Wastefull flatmate, what should I do?

Dormouse

Looking at both sides here - yes she does things that are annoying, but she would be really freaked out if you brought them up - I think some sort of compromise would be a good thing.

I wouldn't bring it up right now, but wait for the electricity bill to come and then maybe have a "Oh dear, this bill is so high, do you think we should try and save electricity a bit more" type discussion (even though you know that you already do that, but make it sound like it's a good idea for both of you - don't have a go at her!).

Anyway, whenever you live with anyone, they'll have funny quirks that will drive you mad. I do appreciate you find these things annoying BTW - I would too! - but really, it could be a lot worse.

(In my uni days, a friend shared with a girl who was totally obsessive about bins and made her flatmates empty the bin every time they put a used sanitary towel in. :eek:)

Oh, and definitely don't bring up the loo roll issue - that would be a bit too weird! :rotfl:

Good luck

Cardamom

As others have said avoid conflict over such little things. Try to be more environmentally friendly yourself and maybe she'll follow by example? For e.g. tell her some facts about how much electricity can be saved by switching off lights in rooms that are not being used.
She may find it interesting and you could suggest that maybe you try to do something similar to do your bit for the environment? Start recycling things that can be recycled and encourage her to do the same.

Errata

Buy cheap lavatory paper and washing up liquid
Buy a travel kettle
If you live in a flat - where else can washing be dried other than in a dryer without the whole place becoming knee deep in condensation ?

Doom_and_Gloom

I understand your point of veiw OP, I really do.

When I lived in a flateshare other than my partner the others were not overly bothered about the energy used or the things like loo roll. Examples were never switching things off but putting them on standby, having all of the lights on in the place (not cheap when we had spot lights in all rooms :mad:, thankfully they stopped working due to water damage and high standing lamps were used instead by my partners and my suggestion ), Leaving the cooker on with nothing in it :rolleyes:, using hairdryers everyday as well as their straightners (I lived with 4 guys including my partner so I didn't understand this part being the only girl), leaving the TV on and/or the X-box 360/Playstation, using the dryer part of the washing machine (untill that went and I made sure my partner and I got one without so it couldn't happen ) etc. The use of loo roll I never understood as it seemed they went through it at a rate of knots (sp?) more so than I did at TOTM!

I eventually got so p!ssed off about it I had a go at them saying I'd had enough of turing things off after them due to their waste that I was only prepered to pay £30/quarter (what I worked out I used most due to the time it went on) and if after my partner put his actual share in and the rest was more than they would have to work it out between them. I also said that my partner and I would be buying and therefore using our own loo roll (that we kept in our room) and so they could work that one out between themselves. They got the message and used less energy. I always had the least pay so they understood, that unlike them, I didn't have the money to just waste. Saying that they never did apreciate (sp?) that I was always the one cleaning the common areas as no one else would :mad:.

I would bring it up now before it really eats into you as it did me. Believe me as before I really blew we got an energy bill costing us over £90 each for the quarter :eek:. I bearly managed to pay it and the only reason I did was that I still had money I hadn't spent from the Christmas money I got. Don't sub the way other people want to live as you will become more and more angry about it over time. Do be nice with her about it but make it obvious that you are not there to pick up the part of the bills that she should pay.

Zazen999

I worked with a lady once who came steaming in from her lunch break - she had popped home and found her daughter [about 18-19 at the time] had put one pair of tights into the dryer for an hour to dry.

Needless to say she spent all afternoon steaming off at anyone who would listen....and it was all we could do to point out that she must have taught her this or she wouldn't do it?????

I believe the dryer was out of bounds from then onwards......removal of fuse if I remember correctly....it sounds like the sort of thing I would suggest.

roses

Oh my god she sounds just like my first lodger!!

Insisting on leaving the lights on in the upstairs and downstairs hallway "because I am going back downstairs in an hour", using half a bog roll per visit and filling up the kettle completely, boiling it, going upstairs for 15 min, then coming back down and re-boiling it again!!!

Unfortunately I have found there is nothing you can do about these people. What I did suggest to her was "how about instead of us taking it turns to buy bog roll, fairy liquid etc then you give me £10 per month and I'll buy it all". I wasn't able to stop her using less but at least I had an extra few £ in my pocket each month to compensate for her use since it didn't actually cost me £10 to buy the stuff as I always bought when on offer then stocked up.

Chinkle

Unfortunately it sounds like you have a low intolerance level (and a sensible MSE head) and she is rather careless/carefree.

If you want your flatshare to work (ie you get on fine with her in other ways) then I think you need to say things bit by bit, leaving the toilet paper thing to last (as its rather personal). See if you can retrain her in stages. I'd start with the kettle - how about just make an off the cuff coment next time you see her making a brew. If you say it will boil quicker if you only fill it enough for one cup then it doesn't even sound like your being penny-pinching.

buxtonrabbitgreen

Do what the oldstylers do and squash the loo roll so it is harder to unravel. That might slow her down a bit.
The kettle thing drives me crazy with my work mates. I have managed to train all but one that you only need to put in what you are ging to use. And it is not point boiling a whole kettle full then doing it again. You could buy a thermos, then when she leaves a keetle full of boiled water and goes away, save it for later.

stingeylass

I'd better clarify I don't rush in to the bathroom to check how much loo paper she's used, I agree that would be pretty inappropriate!
It's more like, I use up the last bit of loo paper in the morning, put a new roll in the holder, and come back again a few hours later to find it all gone again. I know some of my examples might sound petty and on their own are things I could overlook, but the things I've listed are only the tip of the iceberg and the small things can really add up.
I think i'll try what some of you have suggested and make subtle comments about energy use and the environment and try and do it in a roundabout way, so i'm not directly getting at her.

ailuro2

Since you've only been living together a short time, why not arrange a 'how it's going' meeting.

Suggest you both write down a list of what you like and what you find annoying about living with the other.

For example, you like that she's not too noisy if she gets up earlier than you in the mornings, or she hates that you dry your hair in the kitchen, she thinks it's gross - those kind of things.

Then you have a fair platform to have a go at her about being wasteful.

Saying the front room would look nice with new lmaps, and you could use the money saved to buy some would be a good tactic - show her where the saved money could be spent.

Plain shouting and nagging will alienate her, and to be fair she's probably noticed a few things about you that she might want to get off her chest!

Good Luck!