Am I the jerk for charging my roommate for using my spices?
I'm really into cooking and I have an extensive spice collection. We're talking like $270 worth of high-quality spices, some imported, some hard to find.
My roommate Tyler uses them constantly without asking. At first I didn't mind but he's going through them SO fast. My $25 jar of saffron is half gone.
I asked him to please buy his own spices. He said spices are meant to be shared and I'm being stingy.
I put a price list on the spice cabinet - if he uses my expensive spices he needs to venmo me. Like $2 for using the fancy paprika, $5 if he uses saffron, etc.
He thinks I've lost my mind. He showed his girlfriend who laughed at my "spice toll."
But these are expensive! I save up to buy quality ingredients! He's using my $18 vanilla beans in his protein shakes!
He's now buying the cheapest possible spices from the dollar store and leaving them out to "share" while refusing to pay for mine. His dollar store garlic powder is disgusting.
I've started keeping my spices in my bedroom. He says I'm being "psychotic about seasoning" and it's embarrassing that I lock up spices.
My sister says I'm being ridiculous and spices are communal in shared living spaces. But these aren't basic salt and pepper! AITJ?
TL;DR: Roommate using my expensive spice collection constantly, I created price list for him to pay per use, he refuses and says I'm psychotic for caring about spices, now I keep them in my room.
Posted Mar 4, 2026, 7:15 AM UTC