DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I rented an apartment six weeks ago.

A friend of his needed a place to stay due to some marital problems, so we decided she could stay with us. At the beginning, she offered us $500, and we agreed to that. Abby, she hasn’t paid us a dime. She has chipped in maybe $30 for food.

She sleeps all day and sits in her room playing games on her phone all night. She demands we take her anywhere she needs to go, gives no help around the house and makes nasty comments about my boyfriend. (I just caught her looking at my phone to see what I am writing.)

We have tried explaining that I’m the only one paying the bills here and she seems to be freeloading. She even had her boyfriend here. I am on a fixed income, and I feel like she’s taking advantage of the situation. Do you have any advice for me? -- FEELS LIKE A FOOL

DEAR FEELS: Yes. The longer you tolerate this, the longer it will continue.

Tell your boyfriend (if he doesn’t already know) that his friend hasn’t given you the agreed-upon $500 and has made no effort to become self-supporting and independent.

If she’s entertaining her boyfriend at your place, it’s no wonder she was having “marital problems.” Tell your boyfriend you want his freeloading friend out of there. Then set a date for her to be out -- unless he wants to support the two of them himself.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.