When you share bills with the people you live with, finding a fair solution when it comes to splitting up payments can be tricky. And while most people will opt for the 50/50 method in which you and your flatmate just pay half of each bill, that doesn't always work and can leave some people feeling as though they're paying too much.
That's exactly the case with one anonymous woman who is at her wit's end with her flatmate's water usage, as they keep taking long showers that last over 30 minutes, as well as leaving her electric heater running all day.
The woman said she finds her flatmate's behaviour "wasteful" and claimed it's driving up the price of their monthly water and electricity bills, which are already sky-high thanks to the cost of living crisis.
However, the flatmate is refusing to change her ways and has even turned down the idea of splitting the bills proportionately to how much each of them actually use - as she claims this isn't fair.
But the woman is now struggling to pay her half of the monthly bills, and has insisted she doesn't want to be more out of pocket than she needs to be, simply because she's subsidising her flatmate's shower habits.
In a post on Reddit, the woman, from Australia, said: "I share an apartment with a friend, and we moved in a few months ago. She takes extremely long showers. She will usually be in there with the hot water running for over 30 minutes. I, meanwhile, do all the shampoo, condition, soap, loofah, body wash, shaving, etc, but I take a maximum of 10 mins. 30 mins is ridiculously wasteful.
"She is also liberal with heating/cooling. It is April in Sydney, Australia, and she's using an electric heater while wearing a t-shirt and no shoes.
"My main issue is the financial cost of these showers. Where we live, utilities are not fixed prices - they directly reflect how much stuff you use. Our city is in a serious cost-of-living crisis, everything has increased lately and I'm a full time law student so am relying on credit cards and the limited amount of paid work I'm able to do.
"My flatmate, on the other hand, lived with their parents all expenses paid until the age of 24, and now works full time with no debt. She is very sheltered/inexperienced and the impact of her decisions on other human beings doesn't seem to register. I also can't use the bathroom for a full hour every day [because of her showers]. I pay for all of my own expenses, and would never make my situation her responsibility, but right now I am subsidising her lifestyle and this is the issue."
The woman said she approached her flatmate last week about changing their payment plan so that she pays more as she uses more energy - but was told she was being unfair.
She added: "I just told her I don't feel comfortable paying 50/50 given the large differences that I've noticed between our use of utilities. She really seemed to take offence and even compared me with her 'strict Asian parents' and refused to negotiate on the 50/50 bills.
"It's not like I'm asking her to like, 'stop using shampoo' or anything, but can we just do what we need to do and not stand in there for another 20 minutes?"
Commenters were largely on the woman's side, as many said that while the situation was "difficult" to navigate, but admitted her flatmate should pay her fair share of the bills.
One person said: "Difficult subject to resolve, but if your utilities are pay-as-you-go then everyone has an obligation to only use what they need OR to contribute based on their use."
While another added: "She is completely immature. This sounds like her first independent living situation. If she can't adapt then ask her to leave. If that's not possible, get her to pay the utility then only give her proportionally what you think you have used."
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