When two friends decide to become roommates they may think that the transition will be smooth because they get along as friends. What they might not realize is that money can easily ruin a friendship. Causes of friction between two roommates are the costs of rent & utilities and the purchase and consumption of food & house articles. Meet Jack and Mary. They are in their twenties and have been dating since high school. Jack works in a factory, and is a tall, slim, and humble man. Mary is a part-time massage therapist; she loves shopping and partying. She enjoys arguing and being right. Jack and Mary agree it’s time to move out of their parents’ homes and share a New York apartment. Mary suggests splitting rent, utilities, and all other expenses in half. Splitting the price of rent and utility bills in half may seem like a simple solution, but 50/50 isn’t always even; the cost of rent & utilities plays a big role in the friction of two roommates. Jack and Mary move into their apartment. Mary makes sure she gets the room with the closet, which happens to be the master bedroom. It has a window with a great view; her window happens to be about as wide as Jack’s room. Being a humble man, jack will chalk it up and move on. This obviously isn’t fair. Mary should have to pay more for she has the better room. While coming home from a 9-5, Jack opens the door to a screaming stereo system and two televisions without an audience. He looks for Mary and finds her taking her second shower of the day. Jack doesn’t like the idea that Mary’s selfishness is going to be projected onto the electricity bill, but he chalks it up and says nothing. Before a party decides to sign a lease, they should discuss and establish their own contract. This will help avoid arguments and drama, which optimally, will help preserve the party’s friendship. Just because someone got A’s in math doesn’t mean that they know how to divide fairly. The purchasing and consumption of food & house articles is complicated as different people have different lifestyles. The two roommates decide to go out shopping. They walk into the IKEA furniture store and Mary gets overly excited about couch sets. She tugs Jack’s arm and easily reels him into getting the pink retro couch. They get the matching loveseat and carpet. She spends another hour shopping for furniture and useless accessories that reflect her personality. As Jack walks towards the magazine stands, Mary heads to the bathroom accessory aisle for some more shopping. As she stuffs her cart with unnecessary necessities, Jack takes a second look at the ten “Do-Not’s” in a men’s magazine. Number one reads “Never give your credit card to a woman.” He is amused. He puts the magazine down, and goes to see what’s in the cart. He recognizes toilet paper and a bunch of cleaning products. He doesn’t know what the rest of the junk is but she swipes his card anyway. The couple goes to the grocery store and Mary goes on a grocery rampage. She fills up the basket with low carb, high in anti-oxidants, and trans-fat free foods. They get home and unload everything. Jack doesn’t think he should have to pay for stuff that he won’t be using or consuming. He shouldn’t. If they would have talked about it earlier Jack could have avoided an argument with Mary. Before roommates get an apartment, they should decide how they are going to split the costs when paying for rent & utilities and shopping together. It is unfair for someone to pay for something that they won’t be using. A good way of avoiding the friction of mixing money with friendship is establishing a contract of how stuff will be divided prior to merging into one another’s life.

"DUDE DONT BE RUDE AND DONT EAT MY FOOD"