Bad Roommate Installs Alarm on Pantry Door to Track How Much His Roommate Eats: 'He Questioned Why I Opened it Four Times in One Night.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jul 29, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

He's convinced that she's eating his food, but she's doing nothing of the sort!

When it comes to roommates, you don't want a control freak or a slob. You want someone who is willing to take responsibility for cleaning the house but doesn't freak out if it takes you more than 12 hours to do the dishes. You want someone who is willing to share their mustard because they know you will buy it next time. If you have to walk on eggshells with a roommate who won't even share condiments with you, then I don't envy your living situation. 

When you're living with a lot of people, it can be difficult to remember who bought what, especially if you're all buying the same stuff. I rarely buy the same brand of eggs, so I sometimes end up using my roommate's eggs instead of my own. That's an honest mistake, but not all roommates are willing to trust that their roommates aren't out to get them. The roommate in this story is convinced his roommate is stealing from him, despite him having zero evidence of this hunch. 

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  • Roommate goes into the kitchen pantry to get some oatmeal, unaware that her roommate is tracking how many times she enters the pantry each day.
    via Cabri Caldwell

    Roommate goes into the kitchen pantry to get some oatmeal, unaware that her roommate is tracking how many times she enters the pantry each day.

    The woman in this photo is a model.

  • My roommate installed a door chime on the pantry to track how often I eat

    I moved into a two bedroom with this guy because I wanted to save some money for a year. He seemed normal during the viewing, maybe a little particular about his food, but nothing alarming.
    via u/Educational_Act4560
  • A few weeks ago he became convinced somebody was eating his groceries. I haven't touched anything of his and we keep our food on separate shelves inside the same pantry. Instead of asking me, he attached
    via u/Educational_Act4560
  • A table topped with different types of food
    via Olimpia Davies (Unsplash+)

    The ingredients to make homemade pasta, which the roommate got from the pantry and the kitchen throughout the night. 

  • one of those magnetic door alarms to the pantry door, so now it chimes every time either of us opens it. I thought it was just meant to scare off a food thief until he casually mentioned that the alarm
    via u/Educational_Act4560
  • logs the exact time the pantry opens. Apparently he's been comparing the history with my work schedule. He questioned why I opened it four times one night and I had to explain that I was making pasta and kept forgetting ingredients.
    via u/Educational_Act4560
  • Am I being unreasonable for telling him the alarm has to go?
    via u/Educational_Act4560
  • Magmasoar I would open it every time I walked by it
    via u/Magmasoar
  • littlefire_2004 And leave it open every time
    via u/littlefire_2004
  • SmokeABowlNoCap Yea he sounds like a control freak. That's so weird
    via u/SmokeABowlNoCap
  • twig115 I vote you should start looking for a new place. Dude is unhinged and it will likely get worse and depending on how bad he is it could end up scary.
    via u/twig115
  • Abject-Award-1116 Dudes an idiot. As if a door chime thing is gonna tell him if you took his food. If he's that concerned then he should just keep his food in his room.
    via u/Abject-Award-1116
  • any-lore He has an unhealthy paranoia. I'd be worried it'll escalate into paranoia about other things and possibly to the point of not believing you. For now I'd try to keep as much of your food in your room as you can so you only open the pantry on rare occassions. And look for a new apartment. Trying to fight him might make it worse, though that depends on whether he really is mentally ill or just a control freak. You know him better, so it's your call.
    via u/any-lore
  • West-Value-7136 This the least efficient way to know if someone is stealing your food Imao.
    via u/Annual_Head_2858
  • A woman with a plate of food in her hand
    via Molly the Cat (Unsplash+)

    A woman eats food that her roommate bought without their permission in their shared kitchen, looking over her shoulder in fear that her roommate will come in and catch her in the act. 

    The person in the photo is not the real person in the story. 

  • Alert-Importance-397 Especially compared to the fairly basic 'know what stuff you have' gambit... :D
    via u/Alert-Importance-397

  • You shouldn't have to count the number of apples every time you go to your fridge, but if you generally keep track of the food you have, you'll be able to tell if your roommate is stealing from you. People who steal food regularly are not particularly subtle about it. They will eat an entire box of Cheez-Its and assume you won't notice. 

  • MeatofKings Him: why did the door open 20 times yesterday? Me: I like hearing it chime. [Me walks over and opens and closes it 3 times.] Isn't that great?
    via u/MeatofKings

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Tags

alarm pantry bad roommate stealing cooking in the kitchen paranoid alarm clock bad roommates kitchen food
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