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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Disagree with communal fridge

268 replies

Frannni · 02/08/2024 18:29

Our neighbour, we shall call them “neighbour X” recentl started a discussion on the street WhatsApp about needing a communal fridge so anyone on the street can store excess fridge stuff over the summer. Everyone chipped in and “neighbour x” bought the fridge.

I am starting to get a bit miffed about it all, as firstly the fridge is kept at neighbour Xs house, which means they kind of control it. Secondly, we needed to use it recently to store excess drinks as we were having people over. Guess what, it was full so no use at all.

What has really annoyed me is that I have since heard it was mainly full due to neighbour X filling it with their own stuff. I am feeling really annoyed that we chipped in £50 for something we cannot even use when we need it. AIBU?

OP posts:
Ilikeadrink14 · 02/08/2024 23:33

Salumthecat · 02/08/2024 23:18

I posted asking similar questions, sadly I don’t think OP will be returning to answer.

It’s so disappointing when someone starts a thread and disappears without answering any questions - especially one as bizarre as this. I’m guessing we’ll all be left wondering and thinking about this forever…

Show quote history

I suppose it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that the poster wrote this as a ‘light the touch paper and stand back’ situation. Perhaps we’re the fools!

Iamnotalemming · 02/08/2024 23:33

I was so sure this was going to be an office politics thread ...😂

DreamTheMoors · 02/08/2024 23:42

You pitched in £50 and expected him to be fair and honest.
People who suggest “community fridges parked at their house” on your dime are rarely fair and never honest.
Save up and buy your own second fridge, OP. And write that £50 off.
You are not the fool here — the fridge-napper is.

Titsonboard · 03/08/2024 00:05

On the off chance this is true, can I recommend an electric cool box if you occasionally need a little extra fridge space in your OWN home. We have one to plug in the car for trips, camping we also lend it to family. The rest of the time it sits in the bottom of a cupboard, when we need extra fridge space out it comes and gets plugged into the mains it holds loads of extra at Christmas or entertaining also useful when defrosting the freezer.
we do have a lot of “ communal equipment” in our house ( including a chest freezer in a shed) actually it’s ours that we bought but our adult children seem to think it’s communal

HollyKnight · 03/08/2024 00:34

It was nice of everyone to buy your neighbour a new fridge.

PointsSouth · 03/08/2024 07:57

Twototwo15 · 02/08/2024 19:43

Ask for your £50 back and say the one time you have asked to use it, you can’t and you won’t be using it in the future.

If you read it in Penelope Keith’s voice, this is the funniest response so far.

radio4everyday · 03/08/2024 08:23

Ask on the WA to see the receipt and how many people chipped in £50. He'd have made a profit.

Marmalady75 · 03/08/2024 08:28

Is the fridge in CF neighbour’s house? So how are you supposed to get your stuff if they are out/on holiday etc? How on earth did you envision this working?

NotSureWhatUsernameToChoose · 03/08/2024 09:47

@Frannni I live in the same road and my washing machine is on the blink, as is the oven, oh and actually the kids could do with a PS upgrade - for EVERYONE to share of course!!!

Just pop another £50 in my letter box please - EVERYONE else has.

Oh and I have some magic beans too that I could sell you ...

viques · 03/08/2024 10:27

So embarrassed , I had always assumed that the number of abandoned freezers littering London were there because of anti social tossers who couldn’t be arsed to arrange for them to be taken to the dump. I now realise my error, they are actually communal fridges carefully left in strategic positions in a high density population so that we can all enjoy fresh milk and chilled beer.

Thanks neighbours, sorry for doubting your exemplary concern for community wellbeing.

PTSDBarbiegirl · 03/08/2024 10:29

God no. Live and learn. Next they’ll suggest a communal toilet.

DeathbyDying · 03/08/2024 15:50

PTSDBarbiegirl · 03/08/2024 10:29

God no. Live and learn. Next they’ll suggest a communal toilet.

there are so many comedy responses on this thread but there seems to be a lot of this around at the moment.

I think there is a competition going secretly to post a random bizarre opening post and never come back to the thread to see how funny the replies get.

The one about the neighbour using the hot tub was another one. crazy opening post and then OP never comes back.

Ilovecleaning · 03/08/2024 17:58

Sounds bloody nuts to me.

GrazingSheep · 03/08/2024 18:26

Is @Frannni going to come back to update ? Or will her thread get to 40 pages with just her single post..,

BillybobLAS · 03/08/2024 19:00

We have a spare fridge, it was in the house when we moved in but wasn’t big enough it lives in the garage and when anyone needs an extra fridge they come get it! We don’t control it from our house. Bbqs and Xmas seem to be its main use lol

justfinethanks · 03/08/2024 19:17

DeathbyDying · 03/08/2024 15:50

there are so many comedy responses on this thread but there seems to be a lot of this around at the moment.

I think there is a competition going secretly to post a random bizarre opening post and never come back to the thread to see how funny the replies get.

The one about the neighbour using the hot tub was another one. crazy opening post and then OP never comes back.

Show quote history

Probably the same person. Annoying.

Skybluepinky · 03/08/2024 19:31

If u want extra space but yr own, very strange.

Salumthecat · 03/08/2024 19:57

DeathbyDying · 03/08/2024 15:50

there are so many comedy responses on this thread but there seems to be a lot of this around at the moment.

I think there is a competition going secretly to post a random bizarre opening post and never come back to the thread to see how funny the replies get.

The one about the neighbour using the hot tub was another one. crazy opening post and then OP never comes back.

Show quote history

She actually did come back eventually on the hot
tub thread, She was in the process of resolving it with the neighbour but angry she didn’t get a proper apology.

I think the OP of this post has legged it though! We were possibly a social experiment. Maybe OP wanted to try the communal fridge idea herself to get a free fridge and wanted to know how easy it would be to fool people into going along with it?

I guess we will never know…

1974devon · 03/08/2024 20:07

Madness..how much did they collect.to buy the fridge?! You'd have done better buying a small extra fridge yourself..

Shabzzz · 03/08/2024 21:00

Frannni · 02/08/2024 18:29

Our neighbour, we shall call them “neighbour X” recentl started a discussion on the street WhatsApp about needing a communal fridge so anyone on the street can store excess fridge stuff over the summer. Everyone chipped in and “neighbour x” bought the fridge.

I am starting to get a bit miffed about it all, as firstly the fridge is kept at neighbour Xs house, which means they kind of control it. Secondly, we needed to use it recently to store excess drinks as we were having people over. Guess what, it was full so no use at all.

What has really annoyed me is that I have since heard it was mainly full due to neighbour X filling it with their own stuff. I am feeling really annoyed that we chipped in £50 for something we cannot even use when we need it. AIBU?

"I think it's lovely that you all helped neighbour x by themselves a new fridge" she said sarcastically.

DeathbyDying · 03/08/2024 21:01

Here's my comedy OP suggestion inspired by this thread. should I post it? [note it is all lies]

I live on a long-ish cul-de-sac. Most of our neighbours are very friendly and the majority have children in the same age bracket 5 - 12ish. Our kids all play outside in the evening term time and most of the day at the weekend and school holidays if they aren't away obviously.

We all sort of rely on each other to watch each others kids - say neighbour 1 might text saying she's going to the corner shop for 10 mins could we keep an eye on little Jimmy her son. It's all fine and we do the same.

Problem is that if the kids want the loo they come and ring on the door bell of whoever is in. Then you get a trail of 10 kids mucking up the loo and pissing on the floor.

I saw this post on MN about a communal fridge and had this great idea of getting a communal loo - maybe a portaloo actuall in the street (there is a fence along a stretch of the cul-de-sac not obviously visible from the main road which would be ideal ) or to build one in our back garden (we have a side alley which would be ideal to put at the end with a key coded entry pad. We could stealthly build a sort of side shed on to it so we'd get a free bit of building paid for by the neighbours to boot.

AIBU?

TheMerryTiger · 03/08/2024 21:07

Huh??? What a stupid idea - yet brilliant of your neighbour!!!!!

Jc2001 · 03/08/2024 21:15

If anyone is interested, I was going to suggest a communal 85" OLED TV ( we'll keep it around my place).

Fridge on the other hand? Unless you live in a hippy commune or student diggs, i can't see why anyone would buy into it in the first place.

Toptops · 03/08/2024 21:22

Crazy idea

openforall · 03/08/2024 21:22

yabu for chipping in for an appliance in someone else’s home

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