Help!

[ky7403]

I know this doesnt have anything to with gymnastics but I need some advice. I have been living in an apartment with two girls that I did not previously know. The first half of the year things were fine but as time progresses things keep going downhill. We all moved into the apartment knowing how much the total amount of rent was going to be. At the beginning we all agreed to slipt the electric bill into 3 equal payments between us. I am the only person in my apartment that has a job. One roommate is not here the majority of the time but she pays her part of the bill with no questions asked. The other roommate on the other hand continues to say she has no money now but does nothing about it. Her solution is to turn off the AC and just deal with it so the bill is cheaper but we live in south central texas, its 85 degrees outside daily and it will only get hotter as the summer comes. The temperture in the house stays around 83 when the AC is not turned on. I have a fan in my room but that is just not enough to keep my room cool enough to be able to live in. She also eats the food I buy as well as the drink I buy. We shares the space in the kitchen and bathrooms but I am the only that is supplying them with the items needed and everyone is benifiting from my actions. I don't mind sharing some things but I am the only one who also cleans anything up and came prepared to live in an apartment on my own. So what I'm asking from some advice for how I should confront or handle this situation? I have put up with it for as long as I could I just can't take it anymore.

sorry it is so long! but please any kind of advice is appreciated

 

[bogwoppit]

Do you have a signed lease with all 3 names on it?

If I were you, which I'm not, I would tell the other girl who pays her bills, that you want to have a meeting with the non-payer and hope that she will support you. You need to present a united front, you need to clearly state that the non payer entered the agreement with the intent that she would pay a third of the bills and that includes AC as you live in Texas, not Quebec! If she says that she doesn't want to pay, you could suggest that she moves out or finds some work to pay her share.

I would also tell her that if she wants you to buy all the groceries that is fine, as she seems to like what you buy, but she will have to pay half the bill.

Of course that is what I'd do, as I hate inequality, and I hate it when people go back on their word, written or not.

I feel for you, I have had some whack job roomies, now I just have to live with three kids, a nutcase of a dog and a husband. Need I say more.....

 

[MdGymMom01]

I agree with Bog. I would try and have a meeting with the non-paying roommate as soon as possible. I know confrontation is hard but it needs to be done. Let her know that she agreed to pay 1/3 at the beginning and now something needs to be done. Let her know that she needs to figure out a way to pay her share or she has to move out. Let her know that you feel it is unfair that you buy all the groceries and she doesn't contribute yet still eats the food. Ask her what she would do in your situation.

In the meantime, you may want to ask around to see if you can get another roomate that can pay that way you can put the pressure on her.

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Let us know if you need any more advice on this. Be strong and let her know how you feel.

Good luck!!

 

[ky7403]

Thank you both! The problem with the roommate that doesn't have money to pay is that she doesn't have a car or even know how to drive even though she is 21 years old. She did have a job at the end of last year but quit for an extremely stupid reason...she didn't like the hours they gave her. She worked at the mall that we live right next to; its a 5 to 10 min walk tops. The other roommate that pays her half doesn't like me very much or at all because she assumed that I didn't know how to work the AC, which I do. We don't have a signed lease together we each have our own individual one the only thing that has all our names on it is the electicity bill but her name is the that they bill because she agreed that she would be responsible for paying it. When the bill comes we divid it into 3 equal payments and then pay her so she can pay it. She has already talked about sub leasing her room out because she doesn't have money but she isn't doing anything about anything except conplaining. It's extremely hard for me to confront her about this because she cant handle confrontation at all. I dont want to be rude because we will still be living together until mid July if she stays but I am spending more money that i should be to pay for everyone to eat in this house with no kind of conpensation. I plan to move to dallas area in august so im trying to save all the money i can. I have no problem confronting people for some reason this is just really hard for me to do.

 

[ryantroop]

Well.. you have a few options.

1) Buy less, and let them fend for themselves.

2) Own up to it, and realize that not everyone is as well managed as you - you will have many people in your life who are not capable of making good decisions. You are learning a lesson: When it comes to money, know the people you are working with and don't trust people who simply say they will be there.

3) Listen to the others here - stand up to her, and realize that youre already in a bad situation, and you cant be afraid of "making it worse." Sitting down and talking about her plans, and asking her what she needs in order to help do her part, and maybe taking an interest into her life so you can see why she is having trouble, may help her sort her life out and perhaps alleviate the frustration. It sounds silly that the other roomate doesnt like you simply becasue you dont know how to use the AC... is there something else? Work through that too... You don't really know people until you live with them. Now you understand why.