How to Tolerate Rude Neighbors

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By Ryn Gargulinski
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Sometimes goats make better neighbors than people do.

Long gone are the days of welcome wagons and neighbors bringing you fresh-baked pies when you first move in. But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with living next to a bunch of jerks. You can tolerate rude neighbors with a few simple steps and an unrelenting positive attitude.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Let it go. When a neighbor is first rude, let it slide until it becomes a repeated and intolerable situation.
Step 2

Go talk to the neighbors. Perhaps they don’t realize that what they are doing is rude, obnoxious and bringing you grief. Leave notes on their door each time they repeat a behavior.
Step 3

Use humorous deterrents. When one neighbor’s friends kept parking in my driveway after I repeatedly asked him to tell them not to, I had a skull and crossbones sign made up that read: “No Parking: Tire Slashing Zone.” No one parked there again.
Step 4

Fight back. After a loud late-night party that woke me at 3 a.m., I rang the neighbor’s doorbell at 9 a.m. the next morning just to thank them for the wake-up music in the middle of the night.

Tips & Warnings

Police usually look on neighbor disputes as civil matters and they won’t help. If your community has a mediation program, check it out for extra assistance.
When leaving notes or talking to the neighbors, do not go in with a confrontational attitude but rather a positive mindset.
Before you go talk to them, make sure your neighbors do not have a shotgun.