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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Moving together, am I unreasonable or is he? (Finances)

320 replies

NameChange23 · 11/08/2016 21:17

I don't want to drip feed so here are the facts (relevant or not)

  • We have been together for 3 years
  • We both had been married before
  • We both have children from previous marriages, his is an adult but still financially dependant, mine has become a teen pretty recently so still dependant as well.
  • I am 46, he is 58
  • I am an administrator, he has a senior managing position
  • I earn 16k a year, he earns nearly 60k
  • I drive a 12 year old £400k car which is falling to pieces, he changes car pretty much every 12-18 months and never spends less than £20k on each of them.
  • I own a beautiful 3 bedroom period terrace house (medium courtyard, no garage) in a relatively expensive touristic area (Still mortgaged) and have about £6k in savings. He owns two houses (no mortgage), has a substantial retirement fund and in addition, about £300k in savings.
  • we have always gone mostly Dutch on expenses, if we are out to a expensive place, he pays (I pay the babysitter). If we are eating in a cheap place I pay.
  • if we go on holidays we go halves.

We have started thinking of moving together and he has come with the idea that I should sell my house and put the profits towards our "together" house. He will match the amount I pay towards it.

For him, that amount would be a small part of his assets, while I would be putting EVERYTHING I have. Which puts me in a rather dangerous financial position especially when it comes to pay for future expenses of DS.

He also expects that we should share the new house improvement expenses 50-50. All the houses he has suggested are slightly more expensive than mine, but they are either miles away in small villages, in need of extensive refurbishment or/and smaller than mine. He thinks that doing them up will cost a couple of thousands, I know (after doing up 3 houses) that we are looking at a possible bill of several £10,000s.

The additional problem is that he wants a detached house in the countryside, with a big garden and a place to keep his car safe. The problem is, I have lived in the countryside and I found the experience extremely lonely, most of my friends do not drive, I had to put up with a rather big share of racism, I hated having to spend so much time/money preventing the garden from becoming a jungle, and in general I was extremely unhappy. I love being surrounded by people and close to where things happen. He wants peace and quiet and hates the idea of city living.

I tried to explain yesterday that it isn't fair from him to expect me to put everything I have into a house that would eat all my assets, most of my income and where DS and I would feel isolated. I also mentioned that considering he earns far more than I, that the 50/50 divide would not be fair.

He looked at me with an incredulous face, and said no. He told me I was acting as if I was with him for his money!

Apparently, my request makes me look like a gold digger. Shock

I ended up telling him that if it was money what I was interested in, I would be still enjoying the high life with my exhusband.

Am I being unreasonable or is he?

OP posts:
Naicehamshop · 30/10/2016 16:07

Oh - and ignore the stupid comment about spousal maintenance.

FishyWishies · 30/10/2016 16:13

You could have accepted the spousal maintenance Les and saved it up for your DD. I'm sure she would appreciate a bit of help in the future.

LesisMiserable · 30/10/2016 16:20

She wont need it Fishy like OP"s ex, he father is excessively rich and provisions were written into the divorce to go directly to her, so no need for me to mind funds for her future in the interim.

LesisMiserable · 30/10/2016 16:22

Spousal maintenance is paid for the continuation of a lifestyle. Morally I think if you do not want to be with someone any more you forfeit the lifestyle you had with them. Thats just my view.

NameChange23 · 30/10/2016 16:28

Good that you had that choice. If I had not had DS I would have told my ex to stuff his money where the sun doesn't shine, But I have his child, who he refuses to see and he doesn't pay child maintenance. So no, I am not putting DS in financial hardship to refuse the spousal maintenance so I can keep the higher ground.

If you can do that, you are much better off than I am Wink

OP posts:
NameChange23 · 30/10/2016 16:29

No continuation of the lifestyle here. We live with much, much less, but we survive and that is enough.

OP posts:
LesisMiserable · 30/10/2016 16:34

Im with you OP, I'd have been the same if we hadn't had DD. I'm surprised though that youre getting spousal but not child? I didnt know that was possible, assume the spousal was court ordered and the child maintenance wasnt. I'm struggling at the moment but the thought of going to court with my ex is just too nightmarish and costly whereas to him hed probably see it as sport. Youre probably the same.

LesisMiserable · 30/10/2016 16:35

Anyway going back to OP, you love city life he wants the country retirement - different trajectories. What are you going to do?

NameChange23 · 30/10/2016 16:44

It is, he has his own company, he pays himself in kind (house and cars in the name of the company, holidays put down as work expenses. Big portion of his pretend salary is paid into pensions therefore not counted for CM calculations. The poor man is a CEO that "earns" so little he should be in receipt of tax credits. I have given up with the CSA, they won't be able to make him pay for as long as he can pay a creative accountant. This not an uncommon situation.

He will need to spend quite a few thousands pounds in a court process to stop paying spousal maintenance, so considering it is only a couple of hundred pounds a month, he doesn't bother. It will cost him more to stop paying it.

I have come to the conclusion that is not worth to fight for more, apart of getting more upset, there's nothing to be gained.

OP posts:
NameChange23 · 30/10/2016 16:47

What would I do? Break my heart now to stop breaking it every week in the future.

That's what I'm doing.

OP posts:
LesisMiserable · 30/10/2016 16:53

I think its a wise though upsetting decision and I feel for you. I've come to realise financial equality and shared goals are reallu important. I went from the millionaire lifestyle to seeing someone who had nothing (thinking attraction and sex appeal mattered more), now with the right person - my equal financially and emotionally and with the same future plans. He's out there for you too.

carpskk · 30/10/2016 16:56

Namechange23 - glad I read to the end of the thread and whilst you will be feeling awful now, I expect, at least you don't have to put up with someone who thinks you're a gold-digger :(

How did he take it?

NameChange23 · 30/10/2016 17:04

The goals is a big thing. He doesn't want to make plans because he wants "to live in the present". I'm surprised we managed this long, I cannot live without goals!

How did he take it??? Well, I suspect he doesn't even entertain the idea that this is, seriously, the end. He is dealing with it as if I had had a tantrum (I don't do tantrums BTW)

OP posts:
QuintessentialShadow · 30/10/2016 17:05

Glad to see your update, sorry he did not turn out to be a better man than this.

HillaryFTW · 30/10/2016 17:45

"Projection is the right concept to be swirling round here - he is accusing you of the thing of which he himself is guilty - he is trying to get a bit of your assets at no cost to himself. It's not you that's the freeloader, it's him."

Yy to this.

He sounds like a man who thinks he knows better than you . He had decided you are a gold digger and ignores any evidence to the contrary, exaggerating other things (eg buying you a Mercedes - lending you something for car repairs or even a small second hand car would be much more proportionate but not feed his narrative)

Him ignoring your desires about where to live. Him ignoring the negative financial effect of losing CB and SM. Even now, him thinking you are having a tantrum!

It's his show, OP. You've got a bit part, at best.

Sorry Flowers

mummytime · 30/10/2016 17:51

Spousal maintenance is because one partner may have sacrificed their career for the family, and is supposed to be a form of compensation. So I see no dishonour in accepting it if you are looking lucky enough to be awarded it.

sianihedgehog · 31/10/2016 09:54

OP, the only reason you weren't cooking, ironing, organising etc for this man was because you didn't live together. You have had a very lucky escape.

carpskk · 31/10/2016 22:22

Oh well he'll see soon enough ...

You can do better, and find someone more suited to you no doubt!

draculasteabag · 01/11/2016 21:58

Op, this could have been you if you had agreed to move. I was reading it and all I could think about was you.

Finances in 2nd relationships
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/2769981-Finances-in-2nd-relationships

NameChange23 · 02/11/2016 07:20

Thanks for that! It certainly eases the pain to know what a near miss this has been. Very sorry for that OP, I hope she manages to find a way out. Sad

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