Living with a roommate can be difficult.
It certainly has its perks, mainly splitting expenses, of course, but it comes with individual and varying expectations that some may consider unspoken norms.
Let this be a warning: they need to be spoken.
An online gamer on Reddit recently began making some extra income by streaming, and now his roommate is demanding a cut of the earnings because he is the one who pays the internet bill.
Believing this is unfair, he turned to the "Am I The A**hole Here" (AITAH) subReddit to seek feedback from fellow Redditors.
Redditor buttonpalate asked:
"AITAH for not giving my roommate money for using the Wifi?"
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
"So here's the deal. My roommate and I have this arrangement: he pays for the internet, and I cover the electricity."
"It's been working fine until recently."
"Last month, I made $2500 streaming on Kick and Twitch, and now my roommate wants a cut of that money, specifically $1000."
"I told him no, but now he's upset and saying it's unfair since he's been paying for the internet, which I obviously need for streaming."
"On one hand, I get where he's coming from."
"The internet is essential for my streaming, and he's been covering that cost."
"But on the other hand, our agreement never included sharing any profits from streaming."
"I feel like he's moving the goalposts and trying to cash in on something we never discussed."
"It's not like the electricity I pay for isn't being used by him too."
"To give you more context, we've never had any issues before this."
"We split costs pretty evenly and have always stuck to our agreement."
"I even offered to start paying a bit more for the internet to keep things fair, but he insists on getting a share of my streaming earnings instead."
"It feels like a slippery slope."
"If I give him $1000 this time, what's stopping him from asking for more next month?"
"I work hard on my streams, and while I appreciate the internet, it's not like he's the one putting in the hours or dealing with the stress of content creation."
"So, am I the a**hole for refusing to give him a cut of my streaming money?"
"Should I stand my ground, or am I being selfish and not seeing his side of things clearly?"
"I'm really torn on this and would appreciate some outside perspectives."
"Thanks in advance for your thoughts."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole, with many agreeing there is absolutely no logic to the roommate's ask.
"So if two roommates work from home and both use the Internet, do they have to split and share their salaries?"
"F* No!"
"You shud have laughed yourself to tears at this suggestion!"
"Your roommie can go pound sand!"
"Split the internet and electric 50/50. NTA" - dianeyear
"NTA"
"you're going up and his true colors are coming out, he's a leach."
"time to start looking for a new place to live, by the sounds of it, keep up the hustle and you shouldn't have a problem moving forward." - Jose6869
"NTA. He sounds like the mob."
"Tell him to f**k off and that you'll gladly pay the internet from now on - and he can pay the electricity." - ObscureCocoa
"OP, I'm pretty worried about your apprehension here."
"There is zero basis, logical, legal or otherwise that would make this even worth considering, and you are infact doing just that."
"And the fact he went there suggests to me you may be a little non-confrontational."
"What you tell him is "The answer is no, never." That's it."
"You don't go into examples or explanations and discussions, that door closes."
"You can also notify him you will ignore any conversations he starts regarding that subject."
"As others said, look into moving out, you don't want him turning off your internet mid-stream in retaliation."
"NTA" - Inc0gnitoburrito
"No - this makes no sense."
"You are just dividing amenities. If it's not 50/50 - then make it 50/50."
"Also, the internet is not just for streaming - I am assuming you both need to deal with life/work and use the internet for all other things."
"This is a total trash ask." - SGlobal_444
"NTA Your roommate is being ridiculous." - Bartok_The_Batty
"NTA. He's trying to profit from your work."
"Trade electricity bill with him for the internet."
"Either way, go ahead and get your own internet."
"It'll be cheaper than $1000/mth."
"Because if you give in, he WILL be coming for more next month."
"He is NOT entitled to any of your profits from your work."
"This way, he has no hold over you."
"His entitlement is crazy." - kmflushing
"NTA. He's acting entitled."
"If he works from home and uses the WiFi does he owe you half of his salary?"
"Of coarse not."
"This is the dumbest thing I've heard in a month."
"Don't pay him a dime." - JJQuantum
"This is absurd logic from your roommate."
"So if he worked from home on his laptop and earned a huge salary, does he owe you a cut of that salary since you pay for the electricity that charges up his laptop?"
"Massive reach."
"NTA, you owe him nothing." - spiroglif
"NTA. You split utilities."
"You don't split profit from using those utilities."
"He wants to play stupid games, tell him he keeps it up, you'll get your own ISP and he'll be on the hook for half the electric bill on top of his wifi." - Heavy-Quail-7295
"He has no point."
"You seeing his side is also wrong."
"He has no side."
"He is trying to steal the money you earned over nonsense." - TheKinksfan
"NTA - the internet cost can't be more than $200."
"Split the internet cost but there's no logical way he deserves any money from your streaming profits unless he's helping you make content and is in front of the camera with you, preforming and whatnot." - MEYO6811
"NTA. He is asking for something he has absolutely no entitlement to." - Odd_Task8211
"NTA - this is silly."
"Pay them the amount of half the wifi specifically, and call it the end of it."
"If they still want to throw a fit, get a new roommate."
"That would be like any roommates where one person is working from home and it requires being online."
"If you were a call center rep working from home, would they expect half your payckeck on top of paying your half of the bills?" - MasterGas9570
"NTA for obvious reasons your roommate is delusional."
"Also how does he know how much you made?"
"Insane and entitled lol."
"If you worked from home is he entitled to your salary?" - Strangeballoons
"NTA dont ever do that, you don't owe him anything and that's the most stupid thing I saw in a while, he wants 40% of your salary because he pays for the wifi ?"
"Then offer him to pay for wifi and he pays for electricity but then he will also ask for money cuz he is a rat" - Salt-Mixture-1093
"I can't understand the logic."
"You split the bills for what you both use."
"Isn't that the point of having a roommate?"
"How does him paying for internet somehow mean he's entitled to your money that you made?"
"I know some ISPs have a per gig type of plan, but even then, it'd only be the cost for the extra internet if you went over."
"But I don't see how you'd be able to stream with a limit like that anyway, so it's moot."
"NTA. Your roomie isn't making sense, and you might want to look for a new place or roommate." - toxic_nerve
Others believe the roommate may be a touch envious of OP's recent success.
"NTA - throw his logic back in his face."
"Well, for the internet and WiFi to function, you need power."
"Wonder where the money is coming from to fund that?"
"If he works from home at all, should he give you a chunk of his salary given that he's using the electrons that you pay for?"
"I'd imagine he'd be quick to reject that."
"Your roommate is showing that he's jealous, greedy and woefully entitled."
"I assume he doesn't do anything to help with the actual streaming, nor has he provided any of the equipment you use…so he has no claim to any money you make on the side."
"Offer to either just go 50/50 on internet and electricity, or tell him you can flip flop who pays for what…but he's isn't getting any of the money you earned." - dookle14
"NTA"
"I think he's just feeling envious" - Flowyflowerflow
"NTA he's jealous af 😭 if you're still trynna live there for a while I wouldn't offer to pay the whole I internet bill moving forward so he doesn't have to worry about it 🤣" - Sadababyy
"NTA. Money brings the absolute worst out of people."
"I'd def be thinking about my next moves when the lease expires" - Pretty-Benefit-233
According to his fellow Redditors, OP has absolutely no reason to feel inclined to give a portion of his earnings to his roommate.
He should, however, take their advice and either swap bills or switch roommates.
Woman Breaks Up With 'Clingy' Boyfriend For Making Joke About 'Getting With' Her Sister
As much as we might want to date someone, there's no point in trying to gain the attention and affection of someone who does not want to reciprocate.
Dating someone "similar" to fill that void isn't a good look, either, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor Flashy-External1666 had been long-distance dating a guy from her friend group for about a month, even though he'd expressed his attraction to her older sister repeatedly before they started dating.
When her sister entered a new relationship, the Original Poster (OP) was hurt and disgusted that her boyfriend insinuated that he could have been trying to "get with" her sister while he was instead busy dating her.
She asked the sub:
The OP was aware that her boyfriend had his eye on someone close to her before dating her.
"I (19 Female) am with M (21 Male), and we've been together for a month. We were friends before this, for a while."
"For some background, when we were in a friend group, he'd always talk about how my sister (23 Female) was super hot and how he wanted her, but she was in a relationship at the time."
When he found out that her sister had been in-between relationships, he had an unsavory reaction.
"Earlier today, I mentioned to him how my sister started seeing this new guy, and I was super proud of her, because she went through a lot with her last relationship."
"His immediate reply was, 'Dang,' one month too late' with a sad emoji, insinuating that he was one month too late to get with her, because we've been together for a month."
You can see the text message exchange here:
The OP was immediately turned off by the idea of dating him.
"After I got upset and he apologized, he immediately sent me a reel that said, 'When she's already upset about me, but I have a second joke in mind.'"
"I feel like he genuinely doesn't care about me."
"He has also gotten weirdly clingy within the month, like red-flag clingy."
"He keeps trying to say how he loves me, wants to marry me, and wants me to go live with him. But he also always brings up my exes and gets super jealous when HE mentions them."
"I don't know what to do. Should I block him??"
"He's mentioned before that I would need to block him on everything if we ever broke up because he'd never leave me alone (we are currently long-distance)."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some were grossed out by the boyfriend's text message and understood why the OP was upset.
"The fact that he wrote all that out and even added a little emoji at the end and still decided to send it, knowing it would be hurtful for you."
"Seems like he’s texted that to see if he could get away with it. Either way, you don’t say something like that to someone you care about…" - Oven_Traditional
"NOR. Ew! That’s so disrespectful coming from someone who should be thrilled to have you."
"I’m team 'dump him.' If he has a brother, maybe ask for his brother’s number as you end it just to see how he likes it." - Entire-Tonight-1463
"NOR. He's not joking about your sister. Based on what he's said about her in the past, it would have been a wise move to NOT date him at all. PERIOD."
'There's a possibility that he's clingy/close to you for the purpose of indirectly keeping an eye on your sister. Release him and let him go, thereby setting yourself free from foolishness." - AtlJazzy2024
"He’s not for you… Break up with him and block him. You deserve a guy who treasures YOU!" - Muted-Lynx-8745
"He might be your boyfriend, but you're not his girlfriend. In his mind, your sister is." - Save-your-spoons
Others urged the OP to block her boyfriend and move on.
"Girl, it's been a month. Let that loser go." - sleepymelfho
"He kept OP as a backup, while circling her sister's orbit. What has happened to transparency and honesty in relationships? All I read now is obnoxious men doing obnoxious things to their partners."
"OP, he's keeping you around to stay close to your sister. You deserve better... NOR." - ColdHandGee
"NOR. You know that he's not joking about wanting your sister. He told on himself before you even got together, talking about how hot she was. Believe him."
"Break up with him and cut him off immediately. I can't believe you ever agreed to date him in the first place. I'd never want to date someone who had the hots for someone else in my immediate circle, whether that was a sibling or a friend." - Lanky_Mud_8148
"You’ve been dating one month, and that’s one month too long."
"He’s not joking about your sister. He fancies her more than you, and you’re the consolation prize. He will pursue her given the chance."
"Time to dump him." - Special_Wind_6708
"NOR. He can't have your sister, so you're just the next best thing. Him being a clingy weirdo that 'will never leave you alone' is the cherry on top."
"You know what to do. Dump him and block him on everything. If anyone from the friend group asks, just tell them what you told us. And you REALLY should warn your sister; you have receipts." - sdoM-bmuD
"Ditch him. Honestly. What are you waiting for?" - forget_me_not_uwu
"NOR at all. Cut this loser out of all channels of your life."
"I wouldn’t block, though. Just ghost so that he can watch you become happier without him as the ultimate revenge because I’m petty like that, and he clearly deserves it."
"ALSO, if he's as creepy and clingy as he sounds, you can have him muted, so he can see your activity, but you won't have to see his... But you'd have all of his messages as receipts if he ever became threatening or stalkerish for police purposes."
"For more context: My mum started dating my dad (when she was 19, too), who initially tried to go for her older sister (two years older) and got rejected."
"After three years of dating, seven years of engagement, and 20 years of marriage where she put up with an incompetent man-child that wouldn’t do anything for himself and expected her to completely cater to him while he berated her and treated her like s**t..."
"...it ended in him cheating on her with a waitress for over a year and denying it until my mum had literal photographic evidence, to which he had the audacity to respond with the reasoning that she was the reason he was 'driven to cheat' (as if that was even remotely close to the truth and the only option to solve his ‘problems’)."
"Save yourself, girl. This man-child can learn to pine over you and your sister from afar as you both skip into the sunset together, moving on with your lives and into better relationships that fulfill you the way you deserve!" - peachycritter
Some cautioned the OP to also cover her tracks after the breakup, as he sounded worse than "clingy" to them.
"The actual scary part isn't even the sister joke; it's, 'he said he'd never leave me alone if we broke up,' only one month in."
"That line gave me chills, and that alone would have me Googling how to block someone on every platform that exists." - babydoodle91
"Ew. These super clingy guys right out the gate are scary. Please watch your step, and erase your tracks." - Immabirb
"He sounds like a stalker... Drop him now, fast. And block him everywhere." - Admirable_Program720
"NOR, yes, you block him, and you keep him out of your life, and you tell mutual friends that if they try to facilitate contact between you two, you will block them as well. He isn't joking." - JustAsICanBeSoCruel
"I watch way too much crime for this!"
"Girl, block him. Also tell your sister to block him, too; he’s obsessed with her." - MrsRoronoaZoro
"NOR. You're underreacting, honestly."
"He wants your sister, but you're close enough. He's obsessed with her and won't give it up even though he has someone he 'wants to marry.'"
"Also, he's not lying. He probably will stalk you online afterwards; please be careful." - Phoenix-Phire-38
"NOR at all. Your post kept adding on more red flags with each additional sentence. I know you’re young, but he’s toxic, and yes, you will need to block him."
"Breaking up with someone you have strong feelings for is really difficult, so when you leave, you should make sure to lean on friends and family and keep yourself distracted with things you like and find engaging." - query_tech_sec
"The s**t with your sister is nothing compared to the love-bombing and jealousy. This guy is trouble, and scary, and you will have done the right thing when you leave him and maintain the distance between the two of you. NOR." - potatomeeple
After receiving feedback, the OP posted an update, but it seemed to be only the beginning.
"Thank you for making me feel less crazy."
"I blocked him on everything and deactivated my Instagram."
"He DM'ed a girl that I had posted ONCE on my Instagram Stories, asking about me."
"I'm not sure if he's going to keep trying to talk to me, but I hope not."
The subReddit's internal alarm bells were ringing while reading the OP's post, and they hoped that she'd leave her boyfriend in every sense of the word. They already lived long-distance, but she needed to cut him off in every other sense.
Not only was it obvious that he wanted someone else and was with the OP to "make up for it," but his "promises" of not leaving her alone if she ever broke up with him were love-bombing and stalker-like, at best.