I live in a block of flats with a communal laundry room. We have lived here for about 3 months. There is a man in the same block that me and dp see every week who we are slowly becoming friends with when doing laundry.
We have a 2 month old baby and dp has a 9yr old son who stays weekends and said friend knows of them. My issue is with how/what dp says to this new friend of ours, he also speaks the same to his family members. Dp will frequently say we are broke, make jokes about how we 'have nothing to eat' and in general give the impression that we frequently have no money and really struggle to even eat. We are both currently unemployed long term due to illness but we recieve benefits that roughly equate to at least 1 full time above minimum wage so we do not struggle, on the last week before pay day we might have a little less choice in food but we always have food, gas, electric, rent paid and all supplies for the kids regardless. The only thing we occasionaly 'struggle' for is luxuries for ourselves such as tobacco or nice coffee.
Before having a baby I wouldn't have cared the slightest about people's impression of me but since having a baby I do care about how people perceive us as members of society and especially as parents. I know i shouldnt but the reality is I do as these days it is common in my area for nosy neighbours to report petty concerns to social services or gossip about parents lack of money and therefore apparent inability to care for children.
Dp will frequently ask his parents for the odd £10/20 and almost always talks over friends, not giving them the chance to speak and just in general gives everyone the impression that we are piss poor broke. Now there is nothing wrong with admitting you are struggling but what irks me is the fact that he is giving off a false impression of our lifestyle to so many people we know and quite frankly it's getting embarrassing.
We used to be homeless and genuinely did struggle hard for money, utilities and food but we are in a much better situation now and life is improving vastly. AIBU to not want to be viewed as a broke mother that can't provide? I have spoke to dp about said issue and he says he doesn't want to 'put a filter on his mouth' and mockingly joked that I was going to have to write him a list of topics he was and wasn't 'allowed' to speak about. All I said to him was that I would appreciate it if he didn't go round telling people we are broke or struggle as we don't. How can I convince him to actually care about that impression we give off as a family?