My dad moved out a couple years back so earlier this year I moved in with my mom. She was really lonely and I was in need of a roommate so it worked out well.
She's an anxious person by nature -- she worried more than the average mom and has always had some nervous ticks (physically). She works in a financial industry so she has always been hyper aware of money and very frugal, excessively so. For example, we've always had 3 refrigerator/freezers and 2 pantries full to the brim of food she's stocked up on while it was on sale. At most there were 4 people living at home and only 2 in the last 10 years. Most of this is her food that nobody else is allowed to touch; there is a refrigerator entirely full of her candy bars that are up to 15 years old which I find quite weird.
Since my dad left and she has full reign of the house, her neurotic tendencies have been getting way worse, including:
- won't shut dishwasher door because her friend's dishwasher door broke and it was expensive
- won't shut toaster oven or microwave door unless necessary, again, in case they break
- puts silverware in jars on the counter because a drawer broke once and it was expensive
- if we go out of town for a couple days, she unplugs everything in the house and turns off the water in case some catastrophe happens
- won't set thermostat above 60
- doesn't flush toilet after she urinates to save on water bill
- all the doors have dead bolts on them now that can only be opened with a key (from inside or outside)
- she literally doesn't eat salt. She cooks everything from scratch without it because she says it makes her bloated.
I wouldn't mind it if she kept these things to herself but she's constantly scolding me for not doing them as well. To me these things seem borderline crazy and I don't want to support that.
Are things things normal and I'm just making a big deal out of nothing? It's beginning to drive me crazy because she's the most high maintenance roommate ever but I'd rather try to improve the situation than move out. She gets really nasty and defensive if I question her or say I disagree with any of these things. Ideas?
Tl;dr: Already neurotic mom has gotten even more neurotic since my dad left. It's driving me crazy and I'm looking for tips on how I can better manage the situation (I'm not going to move out).
Edit: I also want to mention she's not being this frugal out of necessity. We don't have that much money but she has plenty for going out to dinner or out of town whenever she gets the opportunity.
Submitted November 20, 2014 at 01:01AM by einsam http://ift.tt/1Aj3rpc relationship_advice
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