Stopping people from stealing your food

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FiresongUK
FiresongUK Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
Last week I stocked the freezer up with like £20 of food. I ate mostly fresh stuff that week or at my mothers. This week I'm waiting for payday and have maybe £2 in my piggy bank. I get in from uni and decide to try out them tasty veggie sausages I bought last week. Check the freezer and they're not there. All 12 of them. In fact, nothing is there. The only things that remain are turkey dinosaurs, chips and frozen mice. None of which are mine. All I have left to eat now is cup-a-soups and cereal. I can't even have milk with the cereal because someone's opened that and it's gone stale. I'm so upset right now. It was expensive, good food as well.

Pretty sure I know who it is. I've only recently gone part-time veggie but my housemate (C) has a girlfriend who is a vegetarian. My other housemate doesn't know how to work the oven and exclusively eats takeaway. I doubt he'd dare try quorn either, considering his picky eating habits. So I stormed up to C's room and asked if he knew where the hell all my food had gone.

He said he has no idea. I was getting pretty upset and told him I won't be able to afford to eat this week now and it was a lot of food. He said his stuff has been going missing too, but I could take some of his stuff from the freezer if I needed to. Turkey dinosaurs and chips doesn't exactly adhere to my diet but I might have no other choice. I got nothing else out of him. I know for sure he'd know if his girlfriend had taken them. She's really shy so I could easily intimidate her, but that will probably piss C off a hell of a lot and I don't want to start a house war. Been there, done that, and it meant I couldn't ever leave my room for months because I didn't want further confrontation. I've already brought the food situation up before so they know.

Right now all I can do is leave passive-aggressive notes around the kitchen saying "I'M WATCHING" and "BEHIND YOU". Need some ideas on how to keep them from stealing other stuff, and what I can do to get all that nice food back :(
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Replies

  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    This technically isnt a food question is it? But for what it's worth...

    Move out....
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Wrap things up with your name on a label...and leave a note on the freezer door asking that your things be left alone. If that doesn't work...webcam.
    You could (calmly) confront the girlfriend...don't go off on her, just calmly tell her about your finances and ask her not to "borrow" your stuff. Even if she denies doing it...the message got delivered.
  • leeshults
    leeshults Posts: 223 Member
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    I agree.....put your name on your food. It's so rude but I wonder if the boyfriend said "sure honey, eat whatever you want" to his girlfriend. But now he knows too! So maybe you won't have that problem in the future. I'm so sorry they ate your food! Nothing more frustrating then having nothing to eat when you are trying to eat well.....
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Be an adult and have a house meeting with all the roommates to lay down the rules about food sharing. When I had a roommate, we shared food. So maybe it's just mis-communication.

    Label your food and leave a note on the fridge reminding everyone that labeled food isn't for community use.
  • Butrovich
    Butrovich Posts: 410 Member
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    Make a delicious choclate dish with plenty of laxative in it. Put your name on it or leave it in the fridge, then see who rushes to the bathroom first.
  • Super_Amy
    Super_Amy Posts: 97 Member
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    Once, in college, I had room mates that were so bad about eating my food that I used to keep it in a locked box. Seriously.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Put a little rat poison in it. You'll find out who ate what pretty quick.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Make a delicious choclate dish with plenty of laxative in it. Put your name on it or leave it in the fridge, then see who rushes to the bathroom first.

    where is the like button...too funny.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Wrap all your food up in a bag that has your name on it and taped shut. They will then have to go out of their way to get to YOUR food. Put your name on it and note saying this is all you've got to eat for the month and if they take it then their food will just be thrown away since you can't eat it and if you can't eat no one can eat.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    Put a little rat poison in it. You'll find out who ate what pretty quick.
    Came in to post this............also razor blades
  • ImpishVanity
    ImpishVanity Posts: 224 Member
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    Yes, communication is key. Sit down with the housemates AND the girlfriend and calmly explain that the house rule needs to be "if you didn't buy it, it's not yours". My roommates and I share food, but that was expressly stated and everyone still asks or at least mentions if they use something not theirs to make sure it was ok. We all also actively replace things that are used up. It's called being respectful adults. If the problem persists, then move out or get new housemates.
  • penny_eclipse
    penny_eclipse Posts: 524 Member
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    How big is the freezer? Can you all sit down and allocate a drawer to each person?
    Can you write your name on the boxes (and stuff in the fridge?), can you buy less in bulk, and buy what you need as and when so there's less to go missing?
    Can you check each day to check it's not gone?
    Can decant the contents of packages into tuppaware/freezer bags with your name on so people don't actually know what's in it, or how to cook it, and you can keep the boxes/instructions in your room...etc?
    I've been there and lived in sucky shared situations and some of those things have helped in some places.
    It's rude and it sucks, but short of sitting down as a house and making someone admit to who it was (which simply isn't going to happen), you just need to move forward and try to prevent it happening again.
    I'd still try to make everyone sit down and agree some ground rules moving forward.
    For example a shelf each in the fridge, a drawer each in the freezer etc...
  • xfrlss22
    xfrlss22 Posts: 10 Member
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    Make a delicious choclate dish with plenty of laxative in it. Put your name on it or leave it in the fridge, then see who rushes to the bathroom first.

    This! Too funny, you'd definitely who was do the stealing.
  • vvendy_darling
    vvendy_darling Posts: 75
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    Confront the person who took your food? Or is that too simple?
  • Mygsds
    Mygsds Posts: 1,564 Member
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    So sorry about your food being gone. I agree with the other posters have a meeting and label everything. Some people have no sense when it comes to others things. Good luck...
  • Marcia315
    Marcia315 Posts: 460 Member
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    PUt on your big girl panties and talk to the girlfriend about it.
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
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    I had a roommate who used to eat my food, but I ate hers and it wasn't too much of an issue. Then I got mononucleosis (common college ailment!). I was pretty sick from it. I put a note on the items in the fridge such as my juice that I would slug directly from the bottle "Danger! Mono germs!!!". This didn't deter her and guess what, she ended up with mono too and her symptoms were identical to mine (mono can vary quite a bit).

    So I am not suggesting such a drastic measure. If possible and it will fit, if it was me having this problem I would probably put some sort of open box in the fridge and put all my stuff in the box and label it. I would probably try to play on whoever it is's good side and put something like "Please do not eat, this is X's food and I'm on a limited budget. Thank you for being considerate and ethical".
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
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    Make a delicious choclate dish with plenty of laxative in it. Put your name on it or leave it in the fridge, then see who rushes to the bathroom first.

    Someone at my work eats other people's food. I've had my lunch bag rummaged through and I'm pretty sure they keep drinking my coffee creamer too. My plan is to take the coffee creamer when it's empty, add some milk and tons of laxatives.... keep your hands off!!

    I think it's brilliant - and yes i would do it :)
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
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    I had a bunch of different roommates over the years. Of course there should be house rules (and not just about food) but that's not always enough. What was most consistently effective for me has been mentioned here - Keep everything of yours in opaque plastic bags (so they can't see what's in there and be tempted) taped shut with masking or painter's tape with your name on it. Fridge, freezer, cabinets, and pantry. Your roommates may make fun of you, but you'll probably get to eat your own food :)
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    For a person to take THAT amount of food, I don't think talking is going to do any good, especially since they don't even live there from the sound of it. You have a couple of choices here...
    1. Get a little fridge w/a freezer & put it in your room and get a lock for your room door. Keep ALL of your food in your room.
    OR
    2. Move out, as someone else suggested. Because even if you can secure your possessions in your room, do you really want to live that way? I would rather live in a dinky little studio apt by myself, than live w/people (or their friends) who I couldn't trust.

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