It might come as a surprise to some of you that me and the boyfriend don't live together after being together for such a long time - everyone seems to be moving in together at the moment! But actually, our living situation has enabled us to enjoy the best of both worlds. On my wage, I would have been seriously poor if I lived with him and would have had no life, but staying at my parents' house has given me an opportunity to save money while paying low rent and it gives me an easy way out of any contract when I go travelling. In Wolfy's case, he lives with a friend in a house that is owned and has been remodelled by his parents. Both quite independent people, we really like our own space so living apart has actually been quite nice, we have the option to see each other whenever we like, and the money I save on rent can also go towards us doing fun things together like all the festivals back in the summer.

Since moving out of his parent's house, Wolfy has lived in two homes and the first one, which he shared with two other boys, provided me with quite an experience. I know a lot of people who are in shared homes - some with couples and a few other friends, others are trios or groups of four - many find this is the only way they can afford to live out. So I know I'm not the only one who will have had some pretty hilarious and gross experiences in my time spent staying over at a shared house. I'm quite lucky that now Wolfy lives in a house with just the one friend it is kept really nice and clean, and that this house-mate knows not to just barge in when you're getting changed. But the old house did make for some rather entertaining times.

20 experiences every girl has had while staying at her boyfriend's shared house

1. Everyone has seen everyone naked. Not through choice, but it's just a bond most of you share. Particularly in a boys' house, willies are constantly on display and privacy is a thing of the past
2. Never a moment's peace when you want a pee, someone always comes barging in or starts talking to you through the door
3. There are mouldy plates everywhere - half eaten Dominoes/curries and nothing is ever clean if you want to cook
4. Good luck actually trying to find a glass if you want a drink - most liquid is drunk out of glass bottles in this house
5. Date night is a thing of the past and Friday's are spent partying with the house-mates and whoever else turns up
6. A romantic meal for two becomes dinner for five - and that's if you can find a clean spot in the kitchen
7. Things get really, really dirty before "the big clean up" which happens about once a month
8. Farting. There's a lot of farting. And there's always one house-mate who doesn't understand the concept of personal space and likes to leave the door open when he's on the toilet.
9. There's always someone about for a laugh, food and getting drunk, no matter what time of night it is
10. Clean towels are a thing of the past, and you consider buying jelly shoes to wear in the shower
11. Every time you try to have a quiet night in front of the TV, someone comes and changes the channel
12. Starting to keep up with the boys because you spend so much time drinking and partying with them
13. Everyone in the house has been caught in a compromising position - with no locks on the doors, everyone just seems to barge their way in!
14. That moment when you sink to their level and eat something out of desperation despite it being seriously debatable how long it has sat in their house
15. Realising quite how gross men can be when they are grouped together without a woman to clean up after them
16. All those hilarious nights full of silly jokes and plenty of banter that left you in hysterics
17. Everything in the house belonging to everyone - your booze is up for grabs to anyone passing through, but so is their food
18. Having a place for the whole gang to meet up, have house parties and get together on any night of the week
19. Really appreciating your own experience of living at home or with friends in a much cleaner girls' house
20. Knowing that you've firmly grown out of shared housing

Any classics you want to add to the list?

By now you guys will all know how much I love my girls, whether they're the ones that live on my doorstep, halfway across the country, or even thousands of miles across the world. They mean the world to me and I love the fact that I have managed to find so many amazing women who all share the same attitude as me to life. Even more so, I love that they have been with me through the very worst and the very best of times, have seen me in a complete state and at the top of my game, and love me no matter what. Men may mock girl friendships - and yes, some are a complete sham - but I reckon we girls have one up on you guys when we do things right.

You will, of course, get those friendship groups who chat shit about each other behind each other's backs, steal each other's boyfriends and generally make each other feel bad about themselves. Just like you do in some male friendship groups... But when we women club together, we have something you guys don't - and that is a closeness that can't compare to guy friendships I have seen. These girls are more than "just friends", they are my sisters and my family - the ones I have chosen to share my deepest, darkest secrets with and the ones who will pick me up in the middle of the night when it all comes crashing down. As they say, your friends are the family you choose - and my friends are firmly an extension of my family.A few particularly good girl dates recently have inspired this post because they really got me thinking about what makes my friendships special - then I realised, they aren't special at all to anyone other than me. Women up and down the country share equally incredible friendships with their girls - and while mine are completely unique and special to me, the general principals are exactly the same. For most of my life I have been more of a boy's girl, but amazingly I have found myself at this point of my life with more girlfriends than ever before, and I have to say, my tastes have definitely changed. I love being surrounded by girl power, loud voices, fierce personalities and loving support. It makes me feel stronger as an individual, and forever grateful that every single day I know I have a tribe of equally strong women fighting my corner and cheering me on.

What do I love about my girls?

1. They always involve wine, food, cocktails and a lot of chat - and any time can be wine o'clock.
2. Half an hour and a bottle of wine is all we need to set the world to rights and solve everyone's problems - okay we're starting to sound like we have a drinking problem.
3. We can happily go from having a quiet night in with a takeaway and X Factor, to having a candlelit dinner by the river, to raving until dawn at a festival. We're just so versatile.
4. Talking about EVERYTHING. With your girls, no conversation is off limits and it is important to girls to talk about every detail - you just don't get that with guys. Plus boy problems always seem so much simpler when talked about with a girlfriend - but most guys I know don't really talk about girl problems with their mates.
5. We are loud. Boys think they can out-do us, or out-loud us, but get a group of girls together and tell them to have a catch-up and things get really LOUD. But my girls never judge me for being loud.
6. Opinions are in full force and you can really have a heated debate about something you are really passionate about, then five minutes later we are talking about cake or lipstick.
7. There is always someone on make-up or hair watch for you, guys don't notice when your lipstick is smeared or you have fluff in your hair but a girl will always pick up on these things.
8. On nights out, guys kind of dance awkwardly or barrel around drunk - girls will stand round in a group and dance their little hearts out. No matter how stupid the moves - in fact the sillier the better - you will dance in high heels until you can't any more.
9. A friend can always solve your problem for you by putting things in perspective, or just telling you a funny story. They always know someone who has been through the same thing.
10. Snuggles with your girls are the best, whether its spooning each other at a sleepover or just a hug when you've had a tough day. Your girls always know when you need a hug and things are a bit much - guys just don't seem to get that same comfort.

Don't worry, I'm not shooting down guy friendships as I have plenty of my own. I'm just saying that girl friendships can sometimes get a bad rap thanks to those who don't understand the concept of true friendship. But the point is that actually we really have something going for us and girl friendships, in my experience, seem to reach a level that guys should be jealous of and that we should be proud of as women. If you ask me, some women need to realise that supporting each other and cheering each other on is far more admirable than tearing each other down and casting judgement.

What do you love about your girls?

PS. Don’t forget to vote for me in the UK Blog Awards travel and lifestyle categories!! Click here and here to cast your votes xx

My Facebook is littered with students who are starting to get excited about going back to uni, some who are just starting and those, like myself, who wish we could go back, if only for one awesome night. The countdown is starting, and after the bank holiday, there really isn't long to go until the universities once again open their doors to the madness. Regular readers will know that I had a pretty awesome time at university, made some amazing friends and loved every second of studying - even those all-nighters in the library and the early starts! And I have to say, that although by the time I left I was rather more excited to get out in the world and start working, I would always love to go back and experience it all again - I wouldn't do a single thing differently and would love every second.One of the things I would particularly like the chance to experience again is living in such close quarters with all of my fabulous university friends. We had a group of around seven of us who spent most of our waking moments together throughout first and second year. By third year, we were spread across two houses just a few minutes walk from each other and some of us were even on the same courses! It was brilliant, especially for someone who previously had mainly boy mates  to experience being surrounded by so many like-minded girls who (sorry to quote Cyndi Lauper but...) "just wanna have fun!" We all had the same priorities, we all wanted to study hard and do well, but made sure we had plenty of time for lots of fun as well - these are the girls who would be up all hours studying and revising with me. But they are also the girls I was out pretty much every night with, the ones who came on Nando's dates with me and the ones who came round for pizza and X Factor nights.It was always great to have a group of so many because you could always guarantee that no matter what you wanted to do, there was someone who was free to come along with you, there was always someone to get drunk with and there was always someone who could help you when you got stuck on coursework. It always really helped to have that support network when you were struggling because there was always someone around who could proofread your essays, test you before exams and to make sure you revise with promises of cocktails as a reward. Each summer, when we were all torn apart for three or four months, and now between each reunion I'm always thinking about all the silly and fun things I miss about my beauties. Trust me there are quite a few, but the things I miss most are the qualities that make this friendship and sets it apart from other friendships I share.20 Things I Miss About My University Girls:

1. Having someone there all the time - I was so used to having at least four of us in the house at all times, that meant someone was always awake to talk, snuggle or do shots with.
2. Silly inside jokes were constant in our group, as in any other, and they still go on now, years after they stopped being funny for everyone else - but they certainly still make us giggle!
3. Talking about EVERYTHING - whether we wanted to or not and no matter how gross or graphic it got - there was always someone there to listen.
4. Similar, but all the talk and comedy over sex - it held hours of entertainment of talking in detail about funny experiences and in hilarious detail about the blokes involved, then giggling when seeing the boys like immature 12-year-olds.
5. Cooking dinner after a night out, especially trying to fry eggs when drunk and basically just making a mess with lots of mayonnaise.
6. Cooking and eating big dinners together like a little family before watching a film - all when sober.
7. Being silly, tickle fights, spooning, snuggles in bed, pumpkin carving, baking and all the rest.
8. Fancy dress! My girls and I always went all out for every single fancy dress occasion, and even some we made up ourselves - we'd do all the school girl nights, army girls, cops and robbers, Disney princesses and all the rest.
9. My partners in crime - never have I met so many girls who were all up for causing carnage and as much naughty behaviour as I am - we had a good giggle and they were always there alongside me when I was causing mischief.
10. Getting ready together for a big night out, or any night out, playing our music loud, dancing like muppets, making cocktails, choosing our outfits and all the rest.
11. The ridiculous amount of time spent in the loo on nights out - it was silly and drunken and we loved it - much as we tried to deny it it was a big part of our nights out!
12. Dropping it like it's hot every time we got into the club, busting hilarious moves and having the time of our lives - girls only.
13. Eating rubbish - I'm a hell of a lot healthier than back then, we loved a cheeky McDonalds, Nando's, Dominoes, Indian... - but sneaking these foods with the girls was a lot of fun.
14. Chasing spiders - okay I don't miss this quite so much, but we had a lot of laughs over trying to catch the enormous spiders that we found in our house.
15. Being really gross - I won't go into details because I don't tell on my girls, but we've all been pretty gross at one point or another, and we've all seen each other in the worst drunken states possible, so we know how to cope with anything!
16. Those all-nighters - I'm not even talking about the nights out, I'm talking about the picnics we would make and take to the library, hauling our laptops and books over there to study, having short breaks where we just threw sweets into each others mouths.
17. Fry-up Tuesdays - a couple of us used to pop to the university cafe for a cheeky fry-up between lectures, that certainly perked us up after an early start!
18. Running  was hilarious, we went as a group for a short time during the winter months and used to freeze ourselves to death before coming home for hot showers and dinner. After a while, I lost my running buddies, but it was funny while it lasted, with regular gasps of "I'm dying".
19. Making the most of our garden  with barbecues, nudie sunbathing and revising during the summer - as long as the spiders kept away we were happy.
20. Nando's  was our spiritual home between lectures, in the evenings and basically any time of day - we'd use any excuse to go and it was more than just chicken to us.

So what do you miss the most about your university mates when you're on summer break, or since finishing? Why not share below and add to the list?

It's been a full three years now since I finished university. That's 36 months since we packed up our shot glasses, binned all those piles of notes and said a tearful goodbye. It was a hard goodbye for my group, most of us had been together from the very beginning of first year and we were very close. We shared everything, from drunken nights out, to stresses over exams, to boyfriend troubles and across two houses, we even lived together. There was no escape, and yes we annoyed the hell out of each other at times, but there was also a lot of love there and I knew these girls would always have my back.Three years on and I was right to think that, because they still have my back and still mean the world to me. I'm lucky to have such a brilliant, beautiful, fun and smart bunch of girls as my friends and I love that no matter how far life takes us away from each other, we always know where to turn when we are in trouble or need advice. These girls have helped me through some of the hardest times, and have celebrated with me through some of the best - but the fact that they have been there throughout is something that means a lot. When you leave university, particularly when you are scattered across the country, it is hard to keep in touch. You all get jobs, have partners, set up new homes and generally live very separate lives. It takes a certain amount of effort in order to maintain the friendship, and yet at the same time, you all have to be happy to often not speak for months and then catch up loads over a weekend. I love that with these girls, we are all so close that when we see each other after a long time has passed, that feels like we have never parted ways.So why is a friendship forged at university such a different one to those from back home? Well in many ways they are much the same, but the fact that you are thrown in with complete strangers and forced to live together from the start always forges a different kind of intimacy that you often won't have with those from back home. But what is it about these friendships that make them so long-lasting?

1. The sheer relief, after all those fears of what your flatmates will be like, of finding someone normal, who doesn't smell and doesn't listen to ridiculous music all night. Often you are all so grateful for finding someone you can relate to and want to be friends with that I think it brings you even closer together. Particularly if you are surrounded by odd, smelly or just plain noisy flatmates.
2. It may sound cliché but discovering who you are is a big part of university. You are growing up a lot in a short space of time and the people you do that with do, in their own way, help to mould you as a person. This has a lasting effect and I certainly think I have learnt a lot from my flatmates.
3. Life happens, it doesn't just stop while you are at university, and sometimes some not so nice stuff can happen while you are away from the comfort of family and friends. A death in the family, bad grades, illness, boyfriend troubles - it all affects us and who is there to pick up the pieces? These are the ones who will be there to listen, will get you out and about again, or offer advice.
4. The lifestyle is a huge part of university - I'm talking nights out, student events, pub nights, clubs and societies, the whole lot. The group you bond with are often ones you end up doing a lot with and it means these friends end up being a huge part of your life. It also means making a lot of memories together and who can resist catching up on old times?
5. Coping with the workload is harder for some, but we all feel the stresses of coursework and dissertations at some point. Pulling those all-nighters in the library, panicking the night before an exam, getting together for a last minute revision session are all big parts of your learning and sometimes your flatmates may also double up as course buddies. This can be great because you will automatically have someone there you can ask advice and for help.

Of course it isn't all sunshine and roses for everyone, and I know a few people who have hated the "friends" they made in first year. I know of times when people have struggled to make friends because of circumstances or things have turned and they've found themselves alone. It is horrible when things like this happen, and knowing these stories makes me all the more grateful that I met such a fantastic bunch of like-minded girls. Yes we all have our similarities, and that is what brought us together, but we also have our differences and I think that is what has made this a lasting friendship. Last weekend, we had our most recent reunion and once again it was like no time had passed. A weekend spent in Camden, where one of the girls is now living, wandering around the market, sitting on a roof terrace and then dancing the night away with plenty of cocktails. Just what we all needed - plenty of chance to catch up on all the amazing things everyone is doing and enough time to plan another meet-up.

Why do you think you have such long-lasting friendships with those you meet at university? And do you still meet up with your pals from uni or have you guys drifted apart?