work. It just seems like there are always moochers who do too little and take too much. We tried to let a couple students use our garden space (not charging them) and ended up with more spots that we had to weed, since they weren't taking care of their spots, but they'd come over and not only take stuff from their plots but a lot of food and flowers from our garden. Since I'm super pregnant and have been out doing a lot of gardening and they neither paid for or did any work in my garden it made me lose my shit to see such rude behavior. Since I can't even share a garden I'm not sure I could handle a situation like this. Have to have some serious screening of people.

I think it's great in theory but I'm a realist so heck no.

I'm happy in my forever home. Just bc someone has the same core values doesn't mean their living habits won't annoy the heck out of you. Someone who believes sustainability can still be a slob that leaves the cabinet doors open all the time!

I've heard of them, as I have a girlfriend who does this type of thing with her husband. They travel around to various areas for a few months to a year at a time living in community homes, working on sustainable farms, etc.

I know that I couldn't do this with a family at all, but maybe if I were single and found the right group of people. It would be really hard, though. And I hate the cupboard doors left open, too, @locavore_mama:. LOL.

I don't think this could work for my family but it's a neat concept! I have a hard enough time managing my own high maintenence living habits!

Yeah, I looked into nearby communities around me. Very interesting but I don't think I could do it. I lived with 4 different roommates over 3 years and I was so excited to get my single room the last year.

I like interaction part but I guess having neighbors fits that bill for me.

I think if I was a single mom with no family around, this could work.

Nah, I would never live in a communal community. One of my main core values is PERSONAL SPACE and lots and lots of it!!