roommate

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Sharing a home with a roommate is always a delicate situation.

Whether it's one of your closest friends, or someone you only met through newspaper ads or referrals, maintaining a harmonious living situation can be challenging.

As long as all residents do their share of the chores, keep common living spaces clean, and are respectful of noise, it's not so hard to get along.

In some cases, however, people find themselves running to a studio apartment, possibly smaller than their bedroom, owing to how truly unbearable their roommates are to live with.

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My [26F] roommate [28F] won't leave me alone about my engagement ring.

I've been dating my BF for almost 4 years now, and we've recently gotten engaged. We will be moving in together once both our leases are up, so roughly 8 months from now.

We didn't spend much on my engagement ring. We didn't feel it was necessary, and we would rather spend that money on a down payment for a house or a nice vacation. It cost under $1k, and I absolutely love it. It doesn't have diamonds or anything fancy, it's quite basic/simple, but it fits my style quite well. I make significantly more than my BF currently, so we decided on a less expensive ring that he could afford more easily.

My roommate is spoiled and demanding. She would demand her BF's take her on expensive vacations, nice dinners, shopping trips to upscale stores, and always expects them to pay for her. She constantly demands attention, and yells at/hits her BF if she feels they aren't being devoted enough to her or doing what she wants.

She recently broke up with her long-term boyfriend (of 5 years, they almost were engaged) because she was upset that he didn't call her as soon as he got home from work everyday (she was angry that he took time for himself and had hobbies that didn't involve her), and then found a new boyfriend less than a month later which she then proceeded to rub in his face as a reminder to him that he "didn't do enough for their relationship" even though she did nothing and expected him to change everything about himself to fit her needs.

u/rlyveryconfused

When I got engaged, I didn't tell her. I feel like she tries to find something to make fun of in everything. If I mention that BF cooked me dinner, she will mention how her ex would take her out to extremely upscale restaurants all the time, and how it's so sad that my BF won't do the same for me. If I mention we went on vacation for a few days, she'll mention how her ex took her to Europe for a week (after she demanded a grand gesture for him to "prove" his love). She constantly makes fun of the fact that my BF is poor (he's not, he just doesn't earn much right now but he's very financially responsible) and he clearly doesn't love me enough to do all the things her boyfriends do for her.

I've essentially stopped interacting with her unless I really need to. Thing is, I live with her. Eventually, my roommate will notice the ring or hear from somebody and start asking questions. When our mutual friend got engaged, she immediately demanded to see the ring and started asking if they're real diamonds, how much the ring cost, why they didn't buy a more expensive one, what their proposal was like, how much they'll spend on the wedding, when it is, etc.

Frankly, I'm not interested in telling her a single detail about anything. It's tacky and off-putting to be asking those questions to someone, in my opinion. I don't want her knowing I'm engaged or any details, I don't want her at the wedding, and I don't want her opinions on any of it.

If/when she brings it up, how do I gracefully deflect or make it clear that I'm not comfortable giving her any details?

TL;DR: spoiled hyper-competitive roommate is going to ask a bunch of intrusive questions and make weird comments once she finds out I'm engaged. How do gracefully tell her to f*ck off?

u/rlyveryconfused

"It is exactly what I wanted. I hope when you get married you can be as lucky as I am and have a fiance who knows you well enough to get you exactly what you want."

She is less likely to be critical if she goes straight into talking about what she wants?

BetterWithLatte

I really like this answer. It's not apologetic, it's very to-the-point, and I think it gets the message across very well.

ummmwhut

Look at her like she has 4 heads and go "Huh? Are you asking how much my ring *costs*? That is totally *bizarre*. I'm not going to talk about that, it's wildly inappropriate."

heatherkan

I'm a big fan of this technique. "Did you really just say that? That's so rude - you must be so embarrassed." And then just walk away.

I know people like this don't get embarrassed (because they honestly believe that everyone is just DYING to hear their opinion on everything) but it'll make you feel a bit better. Especially if there are other people around to hear.

DrinkItInMaaannn

Frankly I'm not really sure I'd bother with "graceful" considering how abusive this girl is.

I'd answer any and all nosy questions with "I dunno" or "We're not sharing that" or "I'm happy with it". Editorial comments get a "Duly noted" with an absolute deadpan expression. Don't tie yourself into knots trying to avoid her judgement. Her judgement is utterly meaningless. Treat it like fruit flies - obnoxious to have in the house, you'd rather not see them, but until you can starve them out it's best to just not think about them.

DiTrastevere

"It's tacky and off-putting to be asking those questions to someone, in my opinion."

You should tell her exactly that if she makes any comments. It IS tacky and rude and none of her business. Congrats on your engagement, your ring sounds lovely!

sat52

Am I the only one bothered that she used to hit her ex? She was abusive. I'm leaning more towards the Gray Rock technique than the confrontational one.

Give her short answers of a grunt up to three words. If she makes a snarky comment, agree with it. "Your partner must be a cheap asshole." "Mm," "Uh huh," or "I guess" wihtth a shrug of the shoulders. She starts running on about it: put on headphones.
If at any moment she gets in your face or threatens violence, call the police.
Hopefully I'm exaggerating, but it sounds like she does need her narcissistic supply from somewhere, and she might get jealous of you.

Floomby

Her: \*says tacky and insensitive things about ring\*

You: "good thing it's not yours!" \*smiles and skips away happily in love and engaged <3 \*

BetiGrewUp

Your roommate is very insecure. Brat is far from the word. Just dont engage. Make small talk . She ruined her own relationship by being self centered. If she gets mean etc., just walk away. Put head phones on. I wouldn't have her in your wedding either, just saying.

Congratulations though :)

Americasucks1254

When she asks if it's an engagement ring and you say yes, then she starts in on how inexpensive it must have been, you cut her off and say "This is the ring I chose because it's the style I wanted. The fact that you only see it in terms of dollar signs is exactly why I don't want to talk to you about it." and leave the room.

If she jumps right to complaining you didn't tell her you were engaged/wanting to discuss wedding plans, say "Every time I tell you something (boyfriend) and I have done you insult it, so I don't want to discuss my wedding details with you."

conamo

It sounds like she's jealous, so she uses bragging as a coping mechanism to make her feel better about the fact she's an unhappy person. That's really all she's got going for her.

Danger_nooble

Your roommate is a jerk, and she sounds like someone I would 100% burn bridges with if you’re moving out soon. The next time she tries to one-up you or criticize your relationship I would just say “That was INCREDIBLY rude” and walk away or quite literally tell her to f*ck off. She sounds like a miserable person and misery loves company.

Brooklyn_Bunny

cat and dog lying on grass
Andrew S on Unsplash

Pets can be wonderful companions. Many studies show the physical and psychological benefits of pet ownership.

But...

If you think about some of the things our pets routinely do, in the context of their role as someone sharing our living space, pets can be kind of jerks.

Reddit user LakotaGrl challenged people to consider just that conundrum when they asked:

"Referring to your pet as only 'My roommate', what's something your roommate does?"

Here are the hilarious results.

Bedtime yoga.

My roommate likes to sleep with only his butt on the bed, the rest of his body on the floor. He also likes it when you slap his butt repeatedly.

dog couch GIF Giphy

Too close for comfort.

I once woke up to my roommate slipping and falling off the head of my bed and landing on my face. The first thing I saw that day was his butthole. Close up.

This is how you get pink eye.

Cat Dancing GIF by TikTok Giphy

Can't hold his licker.

If I bend over (to pick up something off the floor or whatever) and my trousers get slightly pulled down, my roommate will try to lick my butt. I have to tell him to stop it multiple times before he listens.

dog lick GIF Giphy

Feline recreation

My roommate attacks a stuffed toy filled with drugs, then runs around and attacks table legs. After he tires himself out, he licks his butthole and falls asleep in a cardboard box.

Cattoy GIF by catnipy Giphy

College roommate?

One time I was really impressed with my roommate because they managed to open the fridge all on their own.

dog fridge GIF Giphy

Not so sneaky.

My roommate crawls into bed with me and my girlfriend at night thinking we won't notice.

Saint Bernard GIF Giphy

Roomba of Doom!

My roommate is getting rather chubby because my husband has been traveling and she hasn't kept up the strict exercise program of running 20+ miles a week while he's gone. Instead, she's been stealing our kids' sandwiches and sleeping on his side of the bed.

Our roommate is scared of Roomba and tries to bite it. I have to be vigilant to make sure our roommate doesn't poop on the floor before Roomba runs.

Dog Roomba GIF by megan lockhart Giphy

Cock-a-doodle-who?

My roommate screams when the sun rises in the morning. He has also pooped on me before and hisses at vegetables.

My friend has a roommate like that. Has anger issues. Low key, but I think he's a pimp. He surrounds himself with multiple women and will fight you if you look at the girls.

rooster GIF Giphy

Just making sure he didn't miss anything good.

My roommate sniffs my mouth whenever he returns to the room just to check if I ate anything during his absence.

Cat Sniffing GIF Giphy

Porch Surfing

We found one of our roommates on our porch one day, he yelled at us until we fed him and he's been camping on our porch ever since. Sometimes he comes in the garage when it's really cold. We wanna bring him in, but the other two roommates don't want him in the house, so he stays on the porch.

porch cat GIF Giphy

Nobody wants to go in the cold.

My roommate wouldn't just go poo in the snow, instead she waited until it hit critical mass and went behind the curtains

Snow Dog GIF Giphy

Keeping an eye on you.

When I walk the dog, my roommate stalks us through the neighborhood, hiding behind trees and cars, then running ahead and jumping out at us.

cat jump dog GIF Giphy

Sometimes you need tough love...

Neither of my roommates will voluntarily bathe. When they really start to stink, I have to physically wrestle them into the bathtub. Both of my roommates will try to escape so it's pretty tricky.

dog bath GIF Giphy

...or a good bribe.

To convince my roommate baths are a good idea, I smear a small part of the tub with peanut butter and he licks it off while being bathed.

peanut butter dog GIF by Hallmark Channel Giphy

High Maintenance Relationship

My roommates were homeless when we met. I offer to let them live with me, but now they expect me to clean up after them and feed them. They're always complaining about the food I buy. All they do is lay around all day. They aren't even paying any rent!

cat sleep GIF Giphy

Practicing for the hotdog eating contest

Once I stepped outside to check the mail, and in the minute or two it took me to leave and come back, my roommate had eaten an entire pack of hot dog buns.

Italian Love GIF by Forno Gusto Giphy

A sudden wind.

My roommate wakes herself up with farts then acts super surprised

My roommate is just scared of her farts and stares at/sniffs her own butt every time it happens

fart GIF Giphy

That led to one heck of a hangover.

A former roommate of mine was wild as hell, he was his own man. One morning he left our house hastily, didn't mention where he was off to.

A few hours later he gets picked up from the drunk tank no worse for wear—we brought him home and put him to bed to sleep it off. Not more than an hour later he was vomiting chunks of dead bird and some sort of mammalian road kill.

dog GIF by Hallmark Channel Giphy

Number one method of communication.

My roommate pees on my bed when he is mad at me.

One of my roommates has done this twice recently since he has been started on a diet. He wanted to show his feelings about the situation.

kitties make the bed GIF Giphy

Inappropriate decorum.

My roommate thinks it's cute to run around the house showing guests my underwear

run away come back GIF by 6IXTY8IGHT Giphy

So what does your furry, finned, feathered or scaly roommate do?

Let us know in the comments.