Living with a roommate can be a rewarding experience—splitting expenses, sharing responsibilities, and having someone to unwind with after a long day. However, when one person starts taking advantage of the other, things can quickly go from harmonious to tense. I found this out the hard way when my roommate, Taryn, stopped contributing to our grocery bills, leaving me to cover the costs repeatedly. At first, I didn’t mind. We had a friendly agreement—if one of us went grocery shopping, we’d pick up a few items for the other. It seemed fair enough, especially since I did the majority of the shopping, and I thought it all balanced out. But as time went by, I began noticing a pattern: Taryn wasn’t paying me back. Not once.

The First Signs

It began with small requests.

“Can you grab some eggs while you’re out? I’ll send you the money later,” she would say. Or, “I forgot the milk. Can you get some? I’ll pay you back.” At first, I thought nothing of it. How much could a few items really cost? But the requests started to increase, and so did the price tags. Soon, Taryn was asking for things like imported chocolates, fancy cheeses, organic honey, and even bottles of wine. Each time, she swore she’d reimburse me, but every time, she never did.

Whenever I brought it up, she’d laugh it off. “Oh, I totally forgot! I’ll get you tomorrow.” But ‘tomorrow’ never came. Meanwhile, I watched her splurge on new designer clothes, expensive takeout, and weekend trips. It was becoming painfully clear that paying me back wasn’t a priority.

The Breaking Point

One evening, after a particularly tiring day at work, I came home to find Taryn hosting another one of her parties. The living room was full of people, music was blaring, and there was food everywhere. Not just any food, though—the exact groceries I had bought for her, which she hadn’t paid me back for.

That was the final straw.

Here I was, doing my best to stay within my budget, while Taryn was throwing a lavish party with the very groceries I had paid for. I knew I needed to do something about it, and I wasn’t going to let her take advantage of me any longer.

The Plan

I didn’t want to make a scene, but I also wasn’t going to let this slide any longer. So, I devised a plan to teach her a lesson she’d never forget.

A few days later, Taryn handed me another grocery list. She was planning a “girls’ night,” and her list included premium wines, imported cheeses, exotic fruits, fancy meats, and even caviar.

Perfect.

I smiled and said, “Of course, I’ll grab everything you need.” But instead of buying the high-end items she requested, I decided to get creative.

The Shopping Trip

I went to the dollar store and bought the cheapest knock-offs of everything on her list. Instead of premium wine, I bought a $2 bottle of cheap grape juice. For the exotic fruits, I grabbed canned peaches and pineapple. Instead of fine cheeses, I picked up individually wrapped processed cheese slices. And for the caviar? I bought black-dyed gelatin pearls that looked the part but tasted horrible.

I also got the lowest-quality deli meats I could find, and instead of the expensive chocolates she wanted, I picked up a box of bargain-bin candy that was past its expiration date. I carefully arranged everything in the fridge, making it look as fancy as possible.

The Big Reveal

The night of the party, Taryn’s guests arrived, expecting a gourmet spread. She poured “wine” into glasses and took the first sip—only to choke in disgust.

“What is this?” she gasped.

I shrugged. “It’s the premium grape wine you asked for.”

Next, she grabbed a slice of what she thought was aged cheddar, only to discover it was processed cheese. Her guests began murmuring, “Uh, this cheese doesn’t taste right.”

Then, she tried the “caviar” and nearly spit it out. “What is this?” she exclaimed.

I smiled sweetly. “Caviar. Just like you asked.”

By this point, the room was full of awkwardness, and the party quickly came to an end. As soon as her guests left, she turned to me, furious. “What the hell was that?” she demanded.

“Oh,” I said innocently, “you mean the groceries? I got everything you wanted. Just like the times I’ve bought for you before. Only this time, I stuck to my budget.”

She went silent, her face turning bright red.

The Aftermath

After that night, Taryn never asked me to buy her groceries again. In fact, she even started paying me back for a few of the things she owed me. It wasn’t much, but it showed that my lesson had gotten through to her.

Eventually, our lease ended, and I moved out. We didn’t keep in touch much after that, but I learned an important lesson: never let anyone take advantage of your kindness. Setting boundaries is essential, and sometimes people only learn through experience. Looking back, I don’t regret what I did. I didn’t cause a scene or yell. Instead, I gave her a taste of her own medicine—literally. And that was a lesson she wouldn’t forget.