AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Discussion for current and prospective students about social life at university, city life, societies and everything above living away from home. Keep accommodation, finance and university specific discussion in their own forums. 1 Hour Ago: 16th November 2011 02:13 Hi everyone who's still awake

I'm wondering what to do or how to tell them about this. And also I need to rant.

So I live in a flat with 4 other people, I've just moved in 2 months ago. 4 guys who are 20 like me and freshly moved in like me and one woman who's older so sees herself as motherly and often cooks meals and puts them on the table for everyone to eat. About once a week she'll insist I try some so I eat some rice.. or one chicken wing. I've also ate her homemade soup before. That kind of thing . She's a keen baker so to make up for the rice I've eaten, I'll buy her eggs, flour, sugar and butter to bake with. I have done this on several occasions. I also have chicken in the freezer I told her she can use some of since I had like literally one chicken wing - I was just being polite.

I think this has made her (I assume it's her) or someone else think it's okay to literally help themselves to everything I have. I budget my meals as I just have enough money to eat, so I buy what I need at the start of the week. I can't afford a mini fridge unfortunately. I keep a lot of my cupboard stuff in my bedroom, though. We have 2 very large fridges so there's a shelf I keep my stuff on and nobody elses stuff is on it. It's pretty clear what's mine, and everybody certainly knows what's not theirs. Here's a list of what's been stolen from me the past couple of weeks.

1. I buy a whole bottle of oil to cook with. The whole thing is gone in a day and I never used it.
2. I buy two large blocks of cheese. £4 each. I go away for a few days. I come back there's only one left. The other has disappeared completely.
3. I buy another big block to make up for the one stolen. I make a sandwich, go to University and return to a tiny little lump, clumsily closed and lying on someone else's shelf.
4. I always have milkshake before bed. So I buy litres of milk - should be enough for 2 or 3 days breakfast, tea and milkshake. However, I often come home in the evening to find dregs. Or worse, they drink it after the shop closes. I use about 10% of my milk and find it tiring and expensive to replace daily as it costs 90p - £1 every day now.
5. I also budget my dinners. I buy 2 giant bags of fries and put them in the freezer. Open up one and use literally 1/20th of the packet. Next time I check them they're basically finished.
6. I drink fruit juice in the morning. Open a litre box and put it in the fridge. Should last me 5 days. Lasts me 1 day even though I only have 1 glass. Someone is drinking it.
7. Someone uses half my whipped cream.
8. They eat my fruit.

* I've told them I can't eat anything they cook as I plan out my meals and don't eat certain things etc. I've told them I have a plan and a budget to hint that they can't steal from me. This does not seem to be sinking in. However I am very very friendly with everyone and we're all helpful with each other. How can I say it without being bitchy?

**I 've already tried putting my things in tupperwares, and then wrapping the tupperwares in plastic bags before putting them in the fridge so they look unaccessible, private and unrecognisable as tempting goods to steal. Someone still forages inside these. Which is rude considering they know full well it's not their own.

*** I can't steal back since nobody else buys milk or cheese or butter or fries or oil and just seems to use mine.

Last edited by BoxesAndBangles; 1 Hour Ago at 02:20. 1 Hour Ago: 16th November 2011 02:21 If you are that poor, why are you buying fruit juice and whipped cream? Stay off the tesco's finest for about a week or two and you'll probably have enough for a mini fridge - your dream come true.
Whipped Cream - 89p long life LIDL
Fruit Juice - 49p long life Tesco Value.

I don't buy anything from finest, I'm currently a value/lidl girl. When I find a job I will be getting a mini fridge though hopefully. But for the moment, I'm just a student so I can make the cream stretch out a week and the fruit juice 4 days if nobody else drinks it. I can afford to eat, I have £15-£20 a week for food if I don't go out which is what I'm doing so I can afford to eat properly if I buy the right things. Regardless, I can't afford to feed everyone else.

This wasn't meant to be a discussion about money. And before anyone starts I study an NHS degree in Scotland so the maximum for even the poorest students is £470 a month.

Last edited by BoxesAndBangles; 1 Hour Ago at 02:25. 56 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 02:29 Whipped Cream - 89p long life LIDL
Fruit Juice - 49p long life Tesco Value.

I don't buy anything from finest, I'm currently a value/lidl girl. When I find a job I will be getting a mini fridge though hopefully. But for the moment, I'm just a student so I can make the cream stretch out a week and the fruit juice 4 days if nobody else drinks it. I can afford to eat, I have £15-£20 a week for food if I don't go out which is what I'm doing so I can afford to eat properly if I buy the right things. Regardless, I can't afford to feed everyone else.

This wasn't meant to be a discussion about money. And before anyone starts I study an NHS degree in Scotland so the maximum for even the poorest students is £470 a month.

Wow, £15 a week! What can you make for this? what do you eat for a week?

Anyway, sorry, erm, you could put green food colouring in the milk, cream etc,

Buy some fruit juice and put loads of laxatives in it.

52 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 02:33 Oh and as for the cooking oil, are you sure?

I mean what possible use could anyone have for an entire bottle??

In one day??

39 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 02:46 Wow, £15 a week! What can you make for this? what do you eat for a week?

Anyway, sorry, erm, you could put green food colouring in the milk, cream etc,

Buy some fruit juice and put loads of laxatives in it.

You know it's not as bad as you think! I can eat pretty well for that.

Breakfast = I buy 1kg of meusli (which lasts me two weeks) for 90p from Tesco
A banana (about 8 or 9p Tesco), 250g mixed nuts (lasts me 10 days) 90p from Tesco and a glass of fruit juice (lasts me 4 days) for 49p Tesco. So breakfast ends up costing me about 30p per day.

Lunch = I buy 2 65p loaves of bread and a £3.99 block of cheese per week (my luxury). Eggs are 85p for 10 from LIDL. So I have cheese sandwhiches + either 11p asda noodles or french toast. Costs about 75p a day.

Dinner = I buy a pack of basmati rice for about a £1 from the Asian grocers. Lasts me more than week. I spice it with spices I have had for months and months now and cook it with butter (lasts me more than a week) which costs £1 from Tesco. I buy 2kg of chicken drumsticks (lasts a week) for £3.95 from farmfoods, frozen and defrost 3 daily then bake them in butter and seasoning. Costs 85p daily and is delicious.

Pudding = I buy an 89p 300g tin of fruit cocktail from LIDL. Lasts me 4 days. 7 apples + 7 kiwis = £2 from Tesco. I buy 89p UHT cream from LIDL. So 65p a day.

Supper = 2 cookies (a pack of about 20 from Tesco is like 40p) and a glass of milkshake. Nesquick lasts me about 3 weeks and was on sale for £1. Milk should last 3 days. About 30p daily.

All in all, that costs about £2 per day. I buy multivitamin pills for like 80p so that costs less than 1p a day. I get plenty of protein from the chicken, cheese, eggs and milk. I get more than 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. I also get my treats. I think it's pretty healthy and a good deal! I definitely get my 2,000kcals, 70g fat, 70g protein etc. a day. I think it's balanced considering the price. I drink high juice (it's £1 and lasts me days) as well as water.

This is why I don't get why people think fruit is expensive at about 10p a piece for apples, kiwis and bananas. Less for fruit cocktails and fresh juice. You can get 5 portions for 50p - 60p a day. Sure strawberries and mangoes etc. are expensive but even them you can buy frozen for cheap - certainly not more expensive than chocolate or coca cola anyway

P.S. I think someone used the oil for deep frying or something!

Last edited by BoxesAndBangles; 25 Minutes Ago at 02:59. 28 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 02:57 You know it's not as bad as you think! I can eat pretty well for that.

Breakfast = I buy 1kg of meusli (which lasts me two weeks) for 90p from Tesco
A banana (about 8 or 9p Tesco), 250g mixed nuts (lasts me 10 days) 90p from Tesco and a glass of fruit juice (lasts me 4 days) for 49p Tesco. So breakfast ends up costing me about 30p per day.

Lunch = I buy 2 65p loaves of bread and a £3.99 block of cheese per week (my luxury). Eggs are 85p for 10 from LIDL. So I have cheese sandwhiches + either 11p asda noodles or french toast. Costs about 75p a day.

Dinner = I buy a pack of basmati rice for about a £1 from the Asian grocers. Lasts me more than week. I spice it with spices I have had for months and months now and cook it with butter (lasts me more than a week) which costs £1 from Tesco. I buy 2kg of chicken drumsticks (lasts a week) for £3.95 from farmfoods, frozen and defrost 3 daily then bake them in butter and seasoning. Costs 85p daily and is delicious.

Pudding = I buy an 89p 300g tin of fruit cocktail from LIDL. Lasts me 4 days. 7 apples + 7 kiwis = £2 from Tesco. I buy 89p UHT cream from LIDL. So 65p a day.

Supper = 2 cookies (a pack of about 20 from Tesco is like 40p) and a glass of milkshake. Nesquick lasts me about 3 weeks and was on sale for £1. Milk should last 3 days. About 30p daily.

All in all, that costs about £2 per day. I buy 40 multivitamin pills for a £1 so that costs less than 1p a day. I get plenty of protein from the chicken, cheese, eggs and milk. I get more than 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. I also get my treats. I think it's pretty healthy and a good deal! I definitely get my 2,000kcals, 70g fat, 70g protein etc. a day. I think it's balanced considering the price. I drink high juice (it's £1 and lasts me days) as well as water.

This is why I don't get why people think fruit is expensive at about 10p a piece for apples, kiwis and bananas. Less for fruit cocktails and fresh juice. You can get 5 portions for 50p - 60p a day. Sure strawberries and mangoes etc. are expensive but even them you can buy frozen for cheap - certainly not more expensive than chocolate or coca cola anyway

P.S. I think someone used the oil for deep frying or something!

Yes, this is quite good, actually.

Well, you could try some of my suggestions!

Does deep fat frying even use a whole bottle of oil- it might well, but I never knew that!

P.S why do you need oil if you bake your food in oil and what do you buy fries for then?

Last edited by Elissabeth; 26 Minutes Ago at 02:59. 26 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 02:59 Ask them again to stop stealing your food.

If they continue to do so then **** with them. Buy some milk or fruit juice, along with plenty of laxatives from your nearest pharmacy, grind up laxatives, put in liquid, wait.

If they still continue then buy yourself a mini fridge, keep it in your room and make a space there somewhere for your dry foods too.

21 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 03:04 19 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 03:05 Yes, this is quite good, actually.

Well, you could try some of my suggestions!

Does deep fat frying even use a whole bottle of oil- it might well, but I never knew that!

P.S why do you need oil if you bake your food in oil and what do you buy fries for then?

I bought fries because sometimes I like having fries instead of rice. 4kg of LA diner fries = £2 in Farmfoods. It's just a great deal and lasts me months. That means I can sometimes have fries instead of rice. Or sometimes I'll buy those mini pizzas for 49p from Tesco and have pizza and fries but that's really rare since chicken is more nutritious haha. I don't really struggle as long as I keep within budget but with these locusts thats becoming difficult!!

I buy oil to make french toast and sometimes if I'm running out of butter to bake chicken with since I eat the skin and I like it to be all crispy

I don't know how a whole bottle of oil finished in a day. There are 5 people so who maybe everyone had some. Maybe someone holed it away to use later or something!! I also don't know how they made a giant block of cheese vanish without trace. God knows. But thanks for your suggestions I'll try the food colouring. But they're such busybodies they'd probably throw away anything I put food colouring in rather than just leave it alone.

Last edited by BoxesAndBangles; 18 Minutes Ago at 03:07. 18 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 03:07 Ask them again to stop stealing your food.

If they continue to do so then **** with them. Buy some milk or fruit juice, along with plenty of laxatives from your nearest pharmacy, grind up laxatives, put in liquid, wait.

If they still continue then buy yourself a mini fridge, keep it in your room and make a space there somewhere for your dry foods too.

mackemforever has a point.

You sound amazingly understanding- I accidently took one of my flatmate's alcopops once because I had bought something similar and she went mental. I apologised, offered her money, offered to replace it and she just kept screaming at me that it was 'the principle'.

You should just buy the fridge now if you think it will save money in the long term. Is there anyone you could borrow the money off?

9 Minutes Ago: 16th November 2011 03:16 How cant you afford a minifridge? Why does everyone seem to struggle with money when you have loans? :l£230 bursary
£240 loan.

This the maximum for my degree, in my country, for the lowest income level.

Rent £300. Gas £20. Electricity £20. Transport £50 - can't walk as that would take several hours coming and then several hours going back. I buy a month saver which is the cheapest form of transport. That leaves £80 per month, all of which I have to spend on food. How is that hard to understand? I am on a job hunt. Anybody would struggle with money if they're feeding 5 people. It's really annoying to be questioned on your finances. I don't drink or smoke or eat out. Honest to god, I get that you're not in the same situation but the snideyness is irritating. Even if I was a millionaire, incidently, it's not for me to feed them all without them even telling me or asking.

Thanks to everyone else I will just have to say it. I feel bad since we're all on such good terms and because one other flatmate is so sharing with her food but at the same time, I don't eat that food since I'm on a diet plan so she shouldn't be eating all of my stuff.

Last edited by BoxesAndBangles; 2 Minutes Ago at 03:23.

View the original article here