Roommate told me to stop splitting every grocery bill and I saved $80 a month

My roommate pointed out I was paying for things I didn't use like her oat milk and fancy snacks. We switched to separate grocery runs and only split shared stuff like eggs and toilet paper. After two months I was spending about $80 less per month on food. Has anyone else realized they were overpaying on shared household stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia31718d ago

Read an article a while back about how people in shared housing often end up paying for things they don't actually use. It mostly comes down to being too polite or not wanting to rock the boat. I've seen it happen with my own friends where one person's fancy coffee or expensive almond butter gets lumped into the shared grocery tab. Your roommate calling you out actually seems like a solid move - saved you cash and probably cut down on any hidden resentment.

the_jana18d ago

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head with "too polite or not wanting to rock the boat." That's exactly it. I've been in that same spot where I paid for stuff I never touched just to keep things easy. It's nice when someone finally calls it out though, because then you don't have to be the one to start the awkward conversation. It really does cut down on that hidden resentment you mentioned, which can just build up over time. Your roommate did you a solid by being upfront, and that's something worth keeping around.

the_morgan14d ago

$60 for a bag of coffee I don't drink. That's what my old flatmate charged me. @the_jana, you ever actually sit down and calculate how much you lost before they called it out? I think people just forget the small stuff adds up fast.