Frugality in the other areas of your life

[Frank Lee]

The thing about roomates is, if they get uppity for any reason, a lot of your stuff can grow legs when they move out.

[Ryland]

Frank, when picking room mates I pick ones that don't steel, because if they are the types that are going to steel when they move out then why wouldn't they steel while they are living there? every room mate that I've had I know where they moved to and I know who they hang out with.

Its hard enough to live with a girlfriend, never mind a "room mate".

Any house I've been in has always just been an equal split of costs for all parties (rent/elec/taxes etc)

I find it easier to live with room mates then girl friends, I currently live with one room mate and one co-home-owner and we all get along, past room mates have also not been an issue, the co-home-owner situation has been better then I could ever imagine, she and I get along great, we split home ownership costs down the center, we work on house related projects together and we trade our skills and anyone else who lives with us pays a flat rate rent that goes in to a pool of money for paying bills out of.
This is part of how, at age 30, I am mortgage free and my monthly bills are a non issue so I end up spending my money on food, clothing, home improvements and fun projects like owning an electric car, while working 15 to 20 hours per week with enough left over to put in to savings.

[Frank Lee]

If they are strangers you just can't tell.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

If they are strangers you just can't tell.

I don't let strangers live in my house, nor do any of my friends, the one person that I didn't personally know came with very good references and still she almost didn't make the cut.
If I live with someone I'm trusting them with my single largest investment along with most of my smaller investments, so if they live with me they need to be the kind of person that I would loan my car to or let them take money out of my wallet to pay a bill for me, because like I said, I'm trusting them with my single largest investment, my house.