10 Signs You're a Bad Roommate

Roommates can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, roommates make our bills cheaper, and they give us someone to talk to when we're feeling a little lonely. On the other hand, all it takes is one person to ruin an otherwise decent living situation. The worst thing is that you can never really tell who's a bad roommate until you've lived with them. But what makes a bad roommate? Are you one? Listed are 10 irritating, signs that you're a bad roommate. If you find yourself saying to yourself, "Hmm, I do that...", acknowledgment is the first step. If you strive to be a bad roommate, use these 10 signs as a guide. Your roommates will wish you'd never been born.

Top Ten Signs

10. You leave all the lights on when you leave the house and forget to turn off the TV. Not only does it needlessly waste energy, leaving the lights or TV on also means that you and your roommate pay for it. They won't appreciate it. Sure, you could argue that it's just a few nickels and dimes here in there, but nickels and dimes add up to dollars and those dollars could be better spent on food or, if you're over 21, alcohol.

9. You don't chip in for toilet paper or cleaning supplies. Being stingy with your money and expecting someone else to pay for the stuff you wipe your bum with won't win you any bonus points with your roommates. Oh, they may not notice at first that they're the ones buying these extra, shared items, but pretty soon they'll start talking... and when you're roommates start talking, you're life suddenly becomes a lot more risky - remember, they tend to have access to your things.

8. You spread your stuff all over the house. You have a room for a reason, don't keep your computer in the living room or stick pictures of the members of your extended family in the dining room. You're roommates don't want to look at the picture of your 80 year-old Great-Grandma every time they want to watch TV.

7. You rifle through your roommates' belongings to "borrow" something without their knowledge. Eventually, you'll be caught. Unless you're already pretty good friends with your roommates, don't do into their rooms without their knowledge or permission. People tend to like their privacy, respect it.

6. You take out laundry in the washing machine and dump it into a pile before putting your own laundry in. For goodness sake, stick it in the dryer. They're usually right next to each other. It's not hard. Plus, your roommates definitely won't appreciate finding their clothes in a wrinkly heap.

5. You fall asleep with the TV still on in your room with the sound cranked up. You're roommates want to sleep, too. It's highly probably that they won't fall asleep to reruns and advertisements like you do. Also, you tend to sleep through your alarm - causing it to ring for a l-o-n-g time. Your roommates won't appreciate it. Neither would you if the situation were reversed.

4. You don't take responsibility for your messes. Some of the worst roommates are those that never seem to remember dropping the Kool-Aid on the carpet or deny that it's their hair that's clogging up the shower drain. The more you deny it, the more your roommates know it was you. Actually, they knew it was you all along. You're not fooling anyone.

3. You eat your roommate's food. If you each pitch in and buy food together, good for you and your roommates. Most of us, however, buy our own food. Don't delve into your roommates' stock. You're roommates will hate you.

2. You're late paying your bills. Here's another money issue. Pay your bills, if you can't afford them... well, maybe you should have thought of that before you signed your lease. No one wants to see you on Judge Judy.

1. You don't wash your dishes. You might wonder why paying bills late isn't #1. Ask anyone. If someone has a big problem with their roommate you can nearly guarantee that the dishes take part in the problem. Don't be that person, please. Wash your dishes after you use them, especially pans. If you're one of those fancy people who have a dishwasher in their apartment, load your dishes sometimes and take the time to unload the dishwasher occasionally. Also, make sure you know which dishes are yours. Some of the most irritating roommates in existence are the ones that think that all their dishes are someone else's. No, they're yours. Wash them.