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Husband is a financial liability

67 replies

Rosybud88 · 25/11/2024 15:13

I’m thoroughly fed up and I don’t know what to do.

My husband and I have been married for 2 years. We got engaged within 6 months and were married within a year. I’m currently 34 weeks pregnant with our second child.

He has been self employed the whole time I have known him and I have been happy to cover financial gaps where needed and we blend our money together.

What has really started to annoy me is his approach to money. You won’t ever find him without a beer in his hand or vape in his mouth. I didn’t know until we were married that he owed almost £30k to HMRC for failing to manage his tax returns properly. We got a last minute deal on the wedding which he said he’d pay for (I didn’t want to take it because I personally couldn’t fund it) and at the last hour I had to get a loan to cover the wedding because he didn’t have the money. Just a couple of examples - he’s always struggling for money despite earning a good amount. He just wastes money on crap - mainly alcohol. I have had to bail us out multiple times and I have several credit cards and an overdraft to show for it.

I have repeatedly done monthly budgets which he won’t stick to, he won’t even look at the spreadsheet, hundreds go missing each month and I’m really losing my rag now. He refuses to talk about money without getting angry and he just won’t work with me on it. He makes regular digs about him being the only one bringing the income in but both of our children were planned and we agreed that I would stay at home for their first years. This had been budgeted for but of course he won’t stick to the budget.

I love him and have no desire to leave him but I have taken back to back maternity leaves to have our children and I myself have taken a big cut to do this. My maternity pay is frankly crap but I have sacrificed everything - I don’t buy myself a thing and felt guilty even buying anything for my hospital bag. Even if I wanted to leave him I literally couldn’t afford it at this point.

He hasn’t been paid today, not his fault, the fault of the ridiculous company he has been doing work for which I have been asking him to leave for months. So our rent won’t be paid, debt payments won’t be paid and I’m going to struggle to buy food. I’m at my wits end really because if he’d have stuck to budgets, half of the debt would have been gone and I’d have less to worry about.

I’m desperately trying to stay calm due to pregnancy but I am in tears. I have nowhere to turn, no more money to bail us out with. I can’t discuss this with family or friends because I’m genuinely so embarassed. I feel I have been so stupid in bailing us so many times, it’s become clear that he’s run to his parents for bail outs regularly which they do for him. He has a definite issue with alcohol and little regard for our situation. He walked through the door with a £22 bottle of red wine the other week as a treat for not drinking in the week which just floored me.

I don’t know what to do for best anymore. If anyone can offer any guidance or words of wisdom I’d appreciate because currently I feel like an idiot. And I’m not entitled to claim anything so universal credit etc won’t be an option for me. I really do not want to enter into debt management etc and have my credit file ruined.

He can’t take on any debt because - surprise surprise - his credit file is awful.

OP posts:
pinkyredrose · 25/11/2024 19:02

eRobin · 25/11/2024 18:09

He might have ADHD

So fucking what?

Skyrainlight · 25/11/2024 19:03

If you love him and want to be with him divorce him and stay together but keep finances separate.

pinkyredrose · 25/11/2024 19:05

Why did you marry him Op?

gamerchick · 25/11/2024 19:13

If you won't leave him then you'll have to suck it up. I'd stop punching out bairns though. He's never going to step up. Ever. You'll just have to make the best of it and go back to work when you can.

BESTAUNTB · 25/11/2024 19:15

gamerchick · 25/11/2024 19:13

If you won't leave him then you'll have to suck it up. I'd stop punching out bairns though. He's never going to step up. Ever. You'll just have to make the best of it and go back to work when you can.

This.

Lolapusht · 25/11/2024 19:23

…I’m going to struggle to buy food.

The fact that you are going to struggle to buy food and that has no impact on him is really bad.

How much does he earn? If he stuck to the budget would you manage each month? If yes, then he’s choosing to behave like this ie be completely selfish and not give a rat’s-ass about you and his children. You need to leave I’m afraid. Tell your family and see if they can help.

He’s broken your trust and that’s going to hurt. Not only did he lie about his tax (I assume that’s got interest accumulating against it too??), he lied about being able to pay for the wedding, he lied about being happy for you to be a SAHM for the early years and most hurtful of all, he lied about who he was and I’m betting if you knew what he was really like you wouldn’t have married him. You’ve changed your life and planned a new one based on his lies. That’s awful.

LTB is the only solution if he doesn’t change.

To all you people bleating “Why would you have a child/children with such an awful man? You’d never catch me being so stupid…” these useless asshole men tend to keep the useless assholery hidden which is why we get involved with them. By the time you realise how truly awful they are you’re married with children and complicated lives. Bully for you if you managed to catch a paragon of masculine perfection, some of us have to make do with what we thought would be perfection but turns to be sorely lacking.

neilyoungismyhero · 25/11/2024 19:25

eRobin · 25/11/2024 18:09

He might have ADHD

And he might be a complete selfish arsehole..I know where my money's bet.

potatocakesinprogress · 25/11/2024 19:33

If he wants to make it work he will agree he's rubbish with budgeting and will hand over all access to money he has for you and you alone to manage. You can transfer spending money to him that has to last him.

Otherwise, I agree - bin him off. And don't expect him to actually pay any child support money.

eggseggseggseggs · 25/11/2024 19:33

gamerchick · 25/11/2024 19:13

If you won't leave him then you'll have to suck it up. I'd stop punching out bairns though. He's never going to step up. Ever. You'll just have to make the best of it and go back to work when you can.

This

You knew what he was like when you had a second child and decided you were going to stay home

If you can't afford food and are not prepared to either leave him or to take over the running of the finances then you'll have to go back to work. Why should your children suffer because two adults can't organise themselves?

Nothatgingerpirate · 25/11/2024 19:33

pinkyredrose · 25/11/2024 19:02

So fucking what?

😂

Miloarmadillo2 · 25/11/2024 19:35

Either he pays his entire income (and once you are back at work you pay yours) into a household account which only you have access to for rent and bills and you give him a small amount of spending money or you divorce him. He has shown you again and again that he can’t prioritise essential bills over discretionary spending. Can you move back to your parents? Even in that situation you are landed with a feckless father because I bet you’ll get nowt for child maintenance but he won’t be able to run up more debts in your name.

GrapefruitFrog · 25/11/2024 19:37

I have always been very bad with money - a compulsive spender, a poor planner, always finding an excuse to “live in the moment”, always borrowing from the future etc.

I realised this year that my life had to change and I had to face up to my debts and sort my shit out. Guess what it came down to?

Giving up alcohol.

Drinking always exacerbated my bad money management tenfold - spend to numb the worry, spend to numb the stress, be impulsive. Since I stopped I am sooooo much calmer, make wise choices and am sticking to my plan to get in the black. So I definitely recommend he completely cuts off booze - you could even suggest it as a temporary thing like “Let’s do this now for 6 months to future proof our lives”. There’s a book called “Sober on a drunk planet” which I think would be great for him to read because it’s written by a man about his life where he was living pay check to pay check in a whirlwind.

Secondly, a radical suggestion I have (which my husband’s cousin does with his wife) is you could have all invoices paid to your accounts and become a Director of his Ltd company and you split up tax vs dividends etc, and pay him a weekly spending allowance.

Or, you go back to work and he becomes a SAHD although I realise how shit that would be given the agreement you already have. Good luck x

Teenyweenytinytrees · 25/11/2024 19:48

romdowa · 25/11/2024 15:18

Divorce him , he's going to drag you and your children down along with him. Time to cut your losses here , love won't pay the bills

I agree.

DeepRoseFish · 25/11/2024 20:03

Kick him out and claim UC. They will help with the rent and you can claim an advance. Then put a claim in with CMS.

WilmaFlintstone1 · 26/11/2024 10:50

I missed the alcohol issue in my response, that would have been a game changer for me in terms of what I did. My hubby is shit with money but there’s no alcohol or other dependency issues.

Beesandhoney123 · 17/04/2025 23:28

You can love someone as much as you want, but if they don't love you back, you're in a very vulnerable position.

You have to untangle yourself. Can you go and stay with your parents?

Your kids deserve parents that really care about them and put them first always, help and guide them. Not squander and swill bottles of wine whilst they have no food.

Cut your loses, stop enabling, within a year you'll be straight and happy.

Lyraloo · 18/04/2025 23:55

You really need to stop thinking that you want to stay with this man child. He doesn’t give a hoot about you or his children, your heavily pregnant and don’t know where your next meal is coming from and yet you say you have no desire to leave him!
what the hell,! wake up before it’s too late and your so far in debt you’ll never get out of it and your on the slippery slope to ruin.
you need no other advice except, LEAVE HIM NOW

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