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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH's secrets and lies

238 replies

UnicornAndSparkles · 21/01/2024 21:42

I'll preface this with the fact that DH is generally a wonderful husband and father. He in incredibly loving and patient and generous and will always go out of his way to be a real 50/50 partner, be that with early starts, sharing the parental load as best we can (he'll always get up early with the kids for instance, and does most of the nursery drop offs and pick ups despite working full time). We've been married for almost 15 years and he is my absolute rock.

But. He has lied to me, on multiple occasions, about finances. At first it was to cover up a drinking problem, which I obviously knew he had, but he wasn't ready to admit to. With a lot of support from myself and others he has overcome and is now 4yrs sober. Something I am hugely proud of him for. But that drinking problem got him into significant debt which he didn't reveal to me. When he got sober he came clean and told me of the loan and credit card debt, totalling around 10k, all repayable within 2y he said. 2y came and went and I presumed it was paid. It's now 2y on and I find out it's not repaid and there's still around 10k to repay so there must have been significantly more at the outset. His company has recently gone bust and he hasn't been paid a salary for around 6m. He initially kept this from me for 2 months, contributing to the family finances as he usually would but only now I find out it was through a credit card. Obviously this was unsustainable and we he revealed the issue we started paying all the bills from our savings, which are almost depleted. I earn money too but not as much as he does, and my salary isn't enough to cover the mortgage and childcare costs. He put off finding a new job as he was sure the money would come in. It didn't and he has admitted he should have got a new job months ago rather than only starting to look now, when we have little savings left to fall back on. He's also revealed that he's been living in his overdraft for 3y. Again, something he kept from me.

He was on a 90k salary, which to me is a huge amount, but is so bad with money that he couldn't budget his spendings. He lives a champagne lifestyle, which I presumed was because he could, but it's become apparent that he couldn't afford half of it. I, on the other hand, would rather save than spend. It gives me far more of a thrill to see savings mounting up and shop in the likes of new look than it does to buy fancy things and not have any savings. Of course I enjoyed the holidays and all the rest of the things DH was spending money on, but only because I thought he could afford it and it was never overly lavish. My salary is far below his and I obviously had a very naive view of what 90k can afford, as it's clearly not the lifestyle we've enjoyed. He's always been this way, his family joke he was always awful with money. But the issue is the lies he's told me, the fact that he's kept the loan amount and credit card bills and overdraft secret from me, whilst the debt mounts up and up. We've always said we share finances and so it came as a shock that he wasn't being open and honest with me. He says he was embarrassed about the whole thing but now I don't feel I can trust him with money and am questionning whether he really does earn £90k or that's an exaggeration, whether the total debt is bigger than the 20k he's admitted to (he initially said it was 8-10k), whether there are more credit cards with payments due. It really worries me as we share a mortgage and have two children.

The crux is I asked him to prove he was being honest with me about the level of debt he now admits to. I've asked to see bank statements showing the figures and the repayment plan. But he won't show me. AIBU? We are very close to having to ask my grandfather to help us with money when our savings run out as until he starts getting paid again my salary cannot cover all of the outgoings (grandfather is in a position to help, financially, and has offered to do so as he is aware that we are living off our savings). Or we default on the mortgage. I cannot believe we're in this situation. I feel cross that he hasn't been honest with me and cross that he didn't up sticks and get a paying job sooner when he realised the company was going bust, but I can't turn back the clock and he recognises he's been a fool. But am I being unreasonable to not be able to trust him with the finances and to want to see the debt in black and white? Or is he unreasonable not to show me the level of debt he (and realistically "we" as we are a partnership) owe?

OP posts:
Daffodilsandtuplips · 24/01/2024 14:32

You can apply to be financially disassociated from him, so no one can come after you for debts in his name for example. My friend had to do it with her DH. Google will tell you more.

FallingStar21 · 24/01/2024 17:37

UnicornAndSparkles · 24/01/2024 09:54

A bit more clear headed today, despite worrying myself awake half the night. I've got a plan and have made an enquiry to see a local family lawyer. I need to find out what liability I have in regards to his debt due to the fact that we're married. Im pretty certain that if he defaults on the payments the lenders can come after the house and any money I have. The house as it's in his name too, and my money on account of us being married. Obviously I can't risk this happening. He can hand ownership of the house over to me but we remain as we are, but if he goes bankrupt within 5 years this is revisited and effectively null and void, so again, the lendors can come after the house.

I need to know if any of this changes if he hands the house over to me and we divorce, on paper only, and to enable a proper financial split, now. So many considerations and I need proper advice. And by divorcing I would be relying on him to pay his share of everything going forward, as he had been until he stopped being paid (and yes, I have evidence of that, and yes we have instructed lawyers and there is a payment plan in place for them to pay him, but the fact is we can't rely on it as they're effectively a start up and don't have the money until investors come through. He should never have gotten involved but he's an idiot.)

I can't afford to go it alone, nor do I want to. I want to stay with him for now and bide my time until I can afford to leave. I've checked benefits and I'm not eligible for anything like what I'd need, due to the equity in the house which is half mine, and I'm not about to sell it and force my kids to leave their home if there is another way. But I can't risk the house or any money I can manage to save or anything I might inherent going towards his debt.

So I'm getting legal advice.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive in this. It's really helped having a discussion board. Things I hadn't even considered are now firmly in my head.

You think you can't afford to separate but can afford to keep living in his infinite debt?
That makes no sense, sorry. If you are on low income with young DCs you will get generous benefits and 85% childcare paid. You will be fine, only the initial move will be difficult but once you've done it you'll get lots of support, trust me.

HettieHampshire · 24/01/2024 19:58

My heart goes out to you OP. You will be in shock. I can guarantee you will eventually leave him, and when you do, you'll be angry at yourself for not leaving sooner. Best of luck.

Purplesilkpyjamas · 24/01/2024 20:21

Sorry you are going through this OP.

If it were me I would continue paying the minimum amounts on the credit cards while the house is sold. This will free you from a financial tie to him.

I would then use grandfather's generous offer to buy a place of my own.

Windmill34 · 24/01/2024 23:47

I wouldn’t have thought get benefits had anything to do with the equity in your house ! ?

Bestyearever2024 · 12/02/2024 18:55

DH is also angry because I told some of my friends about it (because I was angry and upset and was asking them for advice) and now he is mad saying I shouldn't have done that incase they "judge" him or "fall out" with him

THIS is concerning him? This???

Priceless

I think of everything you've said , the above would make me despise him most of all

Me me me me narcissist me 🙄🤪

What an absolute disaster he is

Slanabhaile · 12/02/2024 19:39

Bestyearever2024 · 12/02/2024 18:55

DH is also angry because I told some of my friends about it (because I was angry and upset and was asking them for advice) and now he is mad saying I shouldn't have done that incase they "judge" him or "fall out" with him

THIS is concerning him? This???

Priceless

I think of everything you've said , the above would make me despise him most of all

Me me me me narcissist me 🙄🤪

What an absolute disaster he is

I think you've quoted this on the wrong thread. On today's, equally upsetting, thread the OP said her husband was angry because she told her friends.
It's frightening how endemic gambling is. I hope you're doing better now @UnicornAndSparkles, what an awful time for you.

BusyMum47 · 12/02/2024 19:53

Great husband or not, I could never ever trust him again for that - about anything. That's some serious lying.

BUT you're incredibly naive to have allowed this to happen. You 'just assumed' you could afford everything in your life & 'just assumed' he'd paid his significant debt off? You never checked anything??

UnicornAndSparkles · 12/02/2024 22:01

BusyMum47 · 12/02/2024 19:53

Great husband or not, I could never ever trust him again for that - about anything. That's some serious lying.

BUT you're incredibly naive to have allowed this to happen. You 'just assumed' you could afford everything in your life & 'just assumed' he'd paid his significant debt off? You never checked anything??

I did wonder when I'd start getting victim blamed for this. Congratulations, you win first prize.

OP posts:
Slanabhaile · 13/02/2024 09:08

I think PP has been incredibly unfair on you @UnicornAndSparkles - it's obvious this has come as a huge shock, and you are doing everything you can to fix it and keep your family together. Stay strong 💐

justtidying · 13/02/2024 11:25

@UnicornAndSparkles how is it going?

pastypirate · 13/02/2024 13:33

BusyMum47 · 12/02/2024 19:53

Great husband or not, I could never ever trust him again for that - about anything. That's some serious lying.

BUT you're incredibly naive to have allowed this to happen. You 'just assumed' you could afford everything in your life & 'just assumed' he'd paid his significant debt off? You never checked anything??

Have a day off.

UnicornAndSparkles · 13/02/2024 18:54

justtidying · 13/02/2024 11:25

@UnicornAndSparkles how is it going?

Slowly getting there! Thank you for asking.

He's doing all the right things; GA weekly group, given over all his cards to me, blocked all the legal gambling sites, getting help through step change. And, thank goodness, he started a new job last week that should help to pay off the debt considerably. I'm checking up on his every move, of course. And he accepts that is a necessity for the time being at least.

I know it's a s*t situation but it's as ok as it can be!

OP posts:
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