QUESTION: My flatmate and I have been getting on really well but a couple of months ago she moved her boyfriend into her room on what seems to be a permanent basis and the other day I suggested she should be paying two-thirds of the rent instead of half.
She’s come back and said that because my room is bigger than hers, I’m the one who should be paying more or I should let them have the bigger room because there’s two of them and then they’ll pay more. But I was here first so why should I?
By the way, her boyfriend is really nice and insists on paying his share of grocery and power bills. What should I do? – Squeezed, Newtown.
ANSWER: On the front of your DVD player, there’s a “rewind” button and that’s what you need to do with your flatmate relations right now.
You could also ask yourself why you are really getting upset. Are you jealous of your friend for having found such a rare creature – a decent, considerate bloke?
Money isn’t everything. Unless you’re feeling crowded out, value what you’ve got and try to make it work.
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