£108 on his soft drinks every month

[Rainbowsworms]

I've been going through our expenditures today after realising how much money was going out of the account every month. I haven't kept a close eye on outgoings - I will own that. I have ADHD and it's not my strong point.

I have calculated that DP is spending £108 per month on his drinks alone.

He refuses to drink water/juice/cordial and moans when there's no fizzy pop, so he insists on buying a big bottle of lemonade from the corner shop most days at £2 a go, so thats £60 per month.

If that wasn't bad enough, he has atleast one Monster energy drink every night. They cost £1.60 so £48 per month.

£108 per month on fucking drinks.

AIBU to think that is bloody ridiculous.

Alternatively, the mumsnet algorithm is showing me an advert for soda stream. Do you think he would use that instead if he had it? It would almost certainly work out cheaper (but not if he found he preferred the drinks from the corner shop instead)

So so bad for him.

Give him Ultra Processed People to read.

His teeth!!! Carbonated anything in large quantities is terrible for teeth, let alone sugary pop. Full sugar drinks aren't great either, and things like Diet Coke are just as bad, especially if they contain aspartame.

How's his heart?

He's going to give himself diabetes.

Sounds as if he has a sugar addiction, and it will take years off his life.

It's over £1000k per year.

@Rainbowsworms You sound so nice, and so reasonable and sensible. I am sure you will work out a solution.

^we're a family with children
When the money in his account runs out (about 1.5 weeks after being paid) he uses my card for the rest of the month.^

That's a much bigger problem than some drinks he buys....

Why are you subsidising a grown man with children?

He isn’t buying it for himself though.

@Rainbowsworms The Pop accounts for a bit of his money. He is using your money for over half the month.

For ease let’s say out of the £108 you are paying for half. So £54. Then he buys some crisps. He is not £746 on crisps for your son from the local shop. he certainly isn’t paying his over draft off with the remaining money. He wouldn’t have one if he was paying £700 per month off it.

You said you were concerned where his money goes and goes so quickly. And that’s the main issue. Where is his money going. He isn’t spending £750 at the local shop in 10 days is he?

There’s something else going on, that he is spending money on. It’s his spare money. But you need to stop giving him access to your money. If he wants to continue to have access to your money, I would want to know where his is going.

What type if okra is it ? Like the crispy fingers you get as starters etc?

This would give me the ick so hard. My DH has a sweet tooth and occasionally drinks very sugary drinks and ice cream floats and slushies (ie kids drinks) and I think it’s very silly - if he literally wouldn’t drink anything non fizzy/sugary I’m not sure I could take him very seriously as an adult. Add to that the financial irresponsibility of spending so much when cheaper alternatives are available and he’s incapable of managing his budget and it’d be a no from me. Seems too immature.

Just heard on the news the biggest cause of children needing emergency hospital treatment between 6-12 years old is having teeth taken out because of tooth decay. Shocking is an understatement.

OP knows how bad it is to drink these on a regular basis which is why she said the kids don’t drink them. I wouldn’t want to be with someone who abuses their health in any way - sugar addiction, alcohol addiction, smoking etc.

What a load of rubbish saying ‘hippy nonsense’. Fizzy drinks are terrible for you in large quantities which is what he is drinking. A lemonade at the pub on a Sunday isn’t going to be a problem for anyone.

If he earns money then he can spend it on things he likes so long as your budget can afford it.

it’s not good health wise, I do the same though spending about that much on Diet Coke 😬

@beAsensible1 re: the Farmfoods Okra, it is just the frozen vegetable for you to do what you want with. So the Mumsnet collective who abhor processed food need fret only about the freezing aspect. I was seriously impressed with the range and quality of food in Farmfoods.

The refusal to drink water would be the issue for me. I struggle to understand how people get there.

How is it helpful to give OP an extra task and to find somewhere in their abode to hide bulk crisps? He will just raid the stock whenever he feels like it.

I’d suggest buying supermarket brand lemonade at 50-60p a bottle but to be honest I’d be pissed if you tried to dictate to me as grown person what I could or could not drink

Thank you! I have started meds now so I can hopefully see a reduction in the amount of caffeine I need. Don't want to give myself a heart attack 😂

Honestly this tread is just weird . You are a couple it’s not his money or your money is it , should be both . I earn 3 x more than my fiancé so I pay more stuff so he doesn’t run out if money mid month . If this was the other way around everyone would be screaming abuse that he was controlling . He is an adult , simple conversation saying “ I worry you spend to much on fizzy and I worry about your health “ then it’s up to him to accept if he can change or not . I drink copious amounts of coffee and honestly if my partner told me I had to stop I would just ignore him , my partner eats mayo on everything I mean he goes through 2 large one a week , it’s awful for his health and I have and alway try to remind him if this but there is no way in hell I would ban mayo . He is an adult , your partner is an adult too . £108 is not that much , if he replaces fizzy drinks with a single coffee or tea it will be more than that

@LauritaEvita

I don't drink water unless it's flavoured, just don't like the taste of normal water.

I drink fizzy juice (Pepsi Max Cherry) Irn Bru Extra or Apple, Apple and Mango fruit juice.

Probably spend around £80 each month on juice for me and adult DD who lives with me.

I think I’d be more concerned about the amounts of sugar and crap he is drinking over the money. Worth looking at a soda stream machine and making squash fizzy? Sugar free squash and fizzy water is quite convincing for my kids lol

That is really unhealthy.

No human needs to drink soft drink. There is no health benefit and it rots the teeth. Soft drink is sometimes food.

If he must have carbonated water, purchase a soda stream and have ice on hand. He might grow to like icy cold plain water.

Comparing someone to an alcoholic is hardly a good benchmark!

Yes 10 cans of lager a day is awful, but that doesn't mean 2ls of lemonade is loads better. It's better, but still bad for their health and bank balance.

Yes it’s awful. Even moreso if it’s coming out of your money.
We have squash, tea coffee etc in, me and DP share a 8 pack of Pepsi max that usually lasts us a week (£4). Any other drinks we individually want (coffees, bottles of coke whatever), we get individually on our own cards with our own money. Maybe it’s time to get a joint account and do the same? And stop giving him your card!

Another poster who doesn't see a problem because they and their partner are also unhealthy 😬

And £108 is a lot of money for lots of families, especially those like OP who already have debt and where her husband is a low earner.

All very well sharing money, until one spends money the family can't afford.

Your coffee habit doesn't make OPs husbands fizzy drink habit any better.

Gross. However, get a Sodastream.

I really struggle to understand it as drinking water just seems such a basic part of being an animal and, to me, just doesn’t taste of anything. One of my best friends has tried to explain it to me, as she doesn’t drink any plain water, but I still don’t get it.