I'm living in a two bedroom apartment with a girl who I didn't know prior to us living together; we've been roommates for about 6 months now.

I'm having issues with her because she is constantly eating food that I cook once I put it in the fridge for leftovers and also already made food in the pantry or the freezer.

I've politely asked her to stop eating my food and she apologized yet she still continues to do it.

When I say she eats my food, I don't mean a granola bar here and there-that I wouldn't have a problem with. I'm talking about big ticket items, for example, an entire 5lb bag of potatoes.

Since I've already asked her to stop, I don't really know where to go from here.....we're in our mid 20's and I feel I shouldn't even have to ask her! It should be common sense!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

You could start keeping food that doesn't need to be refrigerated in your room, and if it doesn't seem like it'll come off as too passive aggressive you could always put your name on leftovers with a sticky note. But besides talking to her again, I don't really know what else you can do. Maybe point out to her that eating your leftovers means you come home thinking you already have dinner prepared and then you find the fridge empty, and that that's pretty unfair.

I don't really have good advice, except as already said ^ tagging your food, maybe even tagging parts (1 or 2 shelves) of the fridge and cupboard for your food, the other parts for hers...

However, it so made me think about this Friends episode: youtu.be . . .

Good luck!

Stop being polite about it. This is just absurd.

"Dude. Stop eating my freakin' food. It's ridiculous and incredibly rude and I've already asked you to quit it. I thought I had dinner tonight and I was really looking forward to my left over stir fry, but you ate it already. I paid for it, it's mine, get your own. Geez."

Then storm out of the room.

I also agree with putting large obnoxious labels on all your food and taking over specific shelves and drawers. Passive aggressive messages on my left overs have worked in the past with my former food-eating roommates.

You can try to be nice all you want, but niceness just lost me more cookies and eggs. I had to resort to being brutally frank and pissed off to get my ex-roommate to stop stealing my food.

Stop being polite about it. This is just absurd.

"Dude. Stop eating my freakin' food. It's ridiculous and incredibly rude and I've already asked you to quit it. I thought I had dinner tonight and I was really looking forward to my left over stir fry, but you ate it already. I paid for it, it's mine, get your own. Geez."

Then storm out of the room.

I also agree with putting large obnoxious labels on all your food and taking over specific shelves and drawers. Passive aggressive messages on my left overs have worked in the past with my former food-eating roommates.

You can try to be nice all you want, but niceness just lost me more cookies and eggs. I had to resort to being brutally frank and pissed off to get my ex-roommate to stop stealing my food.

she apologized yet she still continues to do it.

This attitude sounds like, "I cannot control my actions, so it does not matter what I do." If so, this is the rationale of a total criminal.

I would disconnect as soon as I could.

Could she have an eating disorder? I had a roommate in college whose mother literally measure out each of her meals and no one ever got seconds or anything like that. When it was Valentines Day when we were in college her parents sent her chocolate flavored calcium chews. My parents sent me one of those huge tins of multiflavored popcorn. I of course shared with my roommate but she would end up bingeing on it and asked me to put it away. Well it was a small dorm room so the only place I could put it is under my bed. One night I came home from cheerleading and she had taken the popcorn out and was literally on her knees scooping it into her mouth. Another time she had gotten candy from something (not her family) and didn't want to be tempted to eat it all so she gave half to me. I ate a piece or two, and put the rest in my desk drawer. She saw me do that and the next day it was gone. She didn't understand how I could save something like that. Being away from her parents controlling everything she ate had created a binge disorder and exercise bulimia (meanwhile her younger sister at home developed anorexia). I'm not saying what your roommate is doing is right but there might be some background to it that might explain it. She might not be used to having so much food in the house and so on. I think putting your name on things will help to remind her that it's not hers to eat. Perhaps the next time she does it ask her for money to order food for delivery for your dinner since now you don't have any. Something like that might just do the trick when she realizes food takes time, effort and ingredients to make and also costs money.

I'd get a package of label stickers and a Sharpie. Wrap your leftovers well, whether they are to be frozen or refrigerated, and label with your name. Perhaps the visual reminder of ownership will be enough to stop her. When you come home from the grocery store, label your food purchases before putting it away. I'd also talk to her as DefyingGravity has suggested. If none of this works, I'd get a new roommmate when the lease is up.

I'd ask her to pay a larger share of the rent/utilities, to make up for the fact that she is eating all your food. Most likely she won't do it, but keep bringing it up, every time you discover food that she's eaten. "Looks like you ate the whole bag of potatoes I bought. Those were three dollars. I'll go ahead and add that to the money you owe for this month." Post a running tab on the fridge. That should get the message across. I would also put "DON'T EAT" on the labels on your food in addition to putting your name on there. And I also agree with stashing non-perishables in your room.

^I like Jonelle's idea. It's assertive without being "mean".

Another possibility is keeping the stuff you really don't want eaten in a mini fridge in your room, if you have one of those. I wouldn't go out and buy one for that purpose, but I know a lot of people have them from living in the dorms during college. This is what my boyfriend did when he lived in his fraternity house in college. He knew that no amount of labeling or asking would keep people from eating his stuff out of the main fridge, so he just kept it all in his room. It was a little inconvenient but his food didn't get stolen so it was definitely worth it.

^My brother does the same. He lives in a house with four other guys, and tried everything to get them to stop using his stuff. He tried shopping day by day and only buying what he was going to eat that day, they ate it before he could. He tried buying higher dollar stuff that they wouldn't typically buy so that they'd know it wasn't theirs, they ate that too. He finally just bought a fridge for his bedroom, and keeps his stuff in there.

Look at the rules of your lease before you put in a separate refrigerator. Mine says no appliances other then the ones provided. Putting in another fridge will also affect the electric bill and end up costing you more money and your roommate might complain if you try to split the bill evenly.