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Selfish partner with grocery shopping

29 replies

Moppypeggyamabel · 10/07/2025 21:47

Partner of 5 years, living together, 1 child together, 2 from previous relationship.
No shared money, both have separate banks, savings and pay their own bills.
They take turns buying groceries to make it even so 2 weeks each per month.
One partner will go all out and ensure there is enough food for the week, including snacks and household items despite low income.
Other partner buys the bare minimum and never enough for the week so other partner has to do a top up shop after 3 days, despite their high earnings Spends half the cost other partner spends. They buy treats for themselves but no one else in the household. Even meals will be food they like even if no one else does.
Occasionally whilst struggling financially with certain bills, first partner will not be able to do a decent shop and they all survive on basics until the following week, meaning not every one gets fed well enough and they have to borrow money from family for meals, while other partner doesn’t even question it and buys nice food at work for lunch.
Would you consider this controlling/abusive in anyway that one partner doesn’t care about their family being hungry, whilst happily eating all the snacks when it isn’t their grocery week?

OP posts:
Peridot1 · 10/07/2025 21:48

It’s a ridiculous system.

rubyslippers · 10/07/2025 21:49

Why on earth does anyone live like this ?!
you're partners with a child
share your grocery shopping

I would say the attitude is, I am sure, indicative of selfishness in MANY other areas
mean with money = mean with everything

cestlavielife · 10/07/2025 21:50

Just both put money in a joint account and do online orders same every week

SunWasHere · 10/07/2025 21:51

This is not a partnership. Set up a joint bank account for shared bills including groceries- basics and snacks as required for your family

2dogsandabudgie · 10/07/2025 21:51

If you're living together surely the bills are joint. Who pays the mortgage or rent? I couldn't live like this, you're supposed to be a partnership.

MarySueSaidBoo · 10/07/2025 21:53

Every so often a thread on here makes me want to scream in frustration. And this is one of them.

Your kids deserve better, and so do you.

BitOutOfPractice · 10/07/2025 21:55

I hate these supposedly anonymous threads. Clearly op you’re the partner who buys for everyone and the Other partner - I’d guess a man - is the miserable, financially abusive arsehole.

Clearly the “sysyem” isn’t working, isn’t fair, and isn’t tenable.

Whatatodo79 · 10/07/2025 21:56

A nonsense arrangement and you can call a stop to it and start a new one. Both show each other all spending on everything for a month and your payslips and make a new fair plan, which is not the same as equal spending

BCBird · 10/07/2025 22:00

You and tight arse need to agree an amount of money to put into a joint account for bills as a proportion of what you earn.

putitovertherefornow · 10/07/2025 22:16

Why anyone would live with somebody as tight as a crab's arse is beyond me.

Autonomouse · 10/07/2025 22:23

By definition a partner is someone who you can count on and who can count on you.
That applies to a partner in business or a partner in a relationship.
So these partners that are in a relationship are willing to let the other partners suffer and do poorly while they themselves continue doing well?
And there is a child involved, incredible.
Whoever set up the rules of that partnership is either cold-hearted or the one that is having second thoughts.

Isitreallysohard · 10/07/2025 22:26

Obviously it's fucked up, I can't believe the person has stayed with them for 1 month, let alone 5 years and had a baby with them too. It might not be controlling, but it certainly is cheap. The other partner is a mug.

Fontet · 10/07/2025 22:30

You share a child, you should share household money, bills etc all as one. One account, both incomes into said account. Both have a card for the account and full access. Simple and fair.

Chazbots · 10/07/2025 22:31

Bin the fucker off. Tight git.

Chazbots · 10/07/2025 22:31

Oh and stop subsidising them on your weeks.

healthybychristmas · 10/07/2025 22:40

cestlavielife · 10/07/2025 21:50

Just both put money in a joint account and do online orders same every week

Don't share a joint account with this guy!

PashaMinaMio · 10/07/2025 22:44

You could I suppose get a credit card just for food shopping. Then, when the bill comes in, you share the amount 50/50.
It’ll take discipline not to use it for other stuff, so would this work with your cheeky fkr?

Sidebeforeself · 10/07/2025 22:48

Why have you written this in the third person? It’s not as if we can identify you!

youreactinglikeafunmum · 10/07/2025 22:55

Girl leave this man and focus on your three children

He's not the one xx

Isitreallysohard · 10/07/2025 23:00

PashaMinaMio · 10/07/2025 22:44

You could I suppose get a credit card just for food shopping. Then, when the bill comes in, you share the amount 50/50.
It’ll take discipline not to use it for other stuff, so would this work with your cheeky fkr?

Just dump him, don't bother. The fact they do this speaks volumes. I didn't even fo this with my flatmate in my early 20s!

arethereanyleftatall · 10/07/2025 23:00

In what way is this a ‘partnership’?!?

AllosaurusMum · 10/07/2025 23:17

You're obviously the one buying snacks. Are the additional kids from a previous relationship also yours?

mumda · 10/07/2025 23:47

Separate for sanity.

user2848502016 · 10/07/2025 23:49

Yes this sounds like financial abuse

Cocomelonhauntsme · 10/07/2025 23:51

We actually did this week about shopping for a while when living with extended family. Everyone agreed the meal plan and shopping was done online so everyone could add to it. A budget was agreed and it was much of a muchness. If someone wanted something disproportionate like a fancy bottle of spirit, they bought it separately. It worked for us in that situation with good communication but shopping really was about the same week on week. It also isn't a system id use for my nuclear family.