Spring Break
Dear E: Food Freeloader
Erin Bonsall
Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: Editorial/Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
04/07/05 - Dear E,
My housemate and I get along really well, except for one thing. We usually meet for lunch a few times a week and I always end up paying for her!
It started earlier this semester because she didn't have a job for a few weeks and really didn't have any money to eat. I wanted her company, and I didn't want her to be skipping meals because she had no money, so I kept telling her it was no problem for me to put her food onto my Ram Account.
Well, it's nearly the end of the semester and she has had a job for a while, yet she still claims she can't afford to buy herself lunch a couple of days a week and just expects me to pay for her!
I'm not rich by any means and paying for lunch for two people three or four days out of the week is starting to drain my Ram Account.
Plus, she doesn't even say thank you anymore, she just hands me her food when we're in line to pay like it's my duty to feed her! What should I do about this?
-Feeling Used
Dear Feeling Used,
The best thing to do is be flat-out honest: Tell your roommate you can't afford to keep paying for her lunches.
If she gets angry with you, simply remind her that you were spotting her for lunches earlier in the semester because she did not have a job and, now that she has one, she should be able to foot the bill for her own food.
It's going to be important to stick to your guns once you've laid down the law. Even if your friend seems to get the hint when you talk to her, there's no guarantee that she won't (on occasion) "forget" her money.
Hopefully this won't happen but try to get into a separate line than she does when it comes time to pay for your food, or make sure there is three or four people separating the two of you when you're in line. I hope this works out for you!
If you have a question for Erin, you can e-mail her at askerin5@hotmail.com, or drop a letter off in person at the Cigar, Room 125 in the Memorial Union.
My housemate and I get along really well, except for one thing. We usually meet for lunch a few times a week and I always end up paying for her!
It started earlier this semester because she didn't have a job for a few weeks and really didn't have any money to eat. I wanted her company, and I didn't want her to be skipping meals because she had no money, so I kept telling her it was no problem for me to put her food onto my Ram Account.
Well, it's nearly the end of the semester and she has had a job for a while, yet she still claims she can't afford to buy herself lunch a couple of days a week and just expects me to pay for her!
I'm not rich by any means and paying for lunch for two people three or four days out of the week is starting to drain my Ram Account.
Plus, she doesn't even say thank you anymore, she just hands me her food when we're in line to pay like it's my duty to feed her! What should I do about this?
-Feeling Used
Dear Feeling Used,
The best thing to do is be flat-out honest: Tell your roommate you can't afford to keep paying for her lunches.
If she gets angry with you, simply remind her that you were spotting her for lunches earlier in the semester because she did not have a job and, now that she has one, she should be able to foot the bill for her own food.
It's going to be important to stick to your guns once you've laid down the law. Even if your friend seems to get the hint when you talk to her, there's no guarantee that she won't (on occasion) "forget" her money.
Hopefully this won't happen but try to get into a separate line than she does when it comes time to pay for your food, or make sure there is three or four people separating the two of you when you're in line. I hope this works out for you!
If you have a question for Erin, you can e-mail her at askerin5@hotmail.com, or drop a letter off in person at the Cigar, Room 125 in the Memorial Union.
