Roommate+Concerns



Living with Roommates - Not as easy as it sounds! You’ve just signed a lease with a new roommate and you have no idea what to expect. You do know one thing though—money can mean trouble. Read the scenarios below and discuss how you would resolve the financial conflicts with your new roommate. Be prepared to explain and justify your answers to the class.

1. Who Ate My Food? You agreed to split the cost of food with your roommate, but you just went to the store two days ago, and your roommate has already eaten your bananas, cereal and soup. You’ve had enough, and decide that from now on you will buy your own food. a)How do you talk to your roommate about your new plan? b)What kind of conflicts could erupt and how will you diffuse them?

2. Decorating Your Place You’re getting ready to move into your new apartment and you and your roommate are trying to decide who should bring or buy furniture and other basics. You have everything you need for your own room, but you also need furniture for the living room and dishes for the kitchen. a)How will you decide who should bring or buy each item? b)How can you make sure you are contributing fairly to your shared space?

3. Streaming Video You and your roommate decide to have a movie marathon together. Just as you are about to pop in a DVD, your roommate says he can stream video to the TV because he added the service to your cable bill. Oh, and he’s going to need an extra ten bucks from you each month to cover it. You’re glad to have the convenience, but you’re annoyed that he didn’t ask first. a)How will you communicate your frustrations to your roommate, and what will you do to ensure something like this doesn’t happen in the future?

4. Passwords Please You’re out of town and you forgot your cell phone bill is due. You usually pay it online, but you can’t remember your username and password. You call your roommate and ask if she can take care of it for you, letting her know that your usernames and passwords are in a notebook by your desk. a)What are the pros and cons of letting a roommate have access to your financial information? b)What security concerns should you think about in this situation?

5. Broken Promises Your roommate has a new boyfriend or girlfriend and you’re worried things will change. Sure enough, a few months later they moves out of your place and in with her boyfriend/girlfriend. The worst part? You still have six months left on the lease and she refuses to pay rent now that she has moved out. a)How will you talk to your roommate about this situation? b)What might you do differently in the future when choosing a roommate?