INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Once you've signed the agreement and started living together, you have to be firm about the decisions you made. Keeping the situation fair for everyone involves setting boundaries, which means no encroaching or allowing your financial boundaries to be violated, not even "now and then". "Now and then" soon turns into habit once the moocher becomes alert to your generosity and ambiguity is a key source of financial boundary violations. Don't accept excuses. For example, in the case of one roommate claiming, "Well, I bought this, well, I bought that," you'll find yourself in a losing battle based on divvying up any resource except for the actual cash needed pay the rent and utilities. Be flexible only if severe circumstances occur after an excellent track record. If after many months of demonstrating credibility, a major loss such as a job loss occurs, changes to financing arrangements temporarily might be understandable. But this is different from anyone who immediately comes up with excuses whenever he doesn't feel like paying. Never allow anyone else to make his problems become your problems. Everyone has the responsibility to solve his own problems with his own resources, even after a job loss or a hardship. Someone being out of a job for too long can all too easily turn into "always looking for work" while living off your generosity. Don't let that happen to you. Give an ultimatum on payments required and follow through with the plan you made about dealing with this in your contract. You should create a chart, or use a helpful tracking service, to track all of your finances, big or small, so you can continue to execute your game plan. This will help you see who paid for what, who owes whom, and who is coming up short. Here are some ways this can help: You will see who bought which household items, such as toilet paper, paper towels, or dish soap. You will see who paid for any minor repairs the home may have needed. You will see who paid for any home improvement items, such as new curtains, or even a new piece of furniture. If you're sharing a pet, you will see who is paying for most of his food or other needs. A classic mooch would go grocery shopping, buy 80 percent of the groceries for himself only, consume them, and then claim that the $200.00 grocery bill represents half the rent. Unless you're married or in a romantic liaison or family situation, it's not recommended to share the food costs with a roomie doing so can easily muddy the waters and blur boundaries. It can also cause fights about use of expensive or unusual diet specific food items if one member of the household doesn't eat the same foods as someone else. If you must share food, then purchase the food together in three pay cycles. Pay for your own groceries, have your roomie pay for his or her groceries, and then pay for your shared items by splitting the cost. Ringing up the register three times will be annoying, but worth it. Do not allow "inconvenience" to become an excuse to blur the lines or this will ultimately lead to boundary violations and phony justifications based on cooked-up logic about trying to substitute one payment for another. If you're part of a very community-minded household and eat the same types of food, such as a straight edge vegan household), it may form part of your living arrangement expectations, so treat this aspect of finances accordingly but still make it very clear as to what payments are expected. To continue to execute your game plan, you need to have everything written down and verbally communicated. You need to keep an open line of communication with your roommate to make sure that everything is managed responsibly and that everything is paid on time. Here's what you can do: Thank your roommate for buying items for being responsible and paying for everything on time. Show that you appreciate this timeliness. Thank your roommate for any household items she bought, and make sure to repay her for them. If your roommate doesn't pay close attention to the tracking sheet, gently remind her about something you bought and make sure she notices your contributions. If a new unexpected situation arises, such as an expensive repair bill, or an unexpected extended guest, sit down and have an open conversation about it. Add your decision to your contract and sign it again. Do not be passive aggressive with your roommate. Not only will this make it harder for you to take care of your finances, but you will make your living situation much more unpleasant.

SUMMARY: Stick to your guns. Always track your expenses. Be wary of splitting food costs. Maintain clear communication at all times.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are plenty of comedies to choose from, so select one you think your friend will like. Think of a few choices and let your friend pick which one they think will be the funniest. Classic funny movies or tv shows include Superbad, The Office, or Friends. Find a list of options by typing "funny tv shows or movies" into your search engine online. Watching videos of comedians doing stand-up comedy is a great way to ensure a few laughs. Either look up a comedian you know your friend already likes, or choose a new one to watch to see if they're funny. Sites like YouTube and Netflix have lots of comedian show options. Many comedians have their own tv shows where they aren't just doing stand-up but are still very funny, such as Ellen DeGeneres or Aziz Ansari. Type "comedians" into your search bar to find funny comedians to watch. These could be quotes from famous historical figures, tv show characters, or authors. Find a few funny quotes online and save them by writing them down, typing them into your phone, or taking a picture of them. An example of a funny quote might be, "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate." Type "funny quotes" or something similar into a search engine to find great options. You can even make your search more specific by choosing a topic, like "funny quotes about school" or "hilarious quotes about dogs." This is a great way to make your friend laugh when you're not with them. Whenever you see a funny picture or meme as you're scrolling through social media, save the picture to send to your friend. You can also search "funny memes" in an online search engine to find lots of choices. Think about which memes or pictures your friend might like. For example, if they love cats, a meme about a cat will probably make them laugh. Look for popular memes on Pinterest or Instagram.

SUMMARY: Watch a funny movie or tv show together. Find videos of comedians for a comedy watch session. Look up funny quotes online to tell your friend. Send your friend funny memes or pictures.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A small 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8cm) home in your door can create airflow and cool down the room. You can leave the door as-is or insert a transfer grill to make the cut less obvious. Return ducts push air back to the air conditioner, allowing it be used again. That helps increase airflow because the cool air coming into the room has somewhere to go. If you don't already have these in your home, they can be expensive to install. One basic way to create return air ducts is to cut a hole in the floor in the wall cavity. Connect it to the room and the return air with metal sheeting. Jump ducts are u-shaped tunnels that create the same effect as leaving the door open, as they allow air to flow back out of the room when it comes in through the AC vent. For best results, install jump ducts in the attic. To install: Cut holes in the ceiling drywall. Place the jump duct above the rooms, and connect the registers on the duct to the beams. Seal the registers to the drywall using caulk. Then seal the registers to the duct using the approved ties and metal tape. In the rooms, place a ceiling grill under the duct.

SUMMARY:
Cut a 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8cm) opening in the door. Install a return duct. Use jump ducts to allow air flow in and out of the room.