Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think spending £64 a month on cereal for one person is insane?!

204 replies

Mittensonkittens · 23/10/2013 07:53

Dh has become addicted to Special K. Addicted. He is living on the stuff. He's eating normal meals too but in addition to this is eating bowls and bowls of the stuff.

He's getting through a box (£3.99) every two fucking days! His cereal habit is costing me £64 a month! There's a sentence never thought I'd type.

I've explained to him that his cereal is now costing us one fifth of our monthly shopping budget. Aibu to think he needs to cut back?! Is there some sort of special cereal addiciton group he can go to?

£64! £768 a year!

OP posts:
HumphreyCobbler · 23/10/2013 10:04

last time I looked at the ingredients of special K it was half sugar. Incredible in a food marketed as healthy.

Chunderella · 23/10/2013 10:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheKnightsWhoSayNi · 23/10/2013 10:12

We can afford some indulgences. Not all of those are ours. In fact, we barely ever drink at all. I was just making a list of things some peopel have.

I've tried getting my DW off the Coke, mainly for her the sake of her pancreas. The interesting thing about that addiction, though, is that when we didn't have much money, supermarket own was acceptable. Now we can afford it, it has to be proper Coca Cola or Pepsi. I;d say it's the same thing as OP's DH.

What I'm saying, though, is it depends on what other habits he has. If he's also smoking and drinking or spending a fortune down the pub or gambling, or any other monetary wastes that people do, then he's costing here loads.

If this cereal addiction is his only costly vice, then it's relatively small.

LeGavrOrf · 23/10/2013 10:13

If the OP has to cut back on other necessaries to feed herself and her children that is woefully unfair.

I wouldn't go round trying alternatives from Aldi and sneaking the bag into a kellogs box, or pander to him in that way. If it is plain unaffordable you should be able to tell him 'we are going without x, y and z this month to pay for your Special K'. If he still insists on having this then you have deeper problems than cereal. Hopefully he wouldn't be so selfish.

QuintessentialShadows · 23/10/2013 10:15

Buy 1-2 boxes a week. If he wants more, he can go and get it himself.

Scholes34 · 23/10/2013 10:16

He won't be getting fat though, because it's for "grown up people who'd rather not grow any more". He's no doubt got a lovely flat stomach to go with the red bikini.

TheKnightsWhoSayNi · 23/10/2013 10:18

Aslo, I may be accused of sexism on this one, but it's a problem we sometimes have. I require a fairly sizable calory intake (due to being 6"2' and 13st). DW is substantially smaller and requires far less food than I do.

She can sometimes find it hard to understand why my internal organs are beginning to consume themselves after a few hours without sustinance. And is often scornful of this issue. Hence why a bowl of cereal is often used as a top up an hour or two after dinner.

Give him bigger dinners and perhaps he will cut down on top ups?

TheKnightsWhoSayNi · 23/10/2013 10:19

Has the OP actually said they can't afford it, or is she just irritated at paying for it?

JugglingFromHereToThere · 23/10/2013 10:23

I wouldn't have thought the cost - at less than £2 a day - is the biggest issue here. It's the equivalent of having a take-away coffee each day - yes, a bit extravagant but not a massive issue ? (Depending on family finances)
I'd think the main issue is whether he needs these extra 500-1000 calories a day, and agree he's probably addicted to the sugar. If he's been putting on weight he needs to look at his new habit and question his behaviour - as potentially costing him more than those couple of quid a day.
But also I agree, get him to buy his own, and it may help him see things differently.

SayCoolNowSayWhip · 23/10/2013 10:26

Just snorted at the 'we all know you turn into a goddess frolicking in a red frock' Grin

Chunderella · 23/10/2013 10:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ringaringarosy · 23/10/2013 10:33

i tried to work out how much we spend on fruit every week but stopped bothering when i realised i spent 15 a week just on apples!i actually panic if i have less than 4 apples in the house (one for each dc)thats not even including pears,bananas satsumas berries grapes and any other "special" fruit i buy.

He will probably get bored of them soon,im surprised hes not already actually!

Mydelilah · 23/10/2013 10:38

My DH used to have a coke habit (as in cola Wink) had to be branded coca cola and he got through almost 2 2l bottles a day plus smaller bottles he bought from vending machine at work. It was extremely expensive and dangerous. I limited him to 4 2l bottles a week and we agreed we wouldn't buy any more. He managed to cut down to this and often 3 bottles aren't finished in a week now. I think your idea of buying 2-3 boxes of cereal a month and telling him to ration himself is the most effective way forward.

Also agree with pps - he should go to doctors to get checked out - craving that much sugar is concerning and diabetes came to my mind too

Dahlen · 23/10/2013 10:40

He's allowed to choose his own diet but only within the confines of the family budget. It simply isn't on for his food fads to be prioritised over basic foodstuffs for everyone else. That's how I'd present it to him. I can't see anyone reasonable disagreeing with that although he may be a little bit in denial about how much he's eating initially.

There are certainly cheaper, healthier alternatives he can go for. Porridge is insanely cheap in comparison and way, way better for him. He can also add lots of different things to it to spice it up and give it some variety.

MokuMoku · 23/10/2013 10:40

Yes, Ni the OP has said several times that she can't afford it.Hmm

I agree 1-2 boxes a week is plenty.

fluffandnonsense · 23/10/2013 10:43

Buy him 2 boxes a week and tell him if he runs out he's welcome to go and buy more!

ouryve · 23/10/2013 10:43

Never mind the sugar, there's 7.5g of salt in a 750g box of special K. That's more than the RDA for an adult.

What would your DH do if you refused to buy it? It's not on if his craving is eating into your food budget. If you are in any way afraid of his reaction to not being able to get it, then he seriously needs help.

MillyONaire · 23/10/2013 10:45

It is one of the most expensive cereals out there!! Introduce him to bricher muesli or something more economical!

Clutterbugsmum · 23/10/2013 10:53

Buy him his special K, but give him Smart Price bean on toast for his dinner. If he complains then tell him you can not afford to feed him dinners as well as his Special K. And you will not be cutting things from the shopping bill to spend £60 a month on one thing for him. If he wants to continue then tell him to buy out of his own money.

Remotecontrolduck · 23/10/2013 11:01

It's not awful, but it's a lot of extra food! I do think he should see a doctor to be honest, 1 or 2 bowls is fine but that is a crazy amount. How is he still hungry for his meals?!

If it's just a case of him being greedy and indulgent then he needs to grow up, not a problem if you can afford it but you've mentioned you're cutting back on other things. That really isn't right! You need to be straight with him, doctor or you have 2/3 boxes a week and that's all you can afford unless he's willing to make sacrifices.

FalseWidow · 23/10/2013 11:07

imo most people have got something that they really want, whether it's wine, cigs, magazines, etc. that their OH doesn't want, and if you looked at your budget you'd say that's a luxury we should do without. Maybe try looking at everything, and if there's something he thinks you could do without, both of you get it out of your 'own' money, rather than the shopping budget. If he has to fund his own Special K habit he might soon realise it's not worth it.... ?

SidandAndyssextoy · 23/10/2013 12:04

Diabetes was my first thought as well to be honest. And if he's also eating a baguette every day, he's eating a vast amount of sugar before the rest of his diet is even considered. There is so much evidence now that sugar does dreadful things to our bodies.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 23/10/2013 12:12

If he is continuously hungry like that then he could be diabetic. He needs to go to the GP.

Unless of course he isn't really addicted, he just likes it and is being an arse.

I fail to see why you are having to worry about it though OP, if he wants it that badly he can go and buy it himself.

TheKnightsWhoSayNi · 23/10/2013 12:13

Sugar is also extremely addictive, isn't it? The supermarket's own probably doesn't "hit the spot" because it doesn't have the sugar content.

Are you saying risk of diabetes or chance he's craving it because of diabetes? Because sugary stuff can be very addictive. I really don't like not having my chocolate bar snack each day, for example.

Thumbwitch · 23/10/2013 12:15

STOP pandering to him!!
Buy one or two boxes a week and tell him when it's gone, it's gone until the next week, or he can buy his own.

But, I do think that his consumption is utterly unnatural - unless someone has started lacing Special K with cocaine or similar, he shouldn't be craving it like that - and I also wondered whether he is becoming diabetic.

If not though, then he's just being a greedy pig and should cease and desist forthwith! Utterly bloody selfish of him to be eating such a large percentage of your weekly food budge, unnecessarily and all by himself.