The Pros and Cons of Living in an Income-Sharing Commune

In the heart of Washington, D.C., seven people live in a single home and pool all of their incomes (which range from upwards of $80,000 to a couple thousand) together to share. The residents of Compersia Commune embrace an ideology that values unpaid labor and disavows capitalism. In this tiny, socialized economy, the collective gets everything you have—which, for some, has been liberating. “We talk a lot and think a lot about trying to transform our relationship to money,” says GPaul, the commune’s founder. “We’re doing all of this work so that worrying about money [and] stressing about money is not so present in our lives.”

[kimchloe]

I could do shared land and garden and farm but the clutter is already driving me nuts in the living space.

[egc]

Looks like they haven't figured out who is responsible for cleaning.

[DrewDienno]

"sorry for interrupting you" --what polite kids, my god!

[sethjones]

I grew up in a community where there was a group like that. It's resulted in a lot of pain now that I've grown up, and grown apart from them. It also gave me a very bad understanding of how to handle money, and what I am actually worth as a skilled laborer. When you grow up hating the idea of money, you tend to be willing to work for a lot less than you should and people take advantage of you.

[pauka]

They should combine more minimalistic philosophy because looking at all that clutter and mess makes me sick...

[matthewkern]

someone making $27, 000 and someone making $85, 000 treated as equal think i'll just keep my money thanks

[johnsprystaff]

“I made 27, 000... so i quit my job and now I don’t know how much I make.” This is the exact opposite of the type of person you want splitting your resources...

[tipsycat]

i wouldnt wanna be making 80+k a year only to be sharing a dirty small space with a bunch of others and eating diseased, dumpster food....

[noragoodman-bryan]

when the kid apologized for interrupting, I cried

[MoistMumble]

It's great that these people have found a way of life that makes them feel satisfied and whole. I hope it works out well for them and they reach their goal. I know I wouldn't fit in here at all, I like my own space and managing my own money.

[iridescentaurora]

Idk, if I had kids, I don’t think I’d be all that comfortable with them living in the same house as several people that I really don’t know *that* well?..
I mean, they’re probably fine and being treated very well, but… seems a bit risky to me…

[justincerveny]

So the lawyer is paying for everything lmao

I couldn't live there. It's a dump.

[Niklas]

There are components of commune living that makes sense. Child care shared amongst adults with shared living and eating space sounds very healthy, but income sharing isn't completely necessary and seems destabilizing. Cooperative housing with more communal elements might be more appropiate for most people.

[joeweaver]

The woman who makes 80K a year is just paying for a bunch of squaters.

[scottfree]

As long as you don’t force me to join then have at it. Make all the communes you want, but don’t legislate it.

[christianrupprechter]

If the attorney left, the commune would be dead. They are already eating out of dumpsters!

[BunnySlippers]

"Setting aside money to put into individual accounts for each person." So the lawyer and the teacher are supporting 3 basically jobless men and ALSO giving them cash that they will never get back.

[maryvalentyne]

When the brother said “Sorry for interrupting you Laren (?)” oh my god great parenting and such a sweet boy!

[Campfishfamily]

So you have a bunch of people under the same roof, sharing all the bills? Yeah, you have roommates. Not a new thing.