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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not bail husband out

41 replies

laylasayla · 16/11/2023 20:51

Husband is horrible with money. Has adhd and struggles greatly with managing finances and budgeting. For this reason I manage all household bills - he sends me a set amount and everything else is separate. He is in charge of paying his own car and phone bill. I have tried many things to help him budget but he is constantly in a hole of debt. In the past I have taken out interest free credit cards to balance transfer debts for him and instead of cancelling his own credit cards he just maxed them again resulting in doubling his debt as he then owed me the money for the balance transfers and the same again on his cards. After this I kind of washed my hands of trying to sort his financial messes. But he is constantly borrowing money from me here and there, not huge amounts but enough and occasionally he has missed paying me for his share of the house/bills etc. Often this is to pay his phone bill because it's been cut off. I confronted him tonight about money he had borrowed to buy workwear for a new job. The workwear didn't materialise and now he has told me he has been getting threatening letters about his car being repossessed. I honestly feel quite detached about it and feel this is not my problem to sort. He blew up at me for questioning him on it but Im putting this down to him feeling a lot of pressure. AIBU to not jump in and help? As his wife should I be taking on half of the burden? I just feel at the end of my tether and that trying to help with finances never actually works or solves the problem! He has stormed out of the house with a bag and this is another thing I can't tolerate is the extreme blowing up when I feel he is in the wrong by being dishonest about reasons for borrowing money.

OP posts:
Tabasco007 · 17/05/2024 06:04

Could there be something else going on, gambling addition, spending money on something he is not telling you about? can you let us know what's he is spending it on that's means he doesn't have enough to pay his bills?

childlessandfree · 17/05/2024 11:12

Get a divorce you wont have the problem then.

Nonewclothes2024 · 17/05/2024 13:01

I have ADHD quite bad with money, everyone presents differently. However , I've never dragged anyone else in to my problems.

Naunet · 17/05/2024 13:44

Where is the money going?

Rocknrollstar · 17/05/2024 14:17

Sorry to point it out, but as a married couple you are both responsible for any debts incurred.

dulydone · 17/05/2024 14:38

@Rocknrollstar

Being married to someone doesn’t mean you inherit their debts. If you don’t have joint finances, like a mortgage or joint bank account, then you can’t be made liable. The same goes if you change your surname when you get married. While it will be updated on your credit report, you’re not legally bound to pay credit agreements in your partner’s name.
This is from Experian, you're posting false info that could scaremonger others

dulydone · 17/05/2024 14:39

Thank you ladies, this post is from November and no longer relevant but I appreciate the comments

Deathbyfluffy · 17/05/2024 14:40

Spinningroundahelix · 17/05/2024 05:55

I have ADHD. I don't struggle with money. I spend appropriately and have savings and investments. Some of your husband's actions sound like deliberate choices to me.

ADHD affects different people in very different ways.
I also have it, but I'm absolutely meticulous with money - however I have traits that my other ADHD friends simply don't suffer with.

It's not a disability that affects everyone the same way.

kalokagathos · 17/05/2024 14:43

I would not help him. He keeps looping with the same mistakes. Blowing up is an ADHD thing. He will have to start owning his problems, practice strategies to not plunge himself into debt continuously, start taking the medication etc We live in a world of adults and that's what adults have to do, manage finances.

Wildhorses2244 · 17/05/2024 14:49

I've helped a few people who struggle with spending for various reasons.

Does he do a job where he is paid on the same day every month?

If so the biggest help which you can give him is supporting him to move his car loan, phone bill and transfer to you for house stuff to the day he is paid.

This will be so so much more effective than any sort of budgeting app etc because then the money in the account is the money he has to spend until payday.

If he's got credit card debt at the moment set up a fixed, affordable amount towards paying off each credit card each month on the same day that he is paid too.

TheCultureHusks · 17/05/2024 14:53

laylasayla · 16/11/2023 21:20

Thank you everyone. Some really helpful and productive insights here. I think the problem is that I have tried so hard to be accommodating/make allowances/try to put things in place and nothing helps as he won't relinquish full control of some things as I think it probably feels a bit emasculating to him. I also really struggle with the dishonesty and little lies around money. Ie I need to borrow money for x,y,z but actually it's for something else. But I know this comes from a place of shame. I will take a step back and reevaluate once he has calmed down.

@Teapot32 thank you, it's really useful to have your insight. My husband hasn't had any cbt only medication. He has a psychiatrist appointment next week so it may be something worth enquiring about

Wouldn’t it be great if he felt that not paying his bills, borrowing and whining and leaving all the adulting to his wife was ‘emasculating’ instead? Gosh that would make everyone’s life easier wouldn’t it!

TheCultureHusks · 17/05/2024 14:56

Sorry OP that’s not meant to be a dig at you. He finds it hard, ok. But at the same time, he’s an adult with a job and functions enough to do that, there comes a point when a sentient adult needs to perhaps be able to at least take steps to stop making everyone’s life much harder. So letting you take full control, medication, or even just being adult enough to recognise that you have every right to be frustrated by being put in this kind of situation and he has no right to do this, and even more so no right to blow up at you.

mumtoadhdadult · 17/05/2024 15:05

YABU.

As a mother with an ADHD adult son we are aware that there is a strong possibility that he will never be able to live independently on his own as he is simply unable to cope with this kind of thing.

If you married him without understanding this then it is on you. We would make sure that anyone he lives with is aware they will need to do the household admin. He is quite capable in other areas but just not this.

Why can't you do the admin for everything and he takes over stuff he is capable of doing?

SheepAndSword · 17/05/2024 15:10

This is an old thread

Blueeyedmale · 17/05/2024 15:15

Sometimes you just got to be cruel to be kind when it comes to someone you love.if you help him out my concern would be that he gets in this situation again beacuse he knows he can rely on l you to bail him out.

Someone could teach him about financial management that would benefit him far more than giving him money

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 17/05/2024 15:18

I have ADHD and manage the families finances. It’s not an excuse and your husband shouldn’t be using it as one.

Missing the odd manual payment-yes maybe, I’ve done it. But the majority are done by Direct Debit so this shouldn’t be happening.

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