I share the kitchen with a few roommates. Sometimes it's challenging. There are two refrigerators, multiple people use each. This morning I got a text message which I found a bit annoying:
Hey, why did you put your stuff in my freezer? This stuff is expired and could contaminate our food.Please be more careful. I left it outside if you still want it.
My thoughts were
- I thought freezers were a free for all and was unaware of any organizational system. I'm also the one whose been living there the longest.
- I used to use that fridge but switched to the other. I guess some stuff got left behind. So I didn't recently 'put a bunch of stuff in'.
- He was complaining about two boxes of ice cream. I don't think anything is getting contaminated.
- I'm not OK with other people moving my belonging, or shared belongings (which he had just done), without asking me first.
- I'd prefer having these kinds of conversations not over text.
Too add more context, he just got back from a vacation and bought a bunch of food. The freezer I normally use wasn't closing because he had put a bunch of stuff in it, so I find it a bit hypocritical that he says I shouldn't be putting anything in the other.
How should I respond to things like this? Sometimes I'm not sure how to prioritize things as there's a lot of points that came to my mind over a small message.
I could message "Please don't move my belongings, or share shared belongings that I use, without asking me first" but I feel that would put him on the defensive.