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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for a little contribution towards a household bill?

227 replies

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 09:45

I'm in a LDR of almost two years. Bf is 8 years younger and lives with his parents, I live with my two kids. I pay all my bills, don't get money from UC as my wage is 'too high' so everything we have, I pay for. I'm not looking for a pity parade as that's fine with me. So when LD bf comes to stay (which is roughly once every 4-6 weeks) he stays about 2 weeks a time. He eats A LOT OF my food (he has problems with an ED which I've posted about before) and when I complain about it he says I'm free to eat whatever I want when I'm at theirs. However I don't feel the need to eat and eat and eat when I'm there like he does at mine as I don't eat a great deal, I have the odd meals and snack at his (we mostly eat out which we generally go halfs on) and I like and respect his parents in that I wouldn't eat a ton of their food, especially food that I know they might be saving for something or as a little treat. He is trying to get help for his ED but sometimes I wonder if he actually believes he has one or if it's just nagging from me that makes him see about it. Either way, covid has sort of put a spanner in the works help wise but I can't help but find it extremely frustrating - he got up last night when I was asleep due to a bad cough and this morning I've found an empty ice cream carton in the bin. Myself and DD had eaten roughly 1/5 of it, he had a massive amount last week and I made a fuss about it being a treat for me and DD (of which he said pitifully, "so am I not allowed to have any?") and now I see that he's polished it off leaving none for me and DD.

He also ate a full watermelon over two days last week while I was in work which was bought for me and DS - we didn't have a morsel of it. I've found myself hiding food meant for the kids otherwise I know he'll eat it and I'll have to buy more and they'll temporarily go without. I've told him this but it's like he can't help himself - he suffers from a form of bulimia. He doesn't seem to see fit to pay me or re-buy these items as he obviously sees me as a free house. He finished off my cheese last week and when I made a massive fuss because I found out it was gone when I was about to put it on DD's pasta he went out to buy some from the local corner shop. This cheese is pretty much almost gone now, not through my or kids doing.
He will buy us takeaways quite often but also expects me to pay for some which is fine however when we do have takeaways/eat out I tend to choose something for say £6/£7 whereas he'll buy multiple items such as three starters and a main) which comes to say £15 so now I've stopped wanting any as I'm fed up of being taken for a ride.

This isn't the crux of my post but I wanted to give some background. So whenever he comes down here I never ask him to contribute to bills because I don't see why he should because he doesn't live here and I don't contribute to any bills when I'm up there however I'm there sometimes 3-4 days every 3 or so months when he's here a lot longer and more often. He's been down for almost a fortnight now and he brought his air con machine as he came down when the hot weather was starting a couple of weeks ago. I knew this would take quite a lot of electric but not as much as I was expecting. I have one of those key meter things for the electric and when I got paid this time last month there was £46 on there which I knew would last me roughly six weeks.

Yesterday morning the electric went out as the money had run out, so I'd used this £46 in a month. I knew this was because of the air con machine as I've not done anything else out of the ordinary. I can give or take being hot or cold but bf seems to have serious issues with being hot. He'll stand outside in the cold or sleep with a fan on him regularly.

So last night after much anticipation I finally asked him if he would be willing to contribute a bit to my electric bill because the air con machine made it go down really quickly. As I said I've not asked him for anything before, he lives with his parents, pays them £250 a month keep and is self employed to the tune of £52k a year. Not that this matters but I'm making a point that he can afford it. His reply was "umm ok" in a very unsure voice. I asked if that was acceptable and I had the same "yeah ok" unsure voice.

I'm at the end of my tether with him tbh. He's becoming more and more selfish and the fact that he doesn't see that I'm not on amazing pay compared to him (I take home roughly £2k a month) and decides to eat all my food and doesn't like the idea of contributing to the bill that he created is just putting nails into the coffin to be honest. He put an online pasta specialist food order onto my card the day after he came down for £26 as his wallet was upstairs (stupid me said it's fine, put it on mine and send me the money back) and despite me reminding him, he hasn't paid me back and I wasn't even fussed for this order and barely ate any of it so it's not even like I was wanting it. If I knew I was going to end up paying for it I'd have said to forget it or to get up and get your wallet. I know I should be more strong when it comes to getting my money back and getting him to pay me back for the outgoings I've mentioned in my post but he already makes fun of me for counting the pennies and keeping a close eye on my budget (I have to or I'll run out of money) that I know it would be the same if I started about this. However from reading back this post it sounds to me like he's the tight one and is taking advantage of my good nature.

He can be generous at times, we went on a massive holiday this time last year and he paid for most of it although he got to choose the hotels etc and the holiday could have been made quite a bit cheaper than it was but he wasn't 'staying in shit cheap hotels'.

Sorry for such a long post, I just wanted to know if I was BU or if he is. And any tips on sorting this out? Thanks.

OP posts:
SunshineCake · 24/09/2020 11:03

Tip to sort this out - ditch him!

He is literally taking food from your children fgs.

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 11:04

@Thecobwebsarewinning

You sound incredibly controlling and he sounds childish and selfish. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it are it is clear you aren’t suited. Why are you persisting with this relationship when it’s clear you don’t respect him? End it now and free yourself to find someone who shares your values.
I'm controlling?! Please tell me how as if this is the case I need to work on it.
OP posts:
GhostCurry · 24/09/2020 11:04

“ The holiday makes the purely financial side of things a bit more complicated. Even if you compare it to the lower cost holiday you’d have been happy with, it sounds like he has spent money on you. So I can see why he might think that it all works out evening.”

Jesus Christ, I thought this comment was insane even before I read the OP’s update about how much she contributed to that trip! It was a year ago FFS!

HeckyPeck · 24/09/2020 11:05

If he's on £52k a year he'll have what, £3000 a month to spend after he's paid his parents the £250? Say that to yourself op, he has three thousand pounds a month to spend. Yet he's being cagey about replacing food he's eaten at yours and paying for power he's used at yours. Ridiculous.

Exactly. He has £3000 after paying his parents. £3000! And he’s quibbling over £50.

Mean with money, mean with love. It’s not just a saying.

Do you want to be with a miserly Scrooge OP? Imagine what your life will be like.

Rainbowqueeen · 24/09/2020 11:06

Anyone too lazy and selfish to go upstairs and get his wallet is not going to change.

This will for your life going forward, irritated and resentful. Is he worth it?
Or would you rather feel like you were in a partnership with someone who values you.

Sparklfairy · 24/09/2020 11:09

@Thecobwebsarewinning

You sound incredibly controlling and he sounds childish and selfish. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it are it is clear you aren’t suited. Why are you persisting with this relationship when it’s clear you don’t respect him? End it now and free yourself to find someone who shares your values.
Did we read the same OP @Thecobwebsarewinning? Hmm

He's controlling her. He steals food, freeloads, basically (and literally) puts his hand in her wallet instead of his own, then MOCKS her for having the audacity to try and live within her means. It's the ultimate coercive control; 'I will do what I want, when I want, and if you dare question me I will belittle and sneer at you'.

GabsAlot · 24/09/2020 11:09

he just sounds like a user op-has all this spare money but still begrudges paying for his own food

gamerchick · 24/09/2020 11:09

He is looking for a house atm because his dad is fed up with him

Be really careful OP. You could find his parents telling him not to come back when he's at yours. You could find yourself stuck with him 'until he finds somewhere'

Seriously, send him home. Tell him you want x amount of money transferred for what he owes you or he doesn't stay again.

Then I would dump him before he becomes your problem.

CheetasOnFajitas · 24/09/2020 11:11

God, you are having arguments about pasta, he irritates you with his attitude to money, he locks himself in the bathroom to vomit all the time, he whines about too hot/too cold, you only see him on and off anyway- what on Earth are you getting from this? Is he some sort of sex God?

Just call it a day, acknowledge you had some fun together but the fun is now outweighed by the irritations and feel the weight lifted.

GhostCurry · 24/09/2020 11:12

“ Please stop suggesting how OP can “fix” him. Just get one of the unbroken ones in the first place!”

100% agree.

OP - I am a little embarrassed for you. Please make him leave.

SunshineCake · 24/09/2020 11:14

My God, some people have low bars. No way are you controlling!

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 11:14

@gamerchick

He is looking for a house atm because his dad is fed up with him

Be really careful OP. You could find his parents telling him not to come back when he's at yours. You could find yourself stuck with him 'until he finds somewhere'

Seriously, send him home. Tell him you want x amount of money transferred for what he owes you or he doesn't stay again.

Then I would dump him before he becomes your problem.

No it's definitely not like that. He's been looking for a house for a while and there's one he likes which will need to be gutted which will take a while and his parents are on board with this idea. And his mother (who is really lovely) will never let his dad get rid of him before he's sorted house wise.
OP posts:
chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 11:15

@CheetasOnFajitas

God, you are having arguments about pasta, he irritates you with his attitude to money, he locks himself in the bathroom to vomit all the time, he whines about too hot/too cold, you only see him on and off anyway- what on Earth are you getting from this? Is he some sort of sex God?

Just call it a day, acknowledge you had some fun together but the fun is now outweighed by the irritations and feel the weight lifted.

This really tickled me Grin thank you!
OP posts:
DontDribbleOnTheCarpet · 24/09/2020 11:16

To be fair, I think he OP is talking herself into dumping him. I've been there- it seems like just normal relationship stress until you start telling someone else about it, and then you realise that you are just in the wrong relationship and you need to get out.

Sparticle · 24/09/2020 11:18

Dump him dump him dump him! Total man child.

Wishimaywishimight · 24/09/2020 11:18

I thought ED was erectile dysfunction - took a minute to catch up!

TheNewLook · 24/09/2020 11:20

Is he worth the effort OP? I just think life is too short to have to make so many compromises on what would make you happy.

TheNewLook · 24/09/2020 11:21

I also would find the eating disorder a total turn-off. I’m sorry, I just would not be up for having that in my life. I grew up with a sibling with one and would never willingly live that way again.

Afibtomyboy · 24/09/2020 11:23

OP I am a single parent of two children

It wouldn’t matter if he did contribute
It wouldn’t matter if he paid for bloody everything in fact!

I would not want a man with an eating disorder, a mental health condition, around my children.

So forget the money. Focus on that. End it I would, and sharpish.

Peridot1 · 24/09/2020 11:23

He’s doing it deliberately. He’s happy sponging off you. The ED is a red herring. He’s just a greedy mean selfish man-child.

Otherwise when you mentioned money he would have been embarrassed at costing you more. He would make sure to pay his way. Instead he belittled you and laughs when you have to ask him for money.

Meanness is such an unattractive trait. Meanness couple with greed is totally off putting.

Afibtomyboy · 24/09/2020 11:25

And forgetting for a minute, just personally speaking I could not be in a relationship with someone with an ED

ColleagueFromMars · 24/09/2020 11:25

He's a Cocklodger and with an attitude that won't change. How unattractive Envy how can you bear to sleep with him?

If he's earning in excess of £50k the trouble with him starting to realise the value of money now when he gets his own house is that he won't have gone through the learning stage that most of us do of having to cut his cloth accordingly and being skint when he spend too much on non essential things.

Him buying the luxury holiday isn't in lieu of money to spend on bills when it was a thing you wouldn't have done without him, so that's bobbins. And I note that what that actually means is him paying for the expensive activity that he wanted to do, not your flights and that you had already picked him up with your fuel, payed airport parking yourself AND spent your money before he dipped into his wallet, begrudgingly. That's not him paying for the holiday, far from it. That's exactly the same attitude he has at your house too.

Seriously, he's a cocklodger. Get rid.

Afibtomyboy · 24/09/2020 11:26

* This really tickled me grin thank you!*
But doesn’t answer the question

What does he offer you??!!

Soubriquet · 24/09/2020 11:29

Yeah he sounds like he’s taking you for a full ride really

I mean he won’t even contribute to half the bills whilst he’s there

tangledhair · 24/09/2020 11:30

OP, you sound so nice and accommodating and he sounds so self centred. He is taking advantage of your good nature, you are running a home and raising a family, he has no clue. Him saying about halves sounds wrong, don't agree to that please as you could be paying half for his things.

Please ignore the controlling comment, there is no way you are. ED aside, I wonder if he is manipulative, I dont like the sarky responses either. This man is not paying his way and sounds like someone you would do better without. Please take care if you decide to end it as some men can turn.

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