Navigating Life With Roommates or Dormmates as a Vegan

Posted by Calvin on August 05, 2024

Living with others is a big part of life. When everything’s clicking, it can be harmonious af. 🙏 But can you still have harmony if you live with someone who isn’t vegan? There’s no right or wrong answer—it’s 100% up to you. If you plan well, you won’t have to compromise your animal-friendly values. Here are six tips for navigating life with roommates or dormmates who aren’t vegan:

1. Be Honest

Whether you’re searching for a roommate or you’ve already found one, be upfront about your vegan lifestyle immediately. Be sure to say it’s a big part of who you are. That way, everybody will be on the same page and they’ll know that you make conscious choices not to harm animals in any way.

2. Set Boundaries

Even if living with someone who isn’t vegan isn’t a dealbreaker for you, you may have other non-negotiables. For example, you may not want to cook meat, buy milk from the store, or have a leather couch in the living room. 🙅 Everyone has boundaries—your roommate(s) will, too—so don’t be shy in letting them know what makes you uncomfy.

3. Have a System

Once you choose a roommate, developing a general plan for how things will go is one of the smartest things you can do. If you decide to split the cooking duties, you can be in charge of the vegan food and they can cover the nonvegan food—and you can make sure any food you share is vegan. You can also make it clear that you wanna deal with any mice or bugs in your place humanely. Whatever system works best for you and your roomie(s) is the way to go.

4. Respect Each Other

Like all relationships, yours should be built on mutual respect. 🤝 Your roommates or dormmates should accept the way you want to live, and you should do the same for them. Maybe they have food intolerances or allergies that would affect what you have in the fridge, or maybe there’s an advocacy issue they care about as deeply as you do about animal rights. Just make sure the respect goes both ways and you’ll end up with a top-tier relationship—and a chance to share the animal-friendly lifestyle with someone who’s never experienced it before.  

5. Lead by Example

We can’t stress this enough: People don’t respond well to preachiness. Instead of constantly telling your roommate(s) to go vegan, show them how great the vegan lifestyle is. If they’re interested, you can share recipes and cruelty-free makeup recommendations. People are much more likely to go vegan if they have a good influence, and you can fill that role. 😇

6. Be a Good Friend

Make sure you’re a good friend to your roomie(s) across the board. That way, they can associate being vegan with a great person they know—which can give them a positive view of the whole lifestyle. With you in mind, they’ll be more likely to make animal-friendly choices. Plus, being good friends with your roomie(s) will make your living situation much more fun.

*****

Whether you’re living with a roommate, with your parents, or by yourself, your home is your sanctuary. Make it a safe space by giving your home an animal-friendly glow-up.