budget buster....roomate is going broke

[Sagginit]

so i thought a roomate was a great way to save money. well i feel like ive spent a small fortune on random apt things in the last month. i figured expenses would get under control in the next month since we seem to have what we need. well my roomate just comes to me and tells me she can't really manage our bills and wants another roomate. ugh. do i really have a choice? it kinda irritates me the thought that after we bought all the kitchen and living room stuff and get it all set up, we will have to move everything around and accomodate another person. i can tell her no, but my roomates name is on the lease, not mine, so if she cant pay bills/rent it could get me evicted. anyone have roomates in the past, thoughts on how to negotiate these things?

 

[okeydokey]

It looks like a great time for you to free yourself from this situation and get another place by yourself or with a different roommate. It's on;y the first month and already she can't afford it, I wouldn't expect it to change much in the future. Just divide the stuff you already bought.

 

[ziggystardust]

you'll learn a quick lesson about sharing household purchases... I did and fast. We "shared" pots and pans, home decor, and a wii. What did I leave with, nothing. (I have since gotten back the wii after a lot of annoying conversations over the course of a year)

anyway, you are not on the lease. if you don't want another roommate, don't get one. if she has a problem with it, its her butt on the line, not yours. If she is your friend, discuss it with her. She got in over her head if she can't afford it. And it will only get worse as the bills start rolling in.

do you even have a spare bedroom to put this new person?

 

[Leajess99]

It looks like a great time for you to free yourself from this situation and get another place by yourself or with a different roommate. It's on;y the first month and already she can't afford it, I wouldn't expect it to change much in the future. Just divide the stuff you already bought.

I would have to make the same recommendation.

OP - Since your name is not on the lease I would definitely look for some place else. If she can't pay her bills now than it may not be long before she loses the place and you end up evicted even with another roommate.

 

[disykat]

I agree. You can split rent/utitilities, etc. but don't share anything else. It needs to be very clear who owns what when you go your separate ways!

 

[DawnM]

UGH! I have to say that I am very glad my roommate days are OVER! I had some decent roommates, but overall, it was far more hassle than it was worth.

Dawn

 

[Ember]

Take all the random things you just bought, and move them into your new home with a new roommate. This one is bad news.

 

[FINFAN]

Take all the random things you just bought, and move them into your new home with a new roommate. This one is bad news.

yep......count your blessings that you are not on the lease. You are dodging a bullet here, head out now while you can and are not tied to any other financial issues that may arise.

 

[RangerPooh]

I agree with everyone else. If you aren't on the lease give her advance notice that you're looking for a new place and move out. Determine what you have purchased and what were shared purchases. Offer to split the shared goods or to buy each other out from them if no reimbursement has been made.

Sadly her inability to manage the bills may be a sign that she isn't god with budgeting her money . You do not want to be in the situation where rent and other bills fall on your shoulders. You can be honest with her and let her know why you'll be looking for a new roommate, or just let her know that things aren't working out as planned. Before leaving your current place double check that you are not on the lease. Are the utilities and their deposits in your name? If so you'll need to get those switched over prior to the move out date so that you can get your deposit back and she'll be responsible for the new deposit and bill.

 

[Marionnette]

so i thought a roomate was a great way to save money. well i feel like ive spent a small fortune on random apt things in the last month. i figured expenses would get under control in the next month since we seem to have what we need. well my roomate just comes to me and tells me she can't really manage our bills and wants another roomate. ugh. do i really have a choice? it kinda irritates me the thought that after we bought all the kitchen and living room stuff and get it all set up, we will have to move everything around and accomodate another person. i can tell her no, but my roomates name is on the lease, not mine, so if she cant pay bills/rent it could get me evicted. anyone have roomates in the past, thoughts on how to negotiate these things?

Wow. My advice is the same as the others. Get out now. You may find yourself being asked to pay all of the bills for a month or more because your roommate is cash strapped for one reason or another. She doesnt sound like someone who has a good handle on her finances.

 

[Sagginit]

i know my name is not on the lease, she signed it before we met. the only thing we share is our tv, which we agreed to whoever gets it has to buy out the other person. so i was smart with that.

the third roomate would go in her bedroom and she would take the living room, we have the second floor of a large two family house so that would still leave the unused dining room as our new living room and a kitchen to share. the problem is she has had health problems and now has huge unexpected bills. she should be getting insurance from work but it just hasnt kicked in yet. so in theory its not her budgeting skills. she has no family to lean on and so its even tougher when someone says we need to talk, they think i may have a deadly disease, can we discuss if you can help me keep my bills down so i can afford medical treatment?

im just worried that a third person would throw the balance off, so far she has been good with splitting costs of misc. things like toilet paper and dishsoap. this third person may be a complete bum and not save me any money. on the other hand as my friends have pointed out, it will let me save an extra 200-300 a month which i can save to move out in a few months. can we have a contract on who buys TP and soap? is that too OCD? i also just spent money on a moving truck, cable installation etc so i would lose a few hundred that i invested in moving in. i have no friends in the area so a new roomate is just as big a gamble.

 

[ziggystardust]

can we have a contract on who buys TP and soap? is that too OCD?

yes. there's a few ways to do it. You can either switch up the purchasing. you buy one month, she buys the next, new roomie the next. Or you can put every household purchase receipt on the fridge and everyone splits it evenly.

i've done both in the past and both have worked. it does take a little bit of discipline though, b/c if when you do the receipt thing, it has to be agreed on before you start buying out target just b/c its "for the apartment".

whatever you do, just discuss beforehand, so everyone is on the same page.
good luck!

 

[dfchelbay]

Maybe you all three should take a trip to the Dollar Tree every so often. They have toilet paper, dish soap, toothpaste, soap, napkins, paper towels, etc. For a few dollars each, you could load up the apartment for a few months. Since everything costs exactly the same amount of money...$1, the bill should be really easy to divide by three roomies.