Did everyone bring macaroni and cheese? Plan your next potluck with this free online tool for coordinating meals for groups. 

Make it More than a Meal

Setup your next potluck meal within minutes for free! Interact with new friends and creative menus. 

Enjoy the moment with friends and family.

Plan Your Meal Now!

Nonviolence Magazine

Posted by The Transition Team ·

Communities Magazine

Posted by The Transition Team ·

Splitzee saves you time and money - and above all,HASSLE. It's the first tool designed to solve the social money problem. 

Collect, Manage, Track, Remind and Spend on the purpose of your group pooling funds. 

How it Works:

• Add your team members once and you never have to do it again. Send messages, process contributions and make payments directly - all with one easy interface.
• Create a fund for something your team wants to buy or pay for: league dues, equipment purchases, travel expenses or just sharing the cost of the post-game celebration. Create a templated fund with one click - then customize it with your own details.
• Everyone gets a link to a customized page where you can collect payments via credit card or PayPal. Automatic tracking, reminders, we take care of all of it. When you're ready, transfer funds to your bank account or request a check. You can even pay an invoice or reimburse an expense.

Start a Fund 100% FREE!!

Share bills and IOUs. Make sure everyone gets paid back. Splitwise takes the trouble out of sharing expenses – with friends, with roommates, with anyone.

• Splitwise keeps a running total over time, so you can pay each other back in one big payment, instead of a bunch of small ones.
• Get notified when the rent check is due…or get a reminder when you forget to pay someone back.
• How should we split the cost of rent? At what point is a girlfriend a roommate? Participate in cool fairness research and get advice on all sorts of common sharing problems.

And best of all? It's totally free.

Ready to give Splitwise a spin? 

Signup!

ChoreBuster can help you with all of these problems by automatically creating a fair chore chart or schedule for you and others that you live with! 

 Enter in people and chores
 Specify how hard / undesirable each chore is, and how often it should be done
 Chore Buster automatically generates a fair schedule of chores
 Schedule emailed to you daily or weekly - no need to log in 

Sign up now to get started!

Fairness is a funny thing. One person’s fair is another person’s rip-off. So it is important for a rent-splitting calculator to jive with a broadly intuitive sense of fairness. It can’t just be what one person thinks is fair, or it won’t be useful. 

 Splitwise has made an awesome rent splitting calculator available on their site. 

Check it out!

Sources: Survey Results

Contributors:  Splitwise

Recommended Reading: Survey Results

Sociability

Posted by Annamarie Pluhar ·

Television

Posted by Annamarie Pluhar ·

Alcohol Consumption & Drug Use

Posted by Annamarie Pluhar ·

To find a good Home-mate, you need to be able to talk about what you must have and would like to have in a Home-mate arrangement. This clarity about who you are and what you are looking for will help immensely. Starting to look at postings and advertisements without knowing what you are looking for is like going into a supermarket with no idea of what you need to buy. You'll waste an enormous amount of time and energy considering situations that aren't suited to you. The same is true if you are the householder. Instead of stating your requirements over and over on the telephone to each ad respondent, simply put them in the ad.

In your quest for a good home-sharing arrangement, you need to know what you "must have" versus what you would "like to have". This is a very important distinction. "Must" means that if the potential home or Home-mate doesn't have it, there's no way the space will work for you. End of story. Walk away. "Must" is your friend, it helps you rule out what won't work for you, simplifying your search and saving you time and energy. 

Many people learn of their "must haves" by discovery, that is, they have a housing experience that lacks something they want, but they didn't realize it ahead of time.  Only you can figure out exactly what you must have and what you would like to have in a living space. It's easy to think that you can adapt to anything. But some adaptations are simply too uncomfortable when you are living with them daily. It's really no fun to find yourself unhappy at home because you overlooked or ignored something in a situation that is really not right for you.

Your way of living is unique to you, so figuring out what you need and want in a Home-mate is worth the effort. Your future happiness is at stake. As you think about this, you will also clarify what it is that you bring to the Home-mate relationship.

Collect your thoughts using our worksheet. You might even ask someone who knows you well to help you complete the worksheet. By all means chose to be honest with yourself. This is not the time to wish you were different.

Categories to Consider:

Gender, Age, Sexual Orientation, and Cultural Preferences

Type of Pet(s)

Cleanliness

Neatness

Television

Radio/Music/Noise

Alcohol Consumption & Drug Use

Cigarettes

Diet

Meals

Sociability

Routines

Once you have taken the time to go over all of these categories and recorded what you need and want in your own living environment, you will have a very useful checklist to work with to find your perfect Home-mate(s). Armed with knowing what you "must have", "would like to have", and "can't live with"; you are ready to interview potential Home-mate(s) or explore the possibility of living in a Householder's home.

Sources: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates

Contributors:  Annamarie Pluhar

Recommended Books: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates

First, think about your take-home pay after taxes and other deductions. It used to be that the budgeting guideline was that you should spend 27% on housing, including utilities. This is about one week's pay. As housing has become more expensive, however, this figure has crept up to 30% or more. Budget experts also state that on average, 15% of a car owner's income is spent on transportation: car payments, maintenance, gas etc., and that food is also 15% of income. Use these guidelines to determine how much you can afford, you can start to think about where you want to live.

Sources: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates

Contributors:  Annamarie Pluhar

Recommended Books: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates

I am ready and willing to meet new people

If you are unwilling to meet new people then there is not much The Transition can do to help you meet your goals or dreams. Most people’s goals can not be accomplished by their own actions alone and thus need others to assist them either through instruction or mutual aid.

I have skills that I am willing to share

If you are unwilling to share your own skills it is then likely others are not willing to share their own skills with you to assist you and your goals. The Transition operates off of a system of reciprocity we are all able to accomplish more when we work together. When we change our own paradigms from a “me” to a “we” mindset we begin to experience the abundance that is all around us. The more self-centered we act the harder it becomes for us to reach the dreams we desire.

I know about non-violent communication or I watched this video

Just like when using a map if we don’t know where we currently are there is no way for us to begin to understand where it is we are heading. By reading and/or watching the video you begin to understand the mindset and upbringing you carry with you. By going through this process, you begin to realize that other people may have had experiences that helped form who they are today.  This helps us develop compassion both for ourselves and each other. It also gives us a set of tools to help us negotiate new experiences now and in the future.

I am ready and willing to participate in The Transition

With each new supporter and Contributor The Transition acquires, the more power we gain to create a major impact and real positive change on the world at large. Even though you are one person your actions matter when done in conjunction with countless others all over the world. The Transition plugs you into the countless ways you can help make that difference you wish to see in the world.

I am invested in improving my education

As an organization, The Transition believes in continuing education no matter how young or old you are. There is always more to learn and always a new lens with which we can begin to view the world to have better understanding of the challenges we face. By investing in your education and challenging your own beliefs, you are able to arm yourself with knowledge to be the best version of yourself.

I have reviewed and endorsed The Transition’s Trust

It is our desire for everyone to be “on the same page” and understand the expectations laid out before them as well as the commitments that are being made to them. By reviewing this information you acknowledge the type of relationship that is being established between the organization as a whole and you as a beneficiary of the work we do.