Using my stuff and replacing it with a cheap version is actually just stealing.
By @ashkindof · Food
My roommate uses my nice groceries and swaps them out with the cheapest, off-brand version they can find. They think it's a totally fair 'bottle for a bottle' trade, but I think it's disrespectful and I'm tired of it.
The full story
ok so i need to know if i'm being a snob or if my roommate is genuinely committing low-stakes robbery in our own kitchen. we're both college students, all our money goes to tuition and overpriced textbooks, i get it. but i like to cook and i'll splurge a little on certain ingredients bc it makes me happy. i'm talking about a specific brand of olive oil, the good organic eggs, the nice coffee beans, stuff like that. my roommate, on the other hand, lives off instant noodles and whatever is cheapest at the corner store. which is fine! but she's decided my pantry is also a community resource. except instead of just using my stuff and not replacing it (which would almost be more honest?), she 'replaces' it. she'll use up my $20 bottle of imported olive oil i use for finishing dishes and then the next day there will be a giant $4 plastic jug of 'vegetable oil' in its place. she'll use my organic milk for her cereal and replace it with the cheapest store-brand milk that tastes like chalk water. the worst was with my coffee. i have a subscription for these specific beans from a local roaster. she used the whole bag to make cold brew and replaced it with a can of ancient pre-ground Folgers. when i confronted her, she was genuinely confused about why i was mad. her logic is 'i replaced what i used, what's the problem? coffee is coffee.' she thinks i'm being picky and elitist for even noticing the difference. i tried explaining that it's not about the money (even though it is, a little) but about the principle. i bought that specific item for a reason. if you use my thing, you either ask, or you replace it with THE SAME THING. am i wrong here? it feels so petty but it's driving me crazy. now i'm literally hiding my good spices in my bedroom and it feels so childish. but i can't afford to subsidize her life with my groceries, and i'm tired of my food tasting worse bc of her 'replacements'.
How people voted
- Totally Cooked — 21% (33 votes)
- It’s Complicated — 45% (70 votes)
- You’re Fine — 33% (51 votes)
Readers say “It’s Complicated” (45%) — 154 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@movingon — If you live with roommates you learn to share what's in the kitchen, that's the deal.
@quinnyy — soft.
@sorrynothanks — That's not confusion, it's weaponized incompetence.
@umaagain — ah yes the classic folgers for local roast exchange. a fair trade.
@danimm — reminds me of when my brother 'borrowed' my good headphones and replaced them with a pair he got for free on an airplane.
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