Man Labels His Leftovers to ‘Avoid Mix-Ups,’ but Roommate Still Eats His Food

Living with roommates can be hard without strict boundaries, and even then, sometimes lines can be crossed.

On Reddit, a man explained that he lives with two roommates and they “generally get along.” He noted that he cooks at home “a lot because it saves money.”

“I always label my leftovers in the fridge with my name to avoid mix-ups,” he adds.

Recently, the man was “looking forward” to eating his homemade lasagna, which took him “hours to make,” but was in for a surprise when he got home.

After opening the fridge, he realized that one of his roommates “had eaten half of it.”

“I confronted him, and he just shrugged and said, ‘I was hungry, and it looked good,'” he recalls. “No apology, nothing.”

The poster, admittedly, “got really pissed and told him it was disrespectful, especially since it was clearly labeled.”

However, the roommate “rolled his eyes” and said he “was making a big deal out of food.”

Now, the man is “second-guessing” whether he did the right thing by saying something to his roommate or if he is overreacting.

“It’s not like he ate all of it, but it feels like a boundary was crossed,” he ends.

People in the comments section told the man he had every right to set a boundary when it came to his food, noting that the roommate may continue to take advantage of his cooking if he hadn’t spoken up. They also suggested he start storing some of his food in his bedroom.

One person commented, “The only way to solve this is with a mini fridge in your room and a lock on your bedroom door. He will continue to push the boundary. This guy is profoundly disrespectful and couldn’t care less about how he treats you.” 

Another person echoed that sentiment, writing, “He’s just trying to make you feel badly about confronting his stealing. Don’t let him. There are fridge lockboxes that are not expensive. Put any of your cherished meals inside it and when he says something about it—’gawd, don’t be so sensitive about food,’ or whatever—just tell him you did that to stop his thieving.”