'Started paying closer attention': Man notices his food disappearing and being oddly replaced with similar items, sets trap with a marked bag of chips, confirming his roommate, Jake, is secretly eating his food and using his Costco discount to replace it

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Oct 17, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Do things ever happen to you in life, and the only thing you can think of is…Why? Now, commonly, situations have a clear reasoning for why they are occurring. You get married because you want to spend the rest of your life with your partner, you drink water in order to keep hydrated and stay alive…I think you get the point, but to put it simply: When there's an input, there's normally an output. However, this may just be that exception, because no matter how hard we think about the why, there is just no sense behind this roommate's behavior.

Tension rises in this household of two when one roommate notices strange patterns happening with his groceries. A yogurt missing the one day, then returned the next…yet the flavour is different. Bags of crisps that have 'grown legs' and 'run away'... So when this man notices what is going on inside their fridge, he confronts his roommate, who claims he hasn't touched anything! Not believing a word he says, he tests that theory and marks a bag of chips…and yep, the new bag of chips has no black marker at the back of it. Why in the world would this roommate take food without permission if he was going to replace it anyway? Surely, he would just buy his own snacks and groceries, saving the effort of having to replace everything and be deceitful in their own home…Odd.                   

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  • Yet, soon it starts to make sense. On top of this, he has accessed the roommates' Costco card and is using it to purchase the ‘replacement’ items at a discounted price! I don't know if he is an utter genius or literally the most sly roommate to ever exist. Who even has time to think about something like that…Either way, it's not fair to the roommate who thinks he's suddenly going insane over all his disappearing or altered food… 

  • Man looking confused whilst looking in the fridge
    via gettyimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My roommate is secretly eating my food and replacing it with identical items hoping I won't notice

    I genuinely don't know if this is crazy or if I'm crazy so I need outside perspectives.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • I live with a roommate, we'll call him Jake. We've been living together for about 8 months.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Generally it's fine. We split rent and utilities, keep common areas clean, normal roommate stuff. About 2 months ago I started noticing my food was running out faster than it should.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Like I'd buy a box of granola bars and swear there were more left than what I was finding.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Or my almond milk would be way lower than I remembered. I thought maybe I was just forgetting how much I ate.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Didn't think much of it. Then last week I bought a very specific brand of Greek yogurt.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • It's the expensive one with the fruit on the bottom, specific flavor - blueberry. I had 4 of them.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Two days later I go to eat one and there are only 2 left. I know I only ate one.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • I mentioned it to Jake. He said he didn't touch them. The next day there were 4 yogurts again.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Man eating a blueberry yoghurt
    via pixelshot

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • But here's the thing - they were the same brand but STRAWBERRY flavor. Not blueberry. I texted Jake asking if he replaced my yogurt.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • He said no, I must have grabbed the wrong flavor at the store. I didn't. I hate strawberry.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • I specifically bought blueberry. So I started paying closer attention. And I'm pretty sure Jake has been eating my food and then replacing it with similar but not identical items hoping I won't notice.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Yesterday I tested it. I bought a bag of a very specific type of chips - Kettle Brand Sea Salt, the small bag.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • I wrote the date on it with a sharpie and put it in the cabinet. This morning the bag is still there but the date I wrote isn't on it.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • It's the same brand and flavor but a different bag. I confronted Jake. He completely denied it.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Said I'm being paranoid and weird. Said he would never eat my food and why would he buy replacements if he did?
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Two man standing back to back and looking at each other with a bleak expression
    via dean-drobot

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • But I KNOW I wrote the date on that bag. I took a photo of it.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • I don't understand the logic. If you're going to replace the food anyway, why not just ask if you can have some and pay me back?
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Why this weird sneaky replacement system? My girlfriend says I should get a mini fridge for my room.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • My brother says I should set up a camera in the kitchen. My other friend says I should just move out because this is weird behavior.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • But I don't know if I'm overreacting? Like he's technically replacing the food so I'm not losing money.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • It's just super weird and now I don't trust him and I feel paranoid every time I eat something from the kitchen.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • White, modern kitchen with a pot plant
    via janabishop

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Is this insane? What do I even do here? Do I get a lock for my cabinet?
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • Move out? Confront him again with proof? I feel like I'm losing my mind over grocery items.
    via Ok_Chicken3147
  • OP OK_Chicken3147 I checked my bank statement and Jake has access to my Costco membership through the household thing. Someone used it 4 times in the last month when I wasn't at Costco. He's been using my membership to buy the replacement items. So technically I AM losing money on the membership usage and he's just buying cheaper versions of what I bought. This is so much weirder than I thought.
    via OK_Chicken3147
  • Avehdreader If he's going to replace them he should just buy his own in the first place. Put a camera in the kitchen, or lock keep your food in your own room.
    via Avehdreader
  • VerdMont1 Costco stooped allowing non members to use members accounts about a year ago. They also keep a list of who is allowed to use corporate accounts. Fishy fishy!!
    via VerdMont1

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Tags

replacement bad roommate secretive roommate-drama roommate stories Awkward askreddit switch sneaky advice denial refrigerator without-permission suspicious food eating Reddit roommates
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