Relational Drift
What does the roommate dinner cost over 5 years?
The Roommate Dinner
45 minutes, 104 times/year, 5 years — the long-term cost is 390 hours.
How the number's built.
The missed roommate dinner rarely looks final. At 45 minutes across 104 openings a year, it becomes 390 hours over 5 years.
If you changed one thing
Half the openings stay.
195 hours return.
No rush. It keeps until you want it.
A way through
keeping half the openings
39.0 hours/year returned
× 5 years = 195 hours returned
The Math
45 minutes / opening
104 openings / year = 78.0 hours/year
× 5 years = 390 hours
Assumptions
- Each opening lasts 45 minutes.
- 104 openings happen each year.
- Timeline spans 5 years.
- The calculation counts shared time, not relationship quality.
The arithmetic of roommate dinner
Last reviewed: May 2026.
An estimate built for reflection — not financial, medical, or legal advice. The figures follow the assumptions above.