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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:
dottiedodah · 24/09/2020 12:32

I think he sounds immature and rather selfish TBH .At 26 he surely should have more idea than this! Taking food you have told him is for a treat for you and DD is selfish and rude .Surely you dont want to be in a long term RL with such a man?!

Lilyargin · 24/09/2020 12:44

Urgh. End it. You know you want to. People who are happy in relationships don’t start threads like this. Do it!

Hailtomyteeth · 24/09/2020 12:52

He is taking food meant for your child.

For that, he has to go.
Get rid.

Stompythedinosaur · 24/09/2020 12:52

He sounds incredibly selfish and childish.

I woukd want to reply saying you want to be repaid for the specific expensive items he has asked to to pay for but as he's brought it up you would like to go halfs on the bills. Then charge him more!

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 12:53

@RightYesButNo I honestly don't think there is anything to save. I've requested multiple times for him to do/not to do certain things and he's blatantly ignored it. I have a cupboard I tend to keep the kids school stuff in. He ate one of DS's jellies so I told him that that cupboard is out of bounds for him. He's stayed away mostly although he has taken one thing which means he cannot be trusted to listen to what I say.

There's other stuff going on with him too but it's not relevant to this and would have made the saga even longer so I've not mentioned it.

OP posts:
LyingDogsLie1 · 24/09/2020 12:54

Get rid of the BF. I can’t believe he doesn’t buy food when he comes to stay with you!

Sunshineandflipflops · 24/09/2020 12:55

It sounds like he has no real idea what is involved in running a house financially as he has never had to do it.

My bf came to live with me and my 2 dc during lockdcown. He has a big appetite due to thyroid problems, which are being investigated and also has a sweet tooth. While he was with us, he paid for the food shopping maybe 1 week in 4 (the whole thing so £100+), which I felt was fair as he was a quarter of our household at the time.

Anything he wanted to eat extra to what I bought when shopping, he walked to the shop and bought and if he occasionally ate a lot or all of the treats I have in for the dc, he would replace immediately.

I never had to ask for any of this though, as he is a grown man (we are in similar positions financially to you and your bf by the sound of it).

He now has a new place and when I go there we both pay for things and vice versa when he is here, so it works itself out.

I couldn't live with the resentment of him not paying his way op or eating food that is meant for your child without replacing it straight away. It sounds like having another (very greedy) child in your house.

LannieDuck · 24/09/2020 12:55

Take him up on his offer to go halves (or maybe thirds would be fairer since its you / him / the kids).

Work out how much your rent, utilities, food bill is weekly, multiple it by how many weeks he's been here, split it into three and then send him the amount he owes you.

He won't pay it, but at least you'll know how much you're subsidising him by each time he stays.

LakieLady · 24/09/2020 12:56

You've got yourself a part-time cocklodger, I'm afraid.

Maybe you should just see him at weekends, in a hotel, that he can pay for.

1WildTeaParty · 24/09/2020 13:01

This sounds miserable!
Of course the situation isn't 'fair'. He is freeloading. (Don't excuse him. He is mean.)

A new system is required if you are to continue together. (Are you?) At the moment, you are being polite - and treating him as if he is a guest rather than part of a long-term relationship.

If your relationship is a settled one, you need settled finances.

  1. Reverse the responsiblity. I suggest that he pays for all food while he stays under your roof and that you pay him back for anything that you and the children eat. (So just give him your usual food-housekeeping money.) Unlike him, you will be fair and you won't need chasing.
  1. He pays for any addition to the household expenses - so the higher electricity bill ect.

Set all this down as a rule for going forwards.

Ignore his hesitant voice/sarcasm or any other manipulative response. (Be ready for it and be determined.)

user1471538283 · 24/09/2020 13:05

Whenever I stay with someone I always take flowers and/or chocolates and pay for the dinners or takeaways because I've got manners and recognise that my being there is expensive (extra electricity, water etc). No one would take food from children! He purposely took you for a ride. He never had any intention of paying you back or paying his share. He also has designs on moving in ...betcha

CheetasOnFajitas · 24/09/2020 13:06

@MissConductUS

If he has ED at age 26 he's got very serious cardiovascular issues. Is he a smoker?

So he's --useless- got problems in bed and he steals from you and your kids. Show him the door.

@MissConductUS. ED- Eating disorder, not erectile dysfunction. OP says he is very good in bed!
SecretDoor · 24/09/2020 13:07

Is he getting any help for the ED? Seeing a psychologist for example .

Clymene · 24/09/2020 13:07

I do understand you're lonely. But being in a relationship which is actively detrimental to you and your children's wellbeing is not a solution. Being anxious and like you're being taken for a ride is not fun. You must feel like you can't relax when he's there in case he takes something or has taken it and having to confront him to pay his way is super stressful. Honestly, your life would be happier without him in it.

I'm sorry. It's horrible when someone treats you so badly.

PenguindreamsofDraco · 24/09/2020 13:08

He's essentially taking food out of the mouths of your kids.

What on earth are you thinking??

LilyLongJohn · 24/09/2020 13:08

I think you need to sit down and work out what he owes you for this months electricity, extra food and his pasta

Then you 'tell him' not ask, that he needs to pay you this by the end of the week otherwise it'll mean you can't pay for your electric/food etc. Then you tell him that for each 2 week stay he needs to either get a weeks good in for everyone or give you x amount.

You've tried the softly softly approach and that obviously hasn't worked.

Best case scenario he has no idea how expensive it is to fund a house and household, worst case he's deliberately taking the piss

Palavah · 24/09/2020 13:10

I agree the ED is a red herring. He increases your costs disproportionately when he stays with you which he does MUCH more than you stay with him. He doesn't replace things that you have bought which means you miss out on treats/ have to replan meals and shop more often. When you raise it he is unconcerned with the impact on you.

Does he do any help around the house when he stays with you?

He will not get better. Even if he did, do you want to wait around until he learns to be an adult.

His shitty behaviour is tricking you into thinking you shouldn't or couldn't do better.

DancingInTheGarden · 24/09/2020 13:10

I hope you replied to his "so are we going halves now?" with something along the lines of "Oh are you offering? Because this £53 was just YOUR costs. If we are going halves then just for food and electricity this will be £xxx for this two weeks and then we can go from there"

But really I would evaluate why you are staying with him.

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 13:16

@SecretDoor

Is he getting any help for the ED? Seeing a psychologist for example .
Sorry I meant to reply to people asking about this earlier but he's on the sofa with me now so it's a bit more awkward to read and reply. He's approached a GP about it and needed bloods before being referred and one of the bloods is off so he's being investigated for that before they'll refer him onto ED help.

He CAN pay for it himself and I've mentioned this to him when he says 'well I've been to the GP but it takes forever to get through the waiting list' etc but that's why I said in my OP that I don't think he's that bothered really.

OP posts:
Starlightstarbright1 · 24/09/2020 13:19

Reading all yoour comments you are done.. regardless of the issues.. it is simply when you decide it is over ...

It sounds like there is nothing left and no future

madcatladyforever · 24/09/2020 13:19

You know what - he doesn't like shit cheap hotels yet that is exactly how he is treating your home.
For several reasons listed above I would have dumped him long before now. Mean and stingy is not a trait I will tolerate in a man.

madcatladyforever · 24/09/2020 13:22

By the way, it never fails to astonish me here on mumsent women suffer the most appalling behaviour and/or abuse from men and are still turning round and asking if they themselves are being unreasonable.
No you are not being unreasonable, have higher standards.

chatwoo · 24/09/2020 13:25

if you're not going to dump him OP, then I suggest you need to lay out really super clearly, your income and outgoings, show there's a shortfall if xyz happens, and tell him that's why you need him to contribute when he stays. If he still "doesn't get it" then I suggest plan B is the big heave ho. If you're arguing about money now, it's probably not going to improve.

Sexnotgender · 24/09/2020 13:26

He sounds immature and selfish. I’m sorry you struggle to meet people but don’t make do with this numpty because you think you won’t find anyone else.

Soubriquet · 24/09/2020 13:29

He certainly sounds like he’s not bothered

I bet he would be quicker to seek help if he had to pay for all the food he wasted

I would say get a lock on your cupboard but really, why should you?

LTB

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