Husband obsessed with McDonald’s Monopoly

[sickandtired300]

I just need a rant.

I dread it every year as he is always the same, but this year is particularly bad. He’s absolutely obsessed with collecting the stickers and trying to win the prizes.

He has been going several times a day (we live just round the corner) and spending stupid amounts of money on food to get the stickers. He never even eats half the food and gives it to the dog or the DC. I don’t mind them having McDonald’s but it’s meant to be a treat and he’s giving them cheeseburgers and nuggets every day for a snack ffs to get rid of them because he’s only interested in the stickers on the packaging.

I have lost it today as he has come home with 12 lots of fries!!!! We can’t fucking afford this. We’re not on the breadline and have a couple of hundred spare each month but not for fucking McDonald’s splurged. We are now just one sticker away from winning the holiday (the final sticker is extremely rare and there’s only a few of them in circulation, so out chances are still vanishingly low) and so the obsession has ramped up. We’d had our breakfast (he pissed off afterwards for his McDonald’s stickers) and so they got thrown out. We have an on and off rat problem so I’d rather not be throwing out heaps of uneaten food.

He joins fucking Ebay auctions and is always on his phone inputting the codes. He even joins online discussions on it. He really wants the cash prize. He is saying that somebody is selling 500 of the stickers for £80 and he’s considering it. I’m sure it’s a scam. He knows I will go nuclear so I’m praying he doesn’t do it but we both allow each other some treat spends each month so he may well spend it on that.

It’s all he fucking talks about. This morning he was moaning about how he saw an article saying that he saw an article about McDonald’s staff cheating and peeking at the stickers beforehand, and I snapped at him to bloody shut up. He is completely neurotypical and doesn’t typically hyperfixate on things, but this is always an issue every year.

He’s also convinced the kids we’re winning a car and a holiday ffs. When I’m cleaning I’m always having to pick up the stickers. We’ve got that many of those free meal prizes that our family of 4 will never be able to get through them before they expire. I handed most of them to homeless folk in town the other day, otherwise they wouldn’t have been used. And he whigned that he could’ve used them to buy more food to get more stickers.

It is genuinely making me resent him. I can’t wait until it ends.

[2020firsttimemum]

This sounds like he might almost have an obsession. A bit like a gambling obsession, constantly chasing that dopamine high...

Maybe he needs actual help?

[Hugasauras]

Bloody hell, it sounds like an addiction! Not sure what to advise but I'm not surprised you're fed up. What a waste of money and food.

[Grandeur]

[Cheeseandwines]

He sounds like a simpleton?

[sickandtired300]

He used to be similar with those competitions that used to come up on the telly after talent shows, (don’t see them really now) where you texted the answer to a question to be entered into a draw to win a holiday/money. He’d always try and make several entries.

He doesn’t gamble in the traditional sense though.

[crimewatcher]

This can't possibly be a real thing?? Who would do this lol 😂

[sickandtired300]

I know how bizarre it sounds, I’m fully aware and embarrassed. He holds down a high responsibility full-time job, as hard as it is to believe.

I agree he is after the dopamine hit.

[sickandtired300]

He looks forward to it every year

[Jogonlogonpip]

That sounds bloody awful and so bizarre that he becomes so fixated every year. I like a mcdonalds every now and again but I don't agree with the monopoly - it's wrong on so many levels.

[Lastqueenofscotland2]

Just cause it’s not going down the bookies it’s still gambling and as you said it’s money you don’t have he’s spending.

[Antarcticant]

I thought this was going to be your DH annoyed that Macdonalds dominate the drive-through market in the UK.

[SummerHouse]

Why does he get the food if he is not going to eat it? Why not just go in and pay full price for empty boxes? I appreciate that the wasted food is just part of the problem but I can't get past 12 lots of fries going in the bin...

[syntoandtoast]

@Antarcticant I just properly giggled at your comment.

In all seriousness though OP, this really doesn't sound right at all! Could it be a gambling problem?

[sickandtired300]

It’s the biggest fucking scam going. The big prizes only have a few stickers each in circulation.

The most common prize is say, 6 chicken nuggets because they know you’ll end up buying a drink to go with it to get more stickers, and then you’re in a cycle.

[wildthingsinthenight]

This is a gambling addiction I think?
A bizarre one admittedly but it is an addiction.
Sorry you're going through this OP. I've no idea what you do. It's worrying

[BettyOBarley]

I know people are taking the piss but it doesn't sound funny to me, it's basically gambling and with money you can't afford. He sounds totally addicted, but weird that it's only this one thing a year and he's not maxing out scratchcards, slot machines etc the rest of the year...
So bloody wasteful as well!

[PileofLogs]

Gambling addiction. I'd try to talk about it to him in these terms. I'd also be worried about him moving on to another form of gambling when the promotion ends.

[Arsepants]

I go every day so I can get the stickers too. I don't buy loads of food I can't eat but I buy things depending on how many stickers they have got.

I can feel the fat sticking to my insides. It's so unhealthy, I can't wait for it to end.

And I only need one to win all the main prizes too. Someone's gonna win them, it might be me

[idontthinksodou]

Please don't allow him to feed Mcdonalds to the dog!!

[Sparklesocks]

It is a gambling addiction (or at least the beginnings of one). Maybe not a traditional one with horses or fruit machines, but it’s still gambling - he’s spending money in the hopes of winning a larger prize and it has become a compulsion.

It’s tough because he needs to recognise this himself before you can help him, maybe try and have an open conversation and point out how much he’s spending (for little returns) and see how he responds. I’m sorry though OP it’s immensely stressful when you’re watching the pennies and your partner is being so reckless.

[Florenz]

The rare stickers in each colour set are always listed on Twitter or elsewhere so just look if you have any of those, the other stickers are worthless.

[Florenz]

The rare stickers are apparently:

Mayfair,
Bond Street,
Strand,
Coventry Street,
Northumberland Road,
Marlborough Street,
Old Kent Road,
Euston Road,
Liverpool Street Station.

[Noteverybodylives]

Wow I was ready to say you were BU thinking he was getting one or two meals a week but jeez that’s absolutely ridiculous!!

As you say it is such a scam like most things and if he does this every year then he probably spends more on buying this food than what it would cost him to just book a holiday!

[SlashBeef]

Can he at least find someone to give the food to?!

[Uninspiredusername]

This must be infuriating - even if it’s just once a year, it’s a lot of money and food waste.
if it was my DH I think the only thing that would work was literally spelling it out, in terms of money down the drain. you could easily go away for a week with the money he’s spending by the sounds of it (there’s the holiday he wants, then!).

you have my sympathy.