Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Should I dump my boyfriend because he won't stop eating crisps?

609 replies

Spicyseniorita7 · 29/06/2026 23:26

I'm in a relatively new relationship (7 months) after over 2 years of being single with some dating disasters along the way. Everything seems great on paper, he is kind, has a good job that pays well, not bad looking, treats me well and never allows me to pay for anything. For context, I am 28F and he is 32M- we both live separately at present. I would like to settle down soon.

I'm unsure if I am self-sabotaging, but some of his eating/snacking habits disgust me, to the point that I think I've developed the ick. This came to light properly on our recent 2 week holiday-prior to this, the longest we had spent together was about 3 days. He eats at least 3 packets of crisps per day and not the sophisticated type i.e kettle chips, think more Skips/monster munch/Nik naks/cheesy wotsits/space raiders. He doesn't wash his hands after eating the crisps and requires prompting to do so. This often results in him having disgusting synthetic crisp dust all over his fingers and fingernails.

Even more disgustingly, after he's finished with a packet, he arches back his head and empties the remnants of the crisp crumbs into his mouth. It's almost as though he cannot bear for a single scrap to be wasted. But the most disgusting is sometimes, after finishing a packet, he will blow up the packet like a balloon and pop it. This has resulted in me being sprayed with crumbs. I've also found scrunched up crisp packets wedged behind his bed, almost as though he can't be bothered to walk to the bin.

We recently went on holiday to Spain and it was mortifying-he didn't try any local food and just wanted to eat British food, McDonald's and crisps. We went to the supermarket and he loaded up the trolley with crisps. I haven't said anything yet, he is keen to start looking for a flat to rent together, but I just can't help but thinking I would prefer a man who doesn't eat over 3 packets of crisps a day and doesn't smell like pickled onion Monster Munch or cheesy wotsits. Is eating all of those crisps a dumpable offence?

OP posts:
ElsieTannersCoat · 06/07/2026 21:38

I still find it amusing that the OP likes the idea of him paying for everything and being very “traditional”, but is horrified that his mother cooked for him and did his washing. Did she think he was going to pay for everything AND do all this for himself?

PoppyMcNcoll · 06/07/2026 21:08

lightreflectingonwater · 29/06/2026 23:49

Agree. Its awful anyone things that is a positive trait

I think it's alright in moderation, as in saying, oh don't worry, I'll cover it if you're out for dinner or smth, but any more than that can be going too far, agreed

Seajaye · 06/07/2026 19:22

As a healthy eater myself ( no ultra processed food rarely eat biscuits or crisps) I would find his eating of ultra processed junk food and bad habits a source of irritation and potentially anxiety. I don't object to occasional snacks and a lighter touch on holiday but wouldn't want to have children with someone that eats volumes of those kinds of foods regularly. Just wouldn't be compatible and I would worry about their long term health prospects and the bad example they would set to any children
.

Anarchy99 · 06/07/2026 14:53

Drew79 · 06/07/2026 14:26

Is he 7?? Lol

It says a lot about how he will be in the future/to live with , man child alert!

Run for the hills

Well he’s fairly well off and she would like to have a ‘traditional’ relationship where he pays for everything. So I’m not sure he’s the one at fault

Drew79 · 06/07/2026 14:26

Is he 7?? Lol

It says a lot about how he will be in the future/to live with , man child alert!

Run for the hills

Anarchy99 · 06/07/2026 10:53

Pickles73b · 06/07/2026 09:36

What do you know about his health? The aversion to trying different food can be ARFID, ADHD or Autism its worth exploring if you like him.

He clearly hasn’t mentioned it in 7 months so it’s safe to assume there’s either nothing going on or he doesn’t want her to know.

Arutha · 06/07/2026 10:43

The bloke sounds like a complete knob, but you seem to be channeling Hyacinth Bucket.

Pickles73b · 06/07/2026 09:36

What do you know about his health? The aversion to trying different food can be ARFID, ADHD or Autism its worth exploring if you like him.

maxslice · 05/07/2026 23:17

OP’s post reminds me that a friend’s ex-girlfriend told him, “I hate the way you breathe.” He tried to stop, but obviously failed. I think he’s better off.

EvieBB · 05/07/2026 22:57

cheekybtch · 04/07/2026 18:04

Now you really are a crisps snob - I had never even heard of Torres. I thought Kettle were fancy enough!

agreed! pass me the monster munch!

Janicchoplin · 05/07/2026 20:55

Spicyseniorita7 · 30/06/2026 22:23

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with preferring a man to pay for me and having traditional values. I want the man I marry to be able to provide for me and our future family- I don't want to be penny pinching when I'm on maternity leave or begging him for pennies.

So many of my dates have consisted of men expecting that I pay for my own dinner and glass of wine or worse, wanting to go for a walk like I'm some sort of border collie. I don't make loads in my job in the public sector and it is nice to have someone look after me and treat me from time to time. His family are very well off too. But he has been incredibly mollycoddled his entire life, has never really cooked a meal for himself and I had to show him how to use the washing machine. His mum does it for him usually (I didn't realise this until recently).

Who are you. Im not sure this post is legit. You sound very entitled. Relying on someone to support you. We live in a different era now. You have to be self reliant now. Never trust that anyone will look after you.

bittertwisted · 05/07/2026 19:51

ClairDeLaLune · 05/07/2026 07:53

If he has tipped all the crumbs from the crisp packet into his mouth already, how come there are any left in there to spray over you when he blows it up like a balloon and pops it? Ha! Methinks you’re exaggerating.

My ex DH used to do this, but he also cut up cheese cubes and put them in the bag
then would wipe his greasy fingers on the chair

writing this makes me realise this was much worse than the 23 years of other abuse he subjected me to

Anarchy99 · 05/07/2026 19:37

Grendel7 · 05/07/2026 19:08

He should not let you pay for everything,women should pay their way.

OP expects him to pay for everything and won’t tolerate him being stingy if she’s on mat leave as she’s a low earner and he is well off.

Grendel7 · 05/07/2026 19:08

misogynyisbigotry · 29/06/2026 23:43

I would leave him for the bit about not allowing you to pay for anything; that could easily spiral into economic abuse/coercive control if it isn't already.

He should not let you pay for everything,women should pay their way.

Grendel7 · 05/07/2026 18:39

Spicyseniorita7 · 29/06/2026 23:26

I'm in a relatively new relationship (7 months) after over 2 years of being single with some dating disasters along the way. Everything seems great on paper, he is kind, has a good job that pays well, not bad looking, treats me well and never allows me to pay for anything. For context, I am 28F and he is 32M- we both live separately at present. I would like to settle down soon.

I'm unsure if I am self-sabotaging, but some of his eating/snacking habits disgust me, to the point that I think I've developed the ick. This came to light properly on our recent 2 week holiday-prior to this, the longest we had spent together was about 3 days. He eats at least 3 packets of crisps per day and not the sophisticated type i.e kettle chips, think more Skips/monster munch/Nik naks/cheesy wotsits/space raiders. He doesn't wash his hands after eating the crisps and requires prompting to do so. This often results in him having disgusting synthetic crisp dust all over his fingers and fingernails.

Even more disgustingly, after he's finished with a packet, he arches back his head and empties the remnants of the crisp crumbs into his mouth. It's almost as though he cannot bear for a single scrap to be wasted. But the most disgusting is sometimes, after finishing a packet, he will blow up the packet like a balloon and pop it. This has resulted in me being sprayed with crumbs. I've also found scrunched up crisp packets wedged behind his bed, almost as though he can't be bothered to walk to the bin.

We recently went on holiday to Spain and it was mortifying-he didn't try any local food and just wanted to eat British food, McDonald's and crisps. We went to the supermarket and he loaded up the trolley with crisps. I haven't said anything yet, he is keen to start looking for a flat to rent together, but I just can't help but thinking I would prefer a man who doesn't eat over 3 packets of crisps a day and doesn't smell like pickled onion Monster Munch or cheesy wotsits. Is eating all of those crisps a dumpable offence?

I can see why you are single! Apart from a huge intake of salt and whatever else,can't see the problem. And I had no idea crisps had a class system haha! Sophisticated crisps,whatever next...

Grendel7 · 05/07/2026 18:37

Spicyseniorita7 · 29/06/2026 23:26

I'm in a relatively new relationship (7 months) after over 2 years of being single with some dating disasters along the way. Everything seems great on paper, he is kind, has a good job that pays well, not bad looking, treats me well and never allows me to pay for anything. For context, I am 28F and he is 32M- we both live separately at present. I would like to settle down soon.

I'm unsure if I am self-sabotaging, but some of his eating/snacking habits disgust me, to the point that I think I've developed the ick. This came to light properly on our recent 2 week holiday-prior to this, the longest we had spent together was about 3 days. He eats at least 3 packets of crisps per day and not the sophisticated type i.e kettle chips, think more Skips/monster munch/Nik naks/cheesy wotsits/space raiders. He doesn't wash his hands after eating the crisps and requires prompting to do so. This often results in him having disgusting synthetic crisp dust all over his fingers and fingernails.

Even more disgustingly, after he's finished with a packet, he arches back his head and empties the remnants of the crisp crumbs into his mouth. It's almost as though he cannot bear for a single scrap to be wasted. But the most disgusting is sometimes, after finishing a packet, he will blow up the packet like a balloon and pop it. This has resulted in me being sprayed with crumbs. I've also found scrunched up crisp packets wedged behind his bed, almost as though he can't be bothered to walk to the bin.

We recently went on holiday to Spain and it was mortifying-he didn't try any local food and just wanted to eat British food, McDonald's and crisps. We went to the supermarket and he loaded up the trolley with crisps. I haven't said anything yet, he is keen to start looking for a flat to rent together, but I just can't help but thinking I would prefer a man who doesn't eat over 3 packets of crisps a day and doesn't smell like pickled onion Monster Munch or cheesy wotsits. Is eating all of those crisps a dumpable offence?

I can see why you are single!

TheSparklyExpert · 05/07/2026 18:26

Best start getting some cats, you must be intolerable to live with

TheSparklyExpert · 05/07/2026 18:24

Best start getting yourself a few cats, you must be intolerable to live with

Crazykatie · 05/07/2026 17:40

You're not going to be settling down soon then are you, so either accept thats what he does and move in, then when you do the shopping dont buy crisps, alternatively ditch him now and find another boyfriend.

Tipping the crumbs out of the bottom of the packet into your mouth seems normal enough I always have, you are going to have to be a lot more tolerant if you're going to live with a man.

plinkero · 05/07/2026 16:35

The banging the bag at the end is pretty cool. Not the other stuff.

thejennyb · 05/07/2026 15:47

ClairDeLaLune · 05/07/2026 07:53

If he has tipped all the crumbs from the crisp packet into his mouth already, how come there are any left in there to spray over you when he blows it up like a balloon and pops it? Ha! Methinks you’re exaggerating.

Why not ask someone to demonstrate it for you? Then you’ll know whether or not the OP exaggerated.

ArtesianWater · 05/07/2026 13:31

I think the crisp thing has put you off so much because you only feel lukewarm about him anyway and are just looking to 'settle down'. You are thinking of moving in with him but your list of his positive qualities is really bland and two of the positives are about his financial situation. You should move on to someone who excites you more and then little things like crisp eating won't carry so much weight.

JoeyJava · 05/07/2026 13:24

Crisps were always my vice as a kid.
It got to the point when I realised just how many I was having, so I made the conscious decision to limit myself to 3 packets a day.

Allow me to weigh in as a seasoned veteran.
Tipping the remnants of the packet is a MUST. I used to also tear the empty packet open and lick the seasoning from the inside.
Fingers: suck to enjoy more of the seasoning.
Hands must then be WASHED, not left sticky or wiped with a tissue.
Inflating and popping the packet, dumping them under the bed or wherever, strict no. It's akin to littering imo. I don't understand how people can even do these last three.

ElsieTannersCoat · 05/07/2026 13:19

OP wants a meal ticket. Unfortunately she ended up with a snack ticket.

earsyringing · 05/07/2026 13:13

OP, you are only 28. You can throw the dice again, more aware of what you need in a partner. He will find somebody else too.

A partner can be kind, sympathetic, earn well and still make your daily life smaller and more labour-intensive. A partner can be solid financially, but implicitly expect mothering in return. Your instincts are telling you 'no'. Listen to them.