We put a key lock on our bedroom door. And SD13 is NOT allowed in our bedroom unless one of us is present. A few months ago, DH found 2 pairs of my lace thong underwear hidden in SD's room. She had worn them and then hid them. Gross, right? I have found countless other items of mine in her possession. I am a teacher and have a lot of school stuff stored in the basement. SD thinks it is her own personal shopping adventure down there.

Fortunately putting the fear of god into her seems to have stopped her thieving ways. Although I have disengaged and will not go in her room for any reason so she may have squirreled away some more of my things. I still have a battle in my head, wanting to go in there and search the whole room. One day I might just do it again.

No easy answer to that one, noki. But a lock on the door will help. We lock it any time we leave the house even if it is only for a few minutes because we do not need light fingers helping herself in there.

Good luck!

Holy cow. Even with SD being the dumbass that she is, she did not dare steal my things. She knew DH would have kicked her into next week if she stole from me.

My suggestion would be to get in her face each and every time. I just can't put up with that garbage.

My bd19 still takes my things I fuss at her and it's gotten better but I noticed last time the the sd12 was in town that a bunch of my crest white strips had been used. She is so stupid that instead of putting the wrappers in the trash, she stashed them in one of the drawers where I keep my blow dryer.
I mentioned it to my SO mostly bc I just don't like anyone taking my things without permission. And bc she is 12.. why does she need to whiten her teeth? Those things are expensive!

I've noticed that she'll take other stuff such as my headbands or pony tail holders. I did point out to her one day that I do live there too so when she finds something, please don't automatically assume that it's yours and just pick it up and start using it.
I even bought her some headbands for Christmas...she left them there. Wow, hilarious.
Guess they weren't mine so they weren't good?
I did put my foot down on her using my hairbrush. I normally kept it in the bathroom in the top drawer. My SO keeps a few spares in there too. But for some reason last year, the brat get's the idea somehow that the hair brush was her's.
So she comes into the living room and demands to know where the hairbrush is at. I said.. I don't know. What does your brush look like? She started describing mine. I then stated, oh.. you mean my brush? She said.. it's the one my daddy keeps in the bathroom. I said.. no, that's my hairbrush. You can borrow it but it's not your dad's. It's mine. This was when she explained to me that it had hair in it and your supposed to clean it out each time you use it. I just said...well, it's mine. The hair doesn't bother me. If it bothers you then use one of the other one's that belongs to your dad then.
I now keep it in my room where she can't use it at all.
I believe last week she dug one out from the bottom drawer that I use to brush the dog's hair.
Oh well.

This is exactly what I am in fear of. MY SD16 is coming this weekend. And I just know with all her outward hate for me my stuff is going to be a free for all while I'm at work. So I just have to take everything I own that she may think she can "borrow" and move it some where safe....!!!!! I have a bunch of wonderful lotions from VS and Bath n Body that I got for Xmas as well as some really great sprays and perfumes. My SD16 thinks VS was made just for her. Every time she comes she convinces SO to take her there for new this and new that cuz she just doesn't have enough. I can visualize her in my bathroom. And I get so angered over it. I don't want to feel this way! I want to not mind if she goes in and uses those things. Because if she were my daughter I would have no problem with it. I feel like a bad person already worked up over the fact that my personal things are about to be pawed through like a rabbid dog. And I know for a fact she won't touch my clothes because my clothes are not $200 or $300 jeans. Or Uggs or Urban make up..... but I do fear some personal things and yes my perfume and my sprays and my lotions. I feel so stupid even saying that. But this girl is so rotten to me it is hard not to feel angered by the thought of her stepping foot into my room!

sd19 has always been horrible about this. she would dig thru the bathroom cupboard (there was nothing in there she needed) when she would be here for the weekend and use my expensive shampoo that i hadn't even opened and used myself yet, then ask everyone if her hair was shiny. she would get into my make up to draw on my sleeping child's face with it. she would help herself to my cookwear and play in the dirt with it.

when she was older, it turned into her taking my chap stick, my earrings, my hair clips, pretty much everything. including my razor. (yuck). if only she knew what i shaved with that! she would get nasty with me when i dared to demand my things back. and she kept taking my stuff. any time i found somehting missing, i just checked her bag and there it was. she actually thought she had the right to take it because she "needed" it. so i started returning the favor. anytime i found something of mine missing, i would get it out of her bag and take something of hers, too. fdh knew all about it, i don't keep secrets from him. it was pretty funny watching her tear the house apart looking for her love spell lotion that i took. all she had to do was ask me about it, and i would have given it back to her and asked her how it felt to have her stuff gone thru and taken. she never asked me, so i never said a word. i still have that lotion and her lip glosses and that was a couple years ago! }:)

This is a constant struggle at my home. SD 12 sneaks into our office, tears up photographs with me in them, has broken 4 pairs of my expensive sunglasses, poured my expensive lotion in the now clogged sink...this girl has a real issue. DH doesn't make it any better when he wonders why I "get so upset over something so little" and offers to pay for what she uses/destroys. I see it more as a territorial thing rather than she is curious. Jealousy seems natural, but this is borderline Fatal Attraction.

OMG yes! I caught my SS23 when he lived with us--I came home for lunch unannounced and walked into my bedroom to find his hands in my dresser drawer! I told him, "don't bother, I have it out in the car." It's expensive and it's MINE! My daughter also told me he & his girlfriend "took a nap" in my bed! EEWWWWWW!