Food-Stealing Roommates

[carnation]

One of my own college-aged kids is having a problem with his roommates stealing the food that he buys. Seems like nothing has changed from the seventies. Anyway, he's in a dorm situation where there are 4 bedrooms and a common kitchen to an apartment and none of the boys have a seven-day meal plan on campus. When he has confronted his roommates, they get angry and say they don't have any money so why shouldn't they eat his, etc.

I seem to recall a thread years ago in which people talked about this problem and creative ways they solved it. I can't find the thread; does anyone have any ideas?

[Little32]

Originally Posted by carnation

One of my own college-aged kids is having a problem with his roommates stealing the food that he buys. Seems like nothing has changed from the seventies. Anyway, he's in a dorm situation where there are 4 bedrooms and a common kitchen to an apartment and none of the boys have a seven-day meal plan on campus. When he has confronted his roommates, they get angry and say they don't have any money so why shouldn't they eat his, etc.

I seem to recall a thread years ago in which people talked about this problem and creative ways they solved it. I can't find the thread; does anyone have any ideas?

First, wow. Really? That's their response?

Non-perishable items can be stored in his room. Can he buy a smaller refrigerator to keep in his room for things that need it? If the stuff is in his room, I assume they won't be able to get to it.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by carnation

When he has confronted his roommates, they get angry and say they don't have any money so why shouldn't they eat his, etc.

That's BS.

I agree with the Little -- it's not his job to support the eating habits of his entire apartment. I agree w/ the idea of getting a smaller refrigerator to keep in his room. They can be around $100, so it's not super cheap, but in the end, that $100 investment could save even more hundreds in roomie-eaten groceries.

Do the bedrooms have their own locks? That configuration sounds familiar to some in my old school and all the bedrooms had their own locks on them

[AGDee]

I think in the other thread you're referencing, people sabotaged the food in some way. I remember telling the story about my brother, whose lunch was being stolen daily in junior high school. My mom put cayenne pepper in EVERYTHING one day and gave him lunch money to buy a lunch. His lunch was never stolen again after that day.

[moe.ron]

Thing never changed huh? Complete BS that he has to subsidized them. Do what Dr Phil suggested. Teach 'em a lesson in manners.

[carnation]

I would have Baby Berry's old mini-fridge down there in a New York minute but the dorm doesn't permit them. LOL, I'd like to tell him y'all's ideas but I'm afraid he'd use them! Well, WTH...I'm going to call him and direct him to this thread.Hahaha! Maybe he'll use some of these.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

2) Keep the food in the main kitchen and put his name on it. Then put cat piss in the milk (or Mr Bubbles to be nice) and stuff the cereal boxes with styrofoam. Punk asses.

YES!

[violetpretty]

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

YES!

"Yo, dude! Your rice crispies are stale!"

"Yes, they are. Bitches!"

[KSUViolet06]

"Dude, your milk tastes like pee!"

"Right."

[chickenoodle]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I guess kindly talking to them and then threatening to whoop ass hasn't worked. Good grief.

Two ideas:
1) Keep the unrefrigerated foods in a plastic bin under his bed.
Get a bedroom minifridge with a lock--I think that's possible. LOL

2) Keep the food in the main kitchen and put his name on it. Then put cat piss in the milk (or Mr Bubbles to be nice) and stuff the cereal boxes with styrofoam. Punk asses.

(If he chooses #2, make sure he has his own nonpiss and nonstyrofoam stash of food somewhere and he doesn't forget that the kitchen food is pissed off when he's trying to feed himself or guests.)

This was my first thought upon reading the OP. I fully endorse #1 and as hilarious it would be to do #2, I strongly suggest talking to the RA or equivalent. File a formal complaint then sit down and do the mediation. If they pull this shit again, then do #2 in a big way. At least you'll have a record of trying to work it out, and there will be proof of the roommate's douchebaggery (their complaints about the piss and packing peanuts).

Originally Posted by violetpretty

ROFL!! Those Kanye jokes will never get old to me.

[VandalSquirrel]

Wasabi fronting as avocado, benefiber in juice/ice tea/punch, horseradish with sour cream

and so on

[33girl]

Ex lax in brownies.

I take it these are just roomies he ended up with through luck of the draw and not people he actually knows.

Or, maybe your son should go ahead and get a meal plan. Aren't they mandatory anymore?

[carnation]

I'm back on and rolling on the floor at all this, calling all kinds of people to look at the thread, lol. Y'all are hysterical!

I think he has a 5-day meal plan and they have 3? Yes, they were luck of the draw although it turned out that one was a guy he barely knew from his high school.

[DrPhil]

Your son should just go ninja on them and snatch their meal plans in the dark of the night.