Roommies Mooch Off 23YO, But Won’t Let Her Use Their TV, She Gives Them A Taste Of Their Own Medicine
Staying with random roommates can be complicated. But hey, living with relatives is equally difficult. The thing is, when we share a space with anyone, conflicts are natural. Despite being social beings, humans have a tendency to fight over petty things, some more than others.
One woman vented online that she refused to pay for an expensive TV as she barely used it. Her petty roommates set a passcode so she couldn’t watch it, conveniently forgetting that they used her things all the time. Well, she finally snapped and gave them a taste of their own medicine. Here’s what she did…
Some people are pros when it comes to being petty
This woman was shocked when her roommates refused to let her use “their” TV, so she refused to let them use her things as well
Saving money is the whole point of staying with roommates
Living with someone requires a lot of compromise and rules, and it can sometimes take away privacy. Obviously, anyone would prefer to stay alone. Research suggests that 32% of adults say they’re willing to pay more to live alone. Another 39% say they would never be comfortable with a roommate, a feeling that rises to 44% among women and 45% among people who earn less than $40,000 a year.
However, the reality on the ground doesn’t match what people want, especially in this economy. Housing affordability has totally changed how Americans live. In fact, there is also a rise in seniors sharing a house, often called silver roommates. Live-in landlords have also increased in number. Well, you can hardly blame people for this, not when housing rates are skyrocketing.
Reports reveal that renting a one-bedroom apartment costs roughly $900 to $1,200 more per month than renting a single room in a shared house. Add groceries, utilities, and everything else, and getting a separate room isn’t something everyone can afford right now. Saving money is the whole point of staying together.
However, when roommates still feel pressured to make unnecessary splurges, it will obviously trigger fights and arguments. Besides, money can be a really sensitive topic. A survey of 1000 Americans by Apartmentguide also highlighted it as one of the most common causes of conflict between roommates. In fact, more than 1 in 5 individuals had argued with their housemates over finances.
Dealing with such difficult roommates can be pretty frustrating. I mean, you are constantly around them, which can make the atmosphere in the house pretty tense. And staying in such a negative environment can affect your overall well-being.
Roommate conflicts can have an intensely adverse impact on a person’s well-being
According to the experts at Verywell Mind, the pent-up stress and frustration from roommate conflicts can impact our mood, sleep, and overall quality of life. They stress that the energy we feel at home is vital to our ability to interact with the rest of the world. If that energy is negative or draining, it can have a large impact on our mental health and our living environment, they add.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Jamie Long claims that during a roommate fight, finding a way to talk about it in a civil way is the best course of action. She explains, “When bringing up a conflict, avoid describing your roommate and all they did wrong. Most folks get defensive when they feel criticized. Instead, describe the situation and how it affects you.”
“If a conflict does blow up into a stressful argument, know when it’s time to take a break. A big mistake people make is not taking a break when someone is flooded by their body’s stress response. When we’re overwhelmed by the sympathetic nervous system, it becomes very hard to have constructive conflict because the overwhelm reduces our communication abilities,” Long advises.
Well, the poster could give herself and her roommates space and time to cool down. Discussing the issue and how unfair it was to her when they are calm might help. However, many netizens felt it wasn’t wrong of her to act petty, just like they had. What about you? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments. Also, here’s another roommate drama that you might want to check out.
The author provided more details about her situation in the comments
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