Figured out my roommate was stealing my food after 3 months of guessing
I kept noticing my yogurt and sandwich stuff disappearing, but I blamed myself for forgetting what I bought. Turns out my roommate was eating my groceries every night while I slept, and it took me setting up a cheap camera to catch him. Has anyone else dealt with a roommate who took forever to finally admit what they were doing?
Man, that's rough. I had a similar situation and what finally worked was leaving a very obvious note on the food that said "please ask before taking." That got the point across without a huge fight, and it stopped the next day.
Noticing a bigger pattern here, people just assume shared stuff is up for grabs without a second thought. It's like we've all forgotten basic consideration in this rush to grab what we want. The note thing works because it calls out the behavior without accusing anyone directly, just a gentle nudge. I've seen this in a lot of areas, not just food, people grabbing tools at work or using someone else's stuff without asking. It's a sign of how disconnected we are from each other I guess, just assuming nobody will mind. That note trick is smart, it makes people pause and think for a second before they act.