If you’ve ever watched the hilarious hit ‘80s sitcom the Golden Girls, you know it’s about four older women who share a home together. Though a fictional show, we’ve always imagined what it would really be like living with your best friends in your elder years.

Well we don’t have to imagine anymore. There’s a real-life Golden Girls scenario happening in London, Ontario, Canada.

Barb Coughlin, 71, Mary Townley, 71, and Phyllis Brady, 66 were just three good friends looking to make the most of their life again. Two are widowed, one is divorced, and they all have grown children who don’t live at home anymore. You can imagine that they were were finding their days alone in their houses pretty blah after living alone for about a decade each.

So they did what anyone would do: They moved into a shared home together. (Right, that’s what we’d all do?)

The three now all reside on one shared space—and couldn’t be happier about it.

The phenomenon that these three women are undergoing has a name: It’s called co-housing, and it’s actually been gaining popularity over the years, especially in Canada.

“It really is a beautiful model,” said Adriana Shnall, an expert on aging at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto. “By living together, people have a community. And especially people who lived in a family, a partner, children. You get older. You lose all those supports that are inherent to living with others.”

The whole thing is brilliant, really. There are so many benefits to co-housing. Not only do you save money and get to purge what you no longer need, but truth be told, it’s really the all day company and companionship that make it all worth it.

“It’s cheaper to live with somebody else but it’s also better for our physical health and for our mental health,” said Shnall.

“I walk up the stairs, and my friends are here having their breakfast. Good morning, Phyllis. How are you?” said Brady, alluding to the fact there’s always someone around to talk to, even if it’s just a simple hello.

When the three were living on their own, they found that the days dragged and they weren’t feeling particularly happy.

“We didn’t like living alone anymore. We didn’t laugh very much,” Coughlin said.

Alone time has its perks, of course. But there’s still something about always having the constant company around that really cheers these ladies up.

“I didn’t mind being alone at times. But then there are those other times when you think, ‘Oh, I wish I had someone to talk to.’ Not over the phone. It’s much nicer face-to-face, with a glass of wine, and just talk it through,” said Townley.

Amen, sister!

“If we can be independent and be in this kind of situation for the next 20 years, that would be a great thing,” said Brady.

How adorable are these three real-life “Golden Girls”? Would you ever co-house with several of your friends in your elder years? What do you think are the benefits of this?