issues with potential housemate/friend

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A friend of mine is planning to move into my place I currently live on my own and have a two bedroom place set up to my taste as I am the one living there. The rent is $250 per week for the house I said to her previously that I would charge her slightly less because her room is smaller and doesn't have a walk in wardrobe just a normal in built one. I said tonight that I thought $5 per week less for the room was reasonable meaning I pay $130 and she $120 per week. She said "five dollars" and kept saying it like it wasn't enough also saying to me she thinks she should pay $110. She also wants to put some of her stuff own out around the house and get a cat (I already have one). I have no problem with her putting some things out but I have experienced places where I have rented and it was furnished and decorated "their way" and whilst I am willing to compromise it is my house afterall I have lived there for 3 years. I don't want finances to get in the way of a friendship but a couple of times recently I feel they have for example she recently got a food voucher and the bill for our stuff was $!7 over and she kept saying she thought I should pay the extra because she provided the voucher for us I thought we should go half half but didn't want to make a real issue. However over this one I think it needs to be sorted but are not 100% how to.

FYI the food voucher she offered me as a "present" because I did a favour to her you get them from charities if you are on the disability pension and then she rescinded on it or at least made an issue on it and I ended up paying the extra $17 because I didn't want to make an issue. She also offered me a petrol voucher she can get as a result of me doing her a favour and then said she wanted it before remembering she said she would give it to me so far I don't have it. In terms of the room I feel five a week less is appropriate because it is a smaller room but she would get access to anything in the house and I did say she could put some of her stuff out. She keeps saying she doesn't like my furniture etc I don't like that we all have different taste.I don't know what to do with mine as it is already there and I don't want to get rid of it. With the cat given I already have one I am concerned there will be problems as there was last time I brought in two together.

I see two solutions here:
1) Say you changed your mind and you don't think it will work out. You like having the place to yourself and you're worried that it will strain the friendship to live together.

2) Write up a lease that is very specific as to the amount of rent and what things are going to be allowed. Do month-to-month with the option to kick her out at any time (with whatever notice is required by law in your area)

It sounds like she will continue to be a pain in certain areas. If you don't take a stand now on the rent you may have trouble ever standing up in the future. Show her you're capable of standing your ground now. You carry the financial liability on the house because you are the primary renter - this entitles you to the bigger room and more control over the environment. Tell her if she thinks she can find a better place for $120/wk she is welcome to try. I don't know where you live but that sounds pretty cheap to me.

No matter what, make sure you're up on rental laws in your area - in some places it's very hard to get rid of someone once they're in. In others, it's just a matter of giving a 30 day notice.

Why is she moving in exactly?

If it's because you need help with the rent, that's one issue. If you are doing it to be nice, that's a different thing. About the money, $5 doesn't sound like much but it's a judgement call.

Personally, if you can afford it yourself, it might be best if you were to stay there on your own. Already there seem to be money issues.

The quickest way to loathe your friends is to have them move in with you. I've only allowed it (until this time, at my roommate's urging) when they paid nothing for their room, thus making them very respectful of my ownership of the space. But they may have hated that feeling.

I'd agree about the voucher being hers.

This can't end well. Does the move-in have to happen? Because if there is any way for it not to, that would be best.

This makes me glad to be living in an apartment, where I can't have a room mate.

This type of situation is one I can usually see coming from
far away before it arrives and when it does I am not here
to put up with it, but when it sneaks up on me, it is an
automatic disconnect... in other words... say GO AWAY,
I DO NOT NEED THIS (KIND OF TROUBLE).

I think anyone else might have anticipated their haggling
with a higher offer and to hold firm at 50%, probably even
with requiring a month in advance as security for that
inevitable last month.

Your strategy was to offer a minimum responsibility and
they have immediately stated their intent to not honor
their minimum responsibility from their very beginning
so they are going to "nickel and dime you" constantly
for a very long time, in other words, use every chance
they have to waste your money and take advantage
of the deal at your expense.

Someone recently tried something like this with me,
only they paid nothing for something until it was done,
but it totally backfired because they lied about the
purpose of the project (a custom machine that was
really a patentable invention to them). Because they
didn't pay for new parts I used obsolete ones, and
when they wanted an upgrade still without paying,
I canceled the project entirely, with both of us feeling
ripped off. But don't forget that they called a project
an ordinary job, and gave me nothing but an idea for
using real materials, as if that somehow entitled them
to the idea and the whole machine itself for free.
So they paid nothing and got nothing.
And I just spent my time making a machine for myself,
which is what I do anyway.

Summary:
You offered your "friend" a room for a price, and they are
counter offering less money and more pain. This means
cancel your offer unless you like trouble.

And such a person, I wouldn't even have them as a guest,
since once such a person spent all of their time abusing
utilities. Example: Who goes to visit someone and does
nothing but make long distance calls and watch pay TV?
It goes without saying that any guest also has to eat
and have normal and obvious necessities.

There are potential problems now and it is a catch 22. She says I "boss her around" I fail to see how asking her to feed my car whilst I went to the toilet was a big deal she could have said no. It is possible I am a little bit overbearing given I come from an abusive and controlling background but if it is true it is only minor not serous. Two others say this isn't the case that friernds ask each other to do things and do things for each other she asks me for help I don't mind I do it no probs. She also says she might not want to move in and not to take it personally I do take it that way and think she needs to realize that your first house you move into isn't going to be everything you want. I never could have a cat, I always used the other peoples furniture but I enjoyed the freedom of being out of home. I do ask her for things and don't deny that but IMO there is nothing wrong with that.

Im not acting like she owes me a favour more my thinking is that friends do things for each other I don't think I did anything wrong I also think she could have said no if people don't say no I am not a mind reader and assume it is ok. I would have done it if she asked me to feed her cat.