In an age where we all go about our day to day lives and do the majority of our interacting via screen time rather than face to face, it’s no wonder that we’ve lost touch with whoever it is that lives next door.
It does beg the question though… what are we missing out on?
Aside from a friendly wave and quick ‘hello’, we think there are a whole host of benefits to being friends with your neighbours.
They can collect mail while you’re away
Going on holiday has never been so easy. Forget paying for a house sitter or asking your relatives to stop in every few days. If you’re friends with your neighbours, they’ll watch over your home for free. They can collect mail, feed your pets, mow your lawn. Okay, the last one is probably pushing the friendship but I’m convinced it could happen.
They can remind you when it’s bin night
Moving to a new suburb is confusing. When’s bin night? When’s council clean-up? Which houses on the street have gossipy old people you need to steer clear of? All of these questions can be answered by your new-found neighbour. Bonding with them over a mug of Jarrah means you’re never kept out of the loop when important things are going down on your street.
Your kids can play with their kids
I believe there are still neighbourhoods where children put down electronic games, walk outside, and play together. You know, like on real-life bikes instead of the ones driven by Mario and Luigi on the Nintendo Wii. Having a friendly neighbour with kids your children’s age means they grow up with lifelong friends and you get to share the burden when school holidays hit.
They can share their food with you
Borrowing a cup of sugar is so 1985. Friendly neighbours these days can be called upon for more exciting pantry raids, like when you run out of ‘cooking wine’ and need an entire bottle of red for tonight’s dinner. Ideally a Shiraz. From 2011.
You can steal their wifi
Okay so the truth is you can steal wifi from a variety of homes around you if it’s not password protected, but I thought this a necessary one to add in because many of you may not be aware of this hidden perk.
You can build, you know, an actual human bond with someone
All jokes aside, how good is it to build an actual human connection with someone? Building a friendly bond with a neighbour can blossom into a real friendship that could see you as besties for years to come.
