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.
How do you talk to your roommate about your new plan? What kind of conflicts could erupt and how will you diffuse them?
I will tell my roommate that I feel as though it’d be fairer if both of us were to spend our own money on our own food so that there’s not mix up with whose food belongs to whom. A sort of conflict that could erupt is that my roommate could get offended or beg me to keep helping him/her pay because he/she is broke and won’t get his/her next paycheck for a while. I would diffuse these conflicts by telling my roommate that it’s his//her own fault for not being smarter with money and then give it time to settle in so no one remains angry with each other.
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.
How will you decide who should bring or buy each item? How can you make sure you are contributing fairly to your shared space?
Given that I already have everything I need for my room and my roommate has everything for his/her room, I would offer to buy furniture and necessities for the kitchen while he/she buys furniture for the living room. I’ll make sure that I’m contributing fairly to our shared space by keeping a close eye on the cost comparison between our payments.
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.
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?
I would tell my roommate that next time, he should communicate with my first before manipulating things that aren't his. With a thorough explanation, he should get enough sense in him to apologize and make sure that he asks before he manipulates my stuff.
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.
What are the pros and cons of letting a roommate have access to your financial information? What security concerns should you think about in this situation?
The pros of letting my roommate have access to my financial information is that he/she could help me pay certain bills when they’re needed. The cons of letting him/her have my information is that he/she could easily steal my money. I would think about all of the risks of identity theft in this situation and hope that I could trust my roommate enough to make the payment.
Broken Promises
Your roommate has a new boyfriend and you’re worried things will change. Sure enough, a few months later she moves out of your place and in with her boyfriend. The worst part? You still have six months left on the lease and she refuses to pay rent now that she has moved out.
How will you talk to your roommate about this situation? What might you do differently in the future when choosing a roommate?
I will let my roommate know that I’m not going to pay for her side of the rent, and if I do, she has to pay me back as soon as she can. In the future, I’d make sure my roommate keeps his/her word when it comes to living together to avoid any sort of conflict with how things are paid for and who does what around the apartment.
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.
How do you talk to your roommate about your new plan? What kind of conflicts could erupt and how will you diffuse them?
I will tell my roommate that I feel as though it’d be fairer if both of us were to spend our own money on our own food so that there’s not mix up with whose food belongs to whom. A sort of conflict that could erupt is that my roommate could get offended or beg me to keep helping him/her pay because he/she is broke and won’t get his/her next paycheck for a while. I would diffuse these conflicts by telling my roommate that it’s his//her own fault for not being smarter with money and then give it time to settle in so no one remains angry with each other.
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.
How will you decide who should bring or buy each item? How can you make sure you are contributing fairly to your shared space?
Given that I already have everything I need for my room and my roommate has everything for his/her room, I would offer to buy furniture and necessities for the kitchen while he/she buys furniture for the living room. I’ll make sure that I’m contributing fairly to our shared space by keeping a close eye on the cost comparison between our payments.
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.
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?
I would tell my roommate that next time, he should communicate with my first before manipulating things that aren't his. With a thorough explanation, he should get enough sense in him to apologize and make sure that he asks before he manipulates my stuff.
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.
What are the pros and cons of letting a roommate have access to your financial information? What security concerns should you think about in this situation?
The pros of letting my roommate have access to my financial information is that he/she could help me pay certain bills when they’re needed. The cons of letting him/her have my information is that he/she could easily steal my money. I would think about all of the risks of identity theft in this situation and hope that I could trust my roommate enough to make the payment.
Broken Promises
Your roommate has a new boyfriend and you’re worried things will change. Sure enough, a few months later she moves out of your place and in with her boyfriend. The worst part? You still have six months left on the lease and she refuses to pay rent now that she has moved out.
How will you talk to your roommate about this situation? What might you do differently in the future when choosing a roommate?
I will let my roommate know that I’m not going to pay for her side of the rent, and if I do, she has to pay me back as soon as she can. In the future, I’d make sure my roommate keeps his/her word when it comes to living together to avoid any sort of conflict with how things are paid for and who does what around the apartment.