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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:
TikTakTikTak · 24/09/2020 13:32

It wouldn't matter if he was the world's most amazing lover with a penis made of chocolate, his behaviour would make my vagina clamp shut.
Also, even if you find it difficult to make friends, you don't need to settle for him just because you think you won't get anyone else. Plenty of people with autistic traits do meet partners.

ColleagueFromMars · 24/09/2020 13:33

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.

You honestly deserve so much better Flowers

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.

I think it might well be relevant, to be honest Sad

Sparklfairy · 24/09/2020 13:36

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.

Oh God, there's MORE?! BIN HIM!

roarfeckingroarr · 24/09/2020 13:39

Oh just get rid OP. Get rid. He's dreadful on so many levels.

time4anothername · 24/09/2020 13:44

OP, you sound lovely, caring and reasonable. You also sound on a hiding to nothing with this relationship. He may learn about the real costs of life, stepping up and responsibility, but you will expend much energy on this and I doubt ever gain from it.

Medically, with his intolerance heat and never ending appetite, I'd split up with him with a leaving advice note to get his adrenals and hormones tested.

Silentplikebath · 24/09/2020 13:50

I know you’ve said it’s difficult for you to make friends but don’t stay in this relationship because you are lonely.

Being with this man could be damaging your children. They should not be aware of his eating disorder and I think you are minimising just how bad his problems are.

He is disrespectful and unsupportive towards you. He is selfish, greedy and mean. Is him being good in bed and sharing a hobby really enough for you, when everything else about him is so awful?

Get rid of him and start working on your self esteem to find out why you are prepared to be with such an unsuitable partner.

BoringBettie · 24/09/2020 13:51

You need to get rid of him while you still can! He's got some serious growing up to do.

RightYesButNo · 24/09/2020 14:02

Welp, in that case, I think you’re most definitely done. Get rid ASAP, and know that you definitely did nothing wrong. Also, there’s been so much back and forth about the eating disorder. I think it’s really tough to say and besides the point. Like you said, he seems to be able to control it at will, and it’s not exactly bulimia in the traditional sense. He had gastric band surgery and he’s abusing it; that’s above any of our pay grades and who knows if he’ll ever decide to get help for it (eventually he may just manage to “undo” the purpose of the surgery and regain the weight). Focus instead on how selfish, tight, and immature he was; that’s what sunk your relationship and what really matters.

CheetasOnFajitas · 24/09/2020 14:08

He used to do this vomiting thing WITH YOU PRESENT?
Christ that is disgusting. Please dump him and leave him to sort this out by himself.

Wakemeupwhenthisisover · 24/09/2020 14:28

Honestly op dump him. He sounds abhorrent.

GhostCurry · 24/09/2020 14:50

I don’t mean to minimise this, but his eating disorder just sounds like greed to me

TherapistInATabard · 24/09/2020 15:14

@GhostCurry

I don’t mean to minimise this, but his eating disorder just sounds like greed to me
I was thinking that. OP who has diagnosed the ED?
ForeverRedSkinhead · 24/09/2020 15:18

Don't feel like you have to mention the other stuff @chrismoyles , but if it's anything else that contributes towards his selfishness or makes life difficult for you and your child in any way then please dump him.

Serenschintte · 24/09/2020 15:20

I didn’t read it all but my thoughts are: he needs to buy his own food. Or you work out roughly how much it is costing you and that’s the amount he gives you. If he refuses/argues then keep all receipts. Also it May also help with the ED as he will have a clearer idea of how much he is consuming.

Batshitbeautycosmeticsltd · 24/09/2020 15:43

He doesn't live with you. 'Are we going halves now?' 'Actually, the relationship has run its course. This isn't working for me and my family and I want to focus more on them. So it's time for us to call it a day and move on.'

And mean it.

Bellringer · 24/09/2020 15:46

An eating disorder like this is a serious mental illness.
Let him go and build up your confidence.
Good luck

H00plahhh · 24/09/2020 15:46

You are taking money away from yourself & children to have another man child in your life

He is not worth the effort

Littlefrog99 · 24/09/2020 15:52

Being on your own is always better than being with someone who isn't good for you OP. Do yourself and your children a huge favour and end it.

SunshineCake · 24/09/2020 16:50

@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.

You really should read all the OP posts before offering your thoughts Hmm.
TheNewLook · 24/09/2020 16:58

OP is using ED to mean eating disorder.

I can see the confusion though, as it’s more commonly used to mean erectile dis function.

Coyoacan · 24/09/2020 17:27

I have pretty much all the traits of aspergers and I find it very difficult to meet people I can get close with so when I do meet someone that I get on well with I guess I don't want to lose them

I don't have Aspergers and I've still found it difficult meet people I can be close to, especially when I had a small child to look after. But sooner or later you will meet the people who become important in our lives. You sound lovely and should not have to put up with this treatment.

chrismoyles · 24/09/2020 18:00

@Coyoacan

I have pretty much all the traits of aspergers and I find it very difficult to meet people I can get close with so when I do meet someone that I get on well with I guess I don't want to lose them

I don't have Aspergers and I've still found it difficult meet people I can be close to, especially when I had a small child to look after. But sooner or later you will meet the people who become important in our lives. You sound lovely and should not have to put up with this treatment.

Thank you, that makes me feel a bit better.

Thanks for all your replies, sorry for the confusion between eating disorder and erectile dysfunction, that one didn't even occur to me!

You're all right though, I'm finding him being here is a lot less pleasant than when it's just me and the kids, I only have myself adult wise to clean up after and it's just so much easier. I guess I just like having him to talk to when we're not together as we honestly do get on well and I don't have anyone else to talk to. But I know where this is heading and it's not something I'm willing to put up with any longer. Thank you all so much Thanks

OP posts:
newtb · 24/09/2020 18:16

Don't worry over the confusion between Eating Disorder and Erectile Dysfunction.

He's putting himself at risk of type II diabetes, and then there is a high chance of damage to penile blood vessels leading to the erectile dysfunction, as it's probably he wouldn't do very much to ensure his blood sugar remained within reasonable limits - leading to partial or complete blindness, amputation and kidney damage.

So, in the medium to longer term he'll likely end up with more serious health problems.

Even if he's good to talk to, get rid sooner or later before you become his carer and bank account.

fafffaffmorefaff · 24/09/2020 18:17

Oh God then why are you with him OP!! companionship is important but essentially you are buying his time by paying for this food and other items.

Just leave this waste of space and don't let your hard earned money be eaten up by an asshole. Imagine what you could have bought for your kids for the £26 you spent on his pasta!

Wakemeupwhenthisisover · 24/09/2020 18:18

@chrismoyles

After reading your updates I think he’s massively taking advantage of a single mum with not much money and who has difficulty meeting others. I’m sorry OP he’s not a nice guy.

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