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.

[Amybelle88]

@Cheeseandwines

He sounds like a simpleton?

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Fucking hell.

[Alpineyog]

As someone who has been to McDonald's every day last week because of the monopoly I feel for your DH

It's very addictive, the gamification of food purchase hits my sweet spot - I'm not an addictive personality, never smoked, drank much or even been fussed with the lotto but McDonald's monopoly seems to trigger something inside me.

On the plus side I've already made my money back in vouchers - i keep track to ensure I'm not out financially

[BertieBotts]

There are more rare stickers than prizes, that's how they get around the possibility of people throwing them away. But not a huge amount of rare stickers obviously.

Odds are really low and the prizes aren't that valuable.

But given that this sounds like addictive/compulsive behaviour (going multiple times a day every day) it doesn't matter, you can set out all the logical arguments in the world and it won't matter because that feeling of "But what if this next one is the winner?" will override. That's why I think it makes sense to ride this one out, carefully collecting info, and start the campaign of look, this is ridiculously OTT after this year's has finished and see if you can get him to agree to either looking into some help, or at the very least agreeing to some sensible limits next year.

(I think unfortunately, any agreement to sensible limits next year is likely doomed to failure; but then at least it gives you leverage to say look; I gave you a chance and it's still taken over again and remember everything you agreed to, now will you seek help?)

[LargeglassofRosePlease]

@Cheeseandwines

He sounds like a simpleton?

That’s rude. But have to agree.

[Hesleepswiththefishes]

Bollocks

if this was true the guy wouldn’t know his arse
from his elbow as a functioning member who f society and would be doing a sweepstake on snail races in the garden or ladybirds on a rose branch
what a load of nonsense…

[Maytodecember]

Never heard of McDonald’s Monopoly but please don’t give McDonald’s food to your dog. It’s high fat , you may well end up with a sick dog.

[Amybelle88]

@Maytodecember

Never heard of McDonald’s Monopoly but please don’t give McDonald’s food to your dog. It’s high fat , you may well end up with a sick dog.

Agree!

Pancreatitis is something that can become quite common in dogs and like humans, high fat food can kick it off.

(Coming from someone who suffers from chronic acute pancreatitis!)

[GettingStuffed]

There are free completions that give out holidays I've had a few city breaks and a holiday to Cyprus

[pinkbear95]

I laughed so much at this because he sounds like me x100.

In the past, I’d go crazy whenever monopoly started. I wouldn’t eat the food, just buy large meals to see what I’ve won. There was one year when I went to Mcds multiple times a week because I was so obsessed.

During Covid they didn’t do Monopoly so I just lost interest. He sounds so insane though😭 wanting to buy a bunch of tickets for £85 or however much is literally crazy. He needs to limit himself to twice a week or something.

Has he actually won any of the big prizes in the past for him to be acting like this?

[TheGoodFighter]

@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.

That's not a scam. That's just literally how this kind of competition works.

Only a fucking idiot thinks they are going to win cars and holidays etc, and only someone deranged acts like your DH is.

You can't blame McDonalds for this

[lostinanovel]

I only keep the free food ones and chuck the rest. I don't even look at the place names I just look to see if won any food or drinks and that's it. I could of chucked any of the rare ones away. I bet loads of people do the same so they're probably already gone!

[whatsup00]

If he pays with a card, not cash, you could work out how much he has spent on it in total.

If he sees, for example, that he's spent £230 on it it may help him rethink it all.

The online thing sounds like they could be fake stickers or somehow checked to make sure they aren't rare ones. How would someone get 80 stickers all like that?

I think it's better this than slot machines - at least this is once a year then over. And there is more of a limit on this, as it's more ridiculous to buy huge amounts of food.

But still.

The odds will be really bad.

It sounds like it somehow excites him and provides a hobby.

[HangingOver]

It's definitely possible to get addicted to really specific gambling love island instant win game on the lotto website

[TheHateIsNotGood]

Well maybe it's better than watching grim online porn year round or donning full pink lycra for his cycling "hobby". No accounting for taste; my business owning Grandma used to love Tom & Jerry, even as a child I found it wierd as she crumpled with laughter.

Hopefully your DH chooses the McD 'healthy eating options' otherwise there's a bigger (literally) problem than their Monopoly game.

[foliageeverywhere]

@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.

Could you total up how much he's spent on this and show him?

He's not going to win the holiday, and that's £££ that could've gone towards an actual one.

[Pilipalapal]

@BertieBotts

There are more rare stickers than prizes, that's how they get around the possibility of people throwing them away. But not a huge amount of rare stickers obviously.

Odds are really low and the prizes aren't that valuable.

But given that this sounds like addictive/compulsive behaviour (going multiple times a day every day) it doesn't matter, you can set out all the logical arguments in the world and it won't matter because that feeling of "But what if this next one is the winner?" will override. That's why I think it makes sense to ride this one out, carefully collecting info, and start the campaign of look, this is ridiculously OTT after this year's has finished and see if you can get him to agree to either looking into some help, or at the very least agreeing to some sensible limits next year.

(I think unfortunately, any agreement to sensible limits next year is likely doomed to failure; but then at least it gives you leverage to say look; I gave you a chance and it's still taken over again and remember everything you agreed to, now will you seek help?)

Yup.

There are only 4 tickets for the $100,000 prize.

21 tickets for a mini copper.

Around 80 for the holiday worth £2,000.

Even if the OP’s DH bought out the entire stock of their local McDonalds, for the whole duration of the competition (and not accounting for the fact that some branches have much higher footfall than others), his odds of winning any of those prizes would be slim.

Honestly he’d be better off saving the money and having a single bet on one number of a roulette wheel. Much, much better odds.

What an absolute numpty.

[Pilipalapal]

You sound like human garbage.

(I assume we’re just throwing insults around?)

[TokyoSushi]

Oh my

[Banana2079]

im not your MIL
U are a controlling partner .

[foliageeverywhere]

@Banana2079

im not your MIL
U are a controlling partner .

Her husband is spending hundreds of pounds, giving the children mcdonalds everyday, and throwing loads of food in the bin (e.g., buying 12 lots of fries at once), all so he can attempt to win a holiday in a game.

You genuinely think this is reasonable behaviour?!

As other have said, it's a gambling addiction.

[foliageeverywhere]

Also pretty offensive to OP and those who are actually in controlling & abusive relationships, @Banana2079 !

[Florenz]

He'd have a much better chance of winning by buying loads of scratchcards or putting bets on random horses.

[caggie3]

Just so you know OP, you need to keep the receipts you won the tickets from or they are worthless. My friend won a TV a few years ago and needed receipts for the items he got the tickets for (which he didn't have) so no TV. If he goes and buys a load online and 'wins' a holiday he has no proof of purchase for those tickets and won't actually get the holiday. It's a total scam because who keeps receipts for McDonald's?! No wonder no one wins the big prizes.

[ChiefWiggumsBoy]

Get him to watch this tiktok and investigate if it’s the same for U.K. McDonalds: vm.tiktok.com/ZMFeKyP3D/