About eight months ago, my girlfriend Sally and I decided to move in together.  Although we’d only been dating for a few months, we were getting along really, and it seemed like a great way to save money.  We hoped that splitting rent, utilities and living expenses would free up money for us to pay off our student loans. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. I am now anxious for the lease to be up, so I can move out.  Sally is driving me insane and costing me a fortune. She has no clue how to trim expenses. When it’s her turn to buy groceries, she comes home with imported cheese, shrimp, chocolate, and absolutely nothing we actually need.  She constantly shops online, ordering more shoes, scented candles and fancy hand soaps. None of that would bother me all that much if it weren’t for the energy waste. I’ve already caught her running the air conditioner at full blast with the window open.  Since our electric bills are always astronomical, I was really aggravated. She explained that she wanted to be nice and cool but also enjoy some fresh air. We’re now headed into winter, and she’s already cranking the thermostat higher than necessary. She never remembers to turn it down when she leaves for work, and I always come home to an overheated apartment.  I often get up in the middle of the night and turn the thermostat down. When I wake up sweating in the morning, I realize she’d turned it back up. Our utility bills are so high that living with Sally is costing more than when I had my own apartment.