How to hide alcohol from your nosy roommate.

Privacy is a privilege, not a right. We’ve all been there at least once in our lives; shared a space with someone else, a roommate. Sure, roommates are great- you split the rent, you split the bills, you have a built-in partymate, but no one wants to split their food. Maybe you’re the rare roommates that have made a treaty; all food is up for grabs, but if you’re like the majority of duos, chances are you don’t want to find your cereal box empty before you’ve even had a bite. And let’s not mention alcohol- that can be some serious cash wasted on a drink you never got to enjoy. If you’ve got a nosy roommate, and want to end the viscious food cycle, try these tips and tricks for hiding your alcohol in a shared space.

Don’t understimate the power of food coloring 

Picture this: that delicious whipped cream vodka you’ve been waiting to treat yourself to all week, GONE, every last drop, empty. When it comes to clear alcohols, disguising then is easy. In fact, you can even hide them in plain sight. All you need is some blue or green food coloring, an empty Listerine bottle, and a funnel. (Surely you see where this is going?) Odds are, you don’t share mouth wash with your roommate, so rest assured that bottle will go untouched. Simply pour, store, and enjoy.

More H2O

If there’s one thing you probably have as much of as alcohol, it’s water bottles; we all need water. And yes, recycling is great, but take your recycling one step further and hide your favorite clear alcohol in those dozens of empty water bottles. Just be sure to keep this stash far out of sight from the regular water…

The almighty flask

No, flasks are not only meant for sophisticated old men or less than sophisticated college girls. A good flask can mean the difference between you having alcohol and not having any. When it comes to hiding alcohol, a flask is as simple as it gets. All it takes is a quick search and you’d be surprised how creative a flask can be. Binocular shaped flasks, sunscreen bottles, even fake tampon flasks (for those who have just really had the last straw). This way you can hide any alcohol, clear or otherwise in plain sight and never worry about it being compromised.

Untampered packaging

On the other hand, maybe those previous methods are just too consuming. If you like to keep your alcohol in the delicate bottle it came in, we get it, we do. A fresh, unopened bottle is incomparable. All that means when it comes to roommates is that it’s time to get creative. Don’t store (hide) your bottles in the back of the food pantry, that’s too easy. Try hiding it in the back of your cabinet under the bathroom sink. Or better yet, in your underwear drawer; maybe even at the bottom of your dirty laundry basket. Because who would be willing to tread there right?