The Real (And Hilarious) Cost Of Living With Roommates

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $15.99* for bowl and cleaning tools
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Bed Bath & Beyond

One would have thought this was obvious, but perhaps an explanation is needed here. Microwaves are designed to heat from the inside out, making most plastic takeaway dishes microwave safe. Whereas an oven has a more thorough heating process, from the outside in, which pretty much means don’t put plastic in the oven. 

Microwave Safe Bowl in the Oven @buzzfeed / Pinterest.com

It might seem unlikely that anyone would think you could put actual plastic in an actual oven – but this person’s roommate did, with disastrous results. The bowl melted all over the oven, causing a terrible smell and an almost impossible clean up. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $12 and a lot of wasted time*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Any legitimate home security company

For a so-called ‘lazy’ door alarm, this seems to be a lot of work. What happens when you leave the house? Does it mean the firecrackers need to be detached and reattached each time the door opens or closes? Also, once they have been detonated they would have to be replaced. Seems like a time consuming and expensive system. 

Lazy Door Alarmc@pattycrab / PInterest.com

It would make for a pretty funny Instagram post though. If you could catch the moment your roommate opens the door only to be met with several loud pops from the firecrackers it would surely go viral.

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $20 worth of batteries and tootsie rolls*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Amazon

Batteries are expensive, though so is wasted time! This roommate thought it would be funny to fill the battery slots with Tootsie Rolls, and it was probably pretty hilarious watching their roommate trying to figure out why nothing is working. 

Thanks For Replacing the Batteries @7purpleskies / Pinterest.com

How long would it have taken before they opened up the device to find the candies? Probably a significant amount of time as the first thing one checks is not the batteries, but several other possible causes first. Though we must admit it is pretty funny how the tootsie rolls fit perfectly into the battery slots. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: Mostly fridge space, a valuable resource when living in a shared space*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Storage containers from Target

There are several theories about the logic (or lack thereof) behind the decision to put the put straight into the fridge. Theory no. 1: they don’t own any storage containers. Though it would be more sensible to put it in a bowl and close with Saran Wrap if this were the issue. 

Leftovers ©imgur.com

Theory no. 2: roommate doesn’t know any better. In which case this is a teaching moment, and there is no reason for it to reoccur. Theory no. 3: roommate is very lazy. This is a more difficult issue to resolve and may take some serious coercion and/or stern conversations. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $300-$2000*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Whole Foods

We all know the importance of buying free-range eggs and the harm factory farming causes the environment and animal welfare. Some even choose to care for egg-laying chickens in order to make sure the eggs are happy and cruelty-free. 

“Free” Range Eggs @arcauteroberto / Pinterest.com

This, however, is a gross exaggeration and surely a prank in what must be an escalating series of pranks. Or it belongs to someone who has plenty of extra space and shares his bathroom with a chicken, though the former is the more likely of the two scenarios. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $1.99*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Target

If you’ve ever watched Curb Your Enthusiasm you will know the running storyline Larry David portrays with his struggle to open packaging. Pure comedy genius, as is this prank. One can imagine the excitement of the roommate when the food sealer arrived and the scheming that went into this little prank.

The Roommate Who Bought a Food Sealer @oddstuffmag / Pinterest.com

There are so many possibilities when prancing a roommate with a food sealer. Think of all the options in the bathroom, sealing the toilet paper for example. Whoever did this little prank has a really wicked sense of humor. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $4* (assuming this is the only time it’s happened)
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Trader Joe’s

While to some this may seem like a harmless little mistake, but truthfully things like these lead to relationships ending and roommates being evicted. Leaving the lid off the soda is amongst the top 10 roommate offenses, which if such a list doesn’t actually exist, it should. 

Why is the Soda Flat? Oh… That’s Why @buzzfeed / Pinterest.com

It would be amongst other offenses such as: not replacing the toilet paper, or leaving the toothpaste cap open, creating a hard ball of toothpaste, or not closing the bread properly so the whole loaf goes stale.

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $3*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Domino’s 

This is certainly an interesting interpretation of a slice.  The question that arises here is, how? Was it cut with scissors? Folded in half and then cut? It must have taken a lot of time and effort – which brings us to the second question, why? Surely an act of revenge, or simply a practical joke.

“I Saved You a Slice” @wattpad / Pinterest.com

Perhaps a metaphor for a life without meaning. The exterior is a perfectly presented slice, triangular and cheesy as one would expect to see. Whereas the inside is empty and hollow, an existential crislice which can only be resolved by the therapeutic effect of a full slice of Domino’s pizza. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $15* and some sanity
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Trader Joe’s 

This is a crime of ‘holy’ proportions. There are so many problems with this, it should actually be punishable by law. The first real issue is eating a pie directly out of the pan with a fork. Ever heard the term ‘double dipping’? Personal hygiene is obviously not a priority to this pie destroyer. 

Pie Crime @ofournier24 / Pinterest.com

The second and perhaps most ‘central’ problem here is the fact that the pie was eaten in a circle in the middle. Who avoids the crust? It is literally the best part of a pie! Anyhow there is no point of trying to understand this pie eating method as it is clearly without any logic at all. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: Not quite a wasted resource
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Amazon for mousetraps

This is technically correct, a cat is rather useful if you happen to have a rodent issue. Though it does often lead to cat ‘gifts’ not unlike the harrowing horse head scene in The Godfather though slightly less dramatic. And slightly is the operative word here because it is not ever fun to find an uninvited and not-alive animal in bed. 

My Roommate Said They Were Going to Buy a Mousetrap…@dailymail / Pinterest.com

Not to mention that when sharing a house, it is advisable to consult with your roommates before bringing a pet into the environment. One could have allergies, aversions or simply prefer to live in a pet free house. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $2*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Trader Joe’s

This is one of those occasions where the expression ‘it’s the thought that counts’ really comes into play. Baking is more science than art, and if one follows the recipe it will usually come out correctly. For this reason, winging it doesn’t normally cut it when it comes to baked goods. 

Oatmeal Cookies Are NOT Just Baked Oatmeal @TikTokXL / Pinterest.com

In this case, a roommate took the idea of oatmeal cookies very literally and just baked oatmeal resulting in, well, baked oatmeal. Thoughtful, yes, but tasty, unlikely. Though in a community when someone is kind enough to make an effort, the polite thing to say is thank you. Or in this case, no thank you. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $2.99*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Target

Puzzling though, because this won’t actually help you to not lose the scissors any more than if they weren’t stuck shut. They aren’t attached to anything, just simply closed, rendering them completely useless. And how can they be opened if the scissors are presently useless? Short answer, they can’t. 

Didn’t Want to Lose the Scissors @heatherandrocky / Pinterest.com

There is an expression in Italian which translates to “Everything has a place and every place has a thing.” The best way to not lose household items is to have a designated spot for the item and consistently return said item to said spot. Perhaps a slightly better strategy than closing the scissors shut, just saying.

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $0.84* and some wasted time and effort
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Target 

When weighing up the amount of time it would take to simply change the toilet paper roll as opposed to the amount of time it took to get a pen, remove one block of toilet paper and write this message, then to carefully prop it up for the next toilet user to see may not make much sense.

Just a Coward @buzzfeed / Pinterest.com

Though, the facetious tone of the message to change the toilet paper in the first place is rather unmotivating. One can understand why the cheeky responder did so with such a tone, perhaps to prove a point. Well, in that case, point taken. 

Est. Value of Wasted Resources: $50*
Best Place to Buy Replacement: Craigslist

This image would aptly be named ‘Scenes from the night before’. Assuming that a bathroom would only look this way after a house party. One can only shudder at the thought of what was in the toilet that prompted a bucket of packing chips down the bowl. Some things are better left unknown.

Thanks For “Cleaning” the Toilet @higgins8182 / Pinterest.com

Hopefully the culprit is around in the morning to clean up after themselves, as this looks like it will not be fun to get rid of. Rubber kitchen gloves would be an absolute necessity, as well as potentially a mask and an apron. Or perhaps the simplest option is to just move out.