Living with other families to reduce costs of living

[Ohnoohdear]

Does anyone with kids here live with another family with kids (or more than one) like friends/family members? I’ve always liked the thought of doing this as I love a busy household and that way rent etc would be cheaper and also could help eachother with child care and be better off financially due to be able to work more.

I come from a large family and grew up with a lot of people. Big dinners, lots of activities and buzz, never really alone. I’ve lived with family members as an adult and it has worked well. I’m now living with my DP and toddler son and feel lonely. I miss being part of a bigger community.

AIBU to think that this may be the way forward as the economy is making it difficult for families to manage? At least temporarily when the kids are in school.

Does anyone have experience with this scenario?

"There's one on the end of my road for sale with one!"

One. On the end of a road. Yeah, that's not the norm though. I own a few properties and over the years have bought more than I can remember, viewed thousands.

The fact you thought one family would live in the annexe while the other would live in a 3 bedroom part of the house shows you're not getting it. That's not what living together looks like.

No one actually thought that

I shared houses with friends when I was young and single and loved it, but really couldn't see it working for multiple families with children. Everyone has slightly different rules/expectations for their children and I can see that small differences in parents' approach could become a big problem- I can imagine the arguments from the DC if for example one family allow theirs to have sweets before dinner but the other don't. I think this will get worse as the DC get older- eg. different expectations over doing homework/staying out late/boyfriends or girlfriends staying over/drinking etc

I've had a few holidays with families that I get on really well with and some of these tensions have started to show even just sharing a cottage for a week. Personally I think this would just lead to a breakdown of the friendship.

I think multi generational homes are a bit different (particularly as usually there are only DC from one family). The main problem I've seen with these (there are several in my extended family) is that one person ends up having to do the lions share of the cleaning/cooking/caring etc (usually either the mother or grandmother) whilst everyone else criticises.

What I would really love is informal communal living (a bit like the shared houses of my youth) if I am ever older and widowed. Retirement villages etc are incredibly expensive and can feel a bit institutional but I think 'golden girls' style shared living for older friends would be great.

@NCAutumn It actually was very clear, I'm not sure how you're still not seeing it. Or why you're so triggered by the whole thing.

I haven’t read the whole thread, replying while lunch heats up.
I can understand the thoughts behind this, the practicalities are a different thing. I have a few friends, we all divorced within a few years of each other and our children were maybe between 8-18 at the time. We did talk about the advantages of sharing a big house between us, sharing childcare, cooking and cleaning, having a friends around when we’re feeling lonely etc. We didn’t take it any further because of the practical issues. All our marriages broke down for similar reasons, disengaged and unsupportive ex husbands who didn’t contribute fully to family life, we knew we’d support each other.