Sharing the cost of food

[AquilaLiberum]

Ok so you guys know I'm a Coeliac and therefore can't eat stuff that has wheat in it. Well most of my new housemates (bar Aoibheann who cooks for herself and her boyfriend) go shopping every week for the whole house and cook group meals. I assume everyone just chips in a bit. However, it's likely that being a Coeliac, I won't be able to eat some of the stuff they buy. Therefore, my question to you guys is: would it be reasonable for me to ask if I can pay a little bit less since I don't want to pay for stuff that I can't eat. It'd also save me money on buying my own gluten free stuff, since it's always more expensive.

I don't want to seem really stingy, but this moving out business is going to be pretty dear and I really want to save money where I can.

Discuss:

-Splitting living costs and doing it fairly and without arguments.

-Any moving out stories/advice you can offer would be REALLY helpful smile

~Nya-ha!~
blaugh

 

[scrub]

I did this at the beginning of the year but it fell apart after a couple of months. People end up not eating at the same time, not wanting to eat the s**t other people cook. We have a Sir Lankan, French, Chinese and two English, very different tastes in food and David the other English guy eats unhealthy crap.
I got annoyed that I'd make something nice and then someone else would get like ready meals from iceland for a pound...

My flatmate David and I still go shopping together and split things like bread and eggs, or sometimes deals if we see them. Like get a BOGOF deal and pay half each.

So my take is basically, sharing food expenses, good in theory bad in practise. I felt I was loosing out.  

[Szen]

I agree with Scrub.
You could get technical about it and only pay for food that you can eat, but that would be a hassle. D:
You could just buy all your own food, but then you'd not be able to eat anything that they cooked.
Or you could cook them a meal with food that you bought every time you ate a meal that they cooked?
I'd be in the same situation as you, since whenever I'm invited to someone's house for dinner, it seems like there's always milk in it. I politely eat it and then am sick the next day. I couldn't do that at home. DX  

[PainfullyVivid]

That's what my friend who I'm moving into an apartment with next year has. XD
But I think we're only going to cook group meals once in a while because all the hassle and possible problems. At least, I might. XD;

You could bring it up with them and say how it might even out in the end with what you can eat and can't. Or, figure out what you own out of the food you are able to eat and pay them for your piece of that. Or just buy your own food.  

[coldheartedangel]

My flat-mate and i split.
But there is only two of us and we get the same stuff anyway.  

[AquilaLiberum]

@scrub and Szen: Yeah I see what you guys mean. I think I'll chip in a little anyway because they don't just shop for food, they shop for other stuff too like loo roll, washing up liquid etc so I'll definitley contribute towards those expenses. I think I'll have a look at what they're going to make, they usually plan their meals too, so if it looks like something I can have, I'll pay my part.
Friday night we had boiled potatoes, bacon, beans, cheese and brown sauce. That sounds disgusting but it was actually awesome xd
Alot of the whole group meal thing isn't even about the food, it's more about the social-ness. My friend Aoibheann buys her own shopping for her and her boyfriend and doesn't eat with everyone else: she's rightly known as the hermit of the house xd

@Pain: Awh, I'm sorry. I know it's annoying when you have to live with someone that has something like this, it causes so much hassle. Cooking for yourselves is probably a better option but you guys could probably do stuff that's naturally gluten free and make it together I guess. My housemates girlfriend is also a Coeliac and she's in the house all the time so I think I might offer her dinner from time to time.

@Cold: That's awesome, it must make things so much easier xd  

[PainfullyVivid]

Well, the other roommate that I know of (I'm going to have three, but only two of my friends signed up for it, so we're getting a random person shoved in there) is lactose intolerant. XDD So, honestly, I'm not sure we can always make every meal without both. Though they can both eat some of the foods I'm planning on eating a lot, at least.  

[Yaoinaut]

When I shared with my friends last year, we all just bought our own shopping, yet sometimes, we'd still do group meals, but it was usually done if you had plently of what you were making, and only if the others wanted some. Worked out fine.  

[AquilaLiberum]

Well I spoke to my friend Gerard today and he says I could eat everything they buy except for bread and biscuits. He says they all just chip in £20 each every week and have group meals all the time, which I'd be fine with. He also said that if I wanted to just make my own stuff and not pay that'd also be grand. So it's all working out! I'm probably moving in this coming Sunday, I absolutley cannot wait xD

@yaoi: Whereabouts do you live now? We should totally meet up after the exams! biggrin

~Nya-ha!~
blaugh

 

[Yaoinaut]

Technically still at home, but sure, meeting up somewhere like Abbeycentre could be fun 3nodding  

[Mezri]

Yeah sharing food is hard. If I was in your situation, I'd put a little toward common food like: milk and eggs but I would not think it's fair for the to expect you to buy things you won't eat.