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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Husband resents me for debt

999 replies

wishes1111 · 02/02/2021 14:35

Hello

I'll try and explain as briefly as possible.

I was raised by my grandparents and lost them both within 3 years or each other to cancer (in their 60s). I've also had 6 miscarriages during and since.

I have been on antidepressants since age 14 and have a history of anxiety too.

My coping mechanism was to spend, I took loans out, ordered clothes, things I didn't need and racked up nearly £8000 in debt, exchanging my utter sadness and despair for temporary happiness.

After 2 years of paying the minimum payments, I realised I couldn't hide it anymore, interest was rising and I was struggling to cope and was losing the battle of keeping my head above water.

I earn £24,000 a year, my husband earns £40,000.

I admitted it all during a breakdown, he was angry and sad that I'd done this and especially since I'd hid it from him. I fully understood this and took responsibility for my actions. I entered a payment plan with stepchange and have kept up with payments over the past couple of years and it's slowly but surely reducing. I'm paying this myself, as well as £550 for my half of rent and £30 for my phone. The rest, I use for birthday presents, diesel, car insurance and tax and I'm left with little per month. I've also cleared my overdraft in this time.

I have taken no further loans out since entering my plan with stepchange.

My problem is, my Husband resents me for this. He is a saver, he won't spend unless he has to and he saves what he can (which is a good thing). I've tried my hardest to turn my life around and take responsibility.

He said he will resent me until it's all paid off which will be another couple of years. Some days he is lovely, others it's like he's punishing me for my mistakes. Digs here and there, cold towards me, brings up what I did.

I can't even explain how much I regret doing this but I can't live like this. If I have £10 left for the last week of the month and I need to get something such as tampons or some lunch stuff for work , he tells me to sort it out myself. I understand I'm not his responsibility but this is wearing me down.

He has more than enough in savings to clear my debt. I don't expect him to do that but know in a heartbeat I would do it for him if I knew it was weighing on his shoulders, adding anxiety to his life and and he'd made an effort to change.

I feel I can't go on this way, but when he's in a nice mood I love him so much, when he's in his resentful mood he makes me feel low and like he'll never move past it.

I'm waffling, I don't expect people to think he's in the wrong, I get it.

I guess I'm just hoping for a hand hold whilst suffering my latest miscarriage, dealing with a resentful husband and trying my hardest to not fall back into a deep depression x

OP posts:
TheSparkleJar · 02/02/2021 16:53

I'm a saver and if my DH got into an awful lot of debt I'd not be sure I could forgive him and move on.

You'd have to sex-swap for this one, but imagine part of what messed him up was going through six miscarriage's trying to bring your shared child into the world. Still so keen to dash out of the door?

Also imagine that - as in this case - he admitted it, got help, and had made every effort consistently to pay it off, leaving him with only a few pounds in his bank account at the end of every month. Still ready to bail out?

I hope you didn't bother with me "For better or for worse" bit of the vows.

TheWernethWife · 02/02/2021 16:54

whilst suffering my latest miscarriage

her husband resenting her so much doesn't stop him wanting a shag.

He is a bloody abusive twat.

Manchester1990 · 02/02/2021 16:54

Why would you want to be married to man that would not buy you tampons? No one deserves to be with someone like that.
You made a mistake, admitted it, put a plan in place and turned the situation around, you should be applauded.

He is emotionally immature and abusive.
I rarely jump on the leave him bandwagon but he’s your husband you should be able to rely on him.
Go find better.

TatianaBis · 02/02/2021 16:54

Bluntness - you sound as obsessed with money as the DH.

On a thread about multiple issues, you focus only on the cash.

If the debt is higher than OP says, so what. If it’s a dealbreaker for him, he should walk away, not stay and punish OP for something she can’t undo and is trying to rectify.

There are women on this forum who’ve bailed out men with much higher debts than this - gambling, failed businesses, incompetent speculation etc - forgiven them and carried on.

wewereliars · 02/02/2021 16:57

Hi is enjoying punishing you. He is a nasty cruel person, you need to cut your losses op x

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 02/02/2021 16:58

You are deluding yourself if you think once the debt is paid he'll let go of the resentment and be "nice again". He'll either find something else or still use it as a stick to beat you with and an excuse to be an arsehole.

AndcalloffChristmas · 02/02/2021 16:58

He sounds horrible and abusive.

At the moment it’s not affecting him at all, as you’re paying it yourself.

Plus there’s an unfair split of bills going on, so probably part of the reason for the debt and why it’s taking you so long to pay it back.

SurvivalIsInsufficient · 02/02/2021 16:58

No-one is saying OP did nothing wrong least of all her. No-one is saying that it’s his fault or that he should bail her out

They are though.

combatbarbie · 02/02/2021 16:59

I would be half tempted to call someone in his presence (who I trusted, who was aware of these issues) and ask for a lend of £10 til the end of the week so you can buy sanitary products and work lunches purely to shame him... But I'm petty like that!

justasking111 · 02/02/2021 16:59

Were you doing all this mad spending before you met him or during the time you were seeing each other or married?

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 02/02/2021 17:00

Why would you want to be married to man that would not buy you tampons

Likewise why would you want to be with someone who spent lots of money they didn’t have, hid it from a spouse, only pays half the rent due to it rather than their share of all bills and feels the debt should be cleared by him?

Supersimkin2 · 02/02/2021 17:01

You haven't done anything to him - what's DH's problem? Why is he enjoying twisting the knife?

Given he values money more than most, even MNetters, it might be worth reminding him your debt hasn't cost him a penny. As of now, he's paying his fair share of rent too.

luxxlisbon · 02/02/2021 17:02

@Bluntness100

8k over four years via step change is about. 160 quid a month,

The numbers don’t make sense. Either the op has a much higher debt that is written here or she has more disposable income than 30 pounds a month.

I'm inclined to agree. So far the bills are rent 550 council tax 170 pet insurance 25 food, lets call it 200 running costs of car 150 phone 30

Lets say the stepchange payment is 200, that still leaves nearly 300 left after everything is paid.

Either the debt is much higher than 8k, and even then the repayments are based on your expenses or OP is leaving huge holes in her finances. Her husband sounds like he has been an ass at times but it does not sound like her bare minimum bills only leave her with £30 for the month and unable to afford sanitary products.

Confusedandshaken · 02/02/2021 17:02

I have so much respect for you in facing up to what you did in confessing and taking all the steps you have to clear your debts. It's very impressive.

I can quite see that your husband would be shocked and angry when he first found out but that was a while ago now. He has seen you scrimping and going without to get yourself straight but he doesn't seem to place much value on that. Is he a kind man generally?

He says he will stop resenting you when the debts are paid off. Is that true? Or will he always hold it against you and bring it up in arguments?

Good luck with clearing your debts. Don't let the current atmosphere throw you off track.

Clutterbugsmum · 02/02/2021 17:03

I think you mental health issues will get a lot better if you are out of this marriage.

Yes you ran up debt, and didn't tell him until it broke you down. But he is not giving you any support with what you are doing to A - pay off the debt and B - getting help as to why you ran up debt and to improve yourself for the future.

Your husband is going to use this stick to beat you with for as long as he decides to stay married to you.

Redburnett · 02/02/2021 17:04

Your joint outgoings should be proportional to your income so you paying half the rent is wrong. In the longer term if your DH does not recognise that you are a family unit with joint finances you would be well advised not to have children with him.

Marinaloves · 02/02/2021 17:05

It’s like affairs. If you’ve decided to stay with someone who’s cheated. You work through it, talk. You cannot beat them with a stick about it forever more.

At some point you have to work out if he’s doing this because he hasn’t resolved it ( them couples therapy) or if he just wants to continue punishing you for it’s own sake

And this isn’t even as bad as an affair

AnaisNun · 02/02/2021 17:05

OP... I’m really, really sad for you.

£8k is 1/3 of your annual income. It’s not the end of the world, by a long long stretch.

It doesn’t rival infidelity. It doesn’t warrant this kind of behaviour. It’s really, really not a crime, what you’ve done - and the posters above who seem to be suggesting such are being unnecessarily cruel too. (Mumsnets chock full of that atm).

I think, in all honesty, he sounds like a dickhead, and I’d be out of there.

What if he wasn’t driving quite carefully enough, had a car crash and wrote off his car? What if he made a bad investment and lost £8k? Or got a bit pissed, forgot the gas ring was on and burned the kitchen down making supper? Would you treat him like this? Or would you be shocked, upset, get that out of your system, then feel relieved it was nothing worse?

When you love someone, you accept they’re human, they make mistakes, and you keep loving them. And you help them fix it as best you can. You don’t batter them with their mistakes and make them feel like shit. That’s not love.

luxxlisbon · 02/02/2021 17:06

Actually I don't know where I was assuming OP had 1,600 take home, its actually much closer to 2k so there is 5/600 left after all the mentioned bills and debt payment comes out.

JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 02/02/2021 17:08

@Idontknowausername

I think he’s entirely within his right to resent you. You’re lucky he’s stayed with you tbh. I don’t think many women on here would stay with their husbands if the roles were reversed.
What a rotten reply. £8k debt is hardly worth sitting home about she hasn't murdered anyone.
burnoutbabe · 02/02/2021 17:08

i;d be very concerned how a budget was agreed with Stepchange and you can't stick to it?

So what has changed with the budget to mean you now don't have enough money for essential stuff? have you been over spending on presents or family food to mean you dont have money for tampons.

the vagueness about the numbers would bother me alot.

Bluntness100 · 02/02/2021 17:08

@Supersimkin2

You haven't done anything to him - what's DH's problem? Why is he enjoying twisting the knife?

Given he values money more than most, even MNetters, it might be worth reminding him your debt hasn't cost him a penny. As of now, he's paying his fair share of rent too.

You don’t know that. They may have been planning to save for a house, and now they are going to be off the housing ladder for several more years, or it may have cost them the chance for ever.

As they were teens when they were together, this debt was built up whilst they were together as you need to be eighteen to get loans. and not revealed on marriage or when deciding to have a family together.

The original debt may have been 8k but it’s certainly not now. Or she has more disposable income than is being revealed here.

Wishihadanalgorithm · 02/02/2021 17:09

OP, it doesn’t look good from what I have read. This man cheated on you and earns significantly more than you but doesn’t contribute that much to the family pot. You overspent and that isn’t great but you are dealing with it.

He sounds like a pompous twat. I would be looking for a better paid job and a way out of this relationship. You deserve some kindness and it doesn’t seem to be forthcoming from your husband.

SimonJT · 02/02/2021 17:10

I wouldn’t tolerate lies or deceit in a relationship, but you can’t have those views and then stay in a relationship. He either needs to leave, or stop being a twat.

Your numbers however don’t seem quite right, from what you have posted you should have around £300-£250 per month after rent, food, debt etc have been paid, not £30.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/02/2021 17:11

I spent lots of money when l was on anti depressants. It stopped as soon as l stopped taking them. They get rid of anxiety, so you don’t really care about spending.

I ran up 6K. Paid it all off now. It was hard, but the relief is huge.