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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

Why can't I let this go? I don't think IABU but..

31 replies

smokingtwatpuffin · 23/11/2017 22:28

This might seem trivial, but I'm so angry and I don't know how to let it go.

Found out in a random conversation with dh that he spends about £120-150 a month on cigarettes. I had no idea. For years I've been walking about in cheap, scruffy shoes - I have one decent but cheap pair for work that are getting pretty scruffy tbh, another pair I bought for £8 that slice my feet to shreds and that's it. I've been wearing pants with holes in rather than buying new because, honestly, it's clothes for the kids or pants for me. I earn about £11k, pay all the bills and childcare costs and I'm left with pennies at the end of the month. He earns 26K and pays rent and train fare (probably equivalent to the amount I pay for bills altogether.) Then £120 at least on cigarettes. He goes drinking/dinner a few times a months with friends or work people. I never go out.

He's watched me walking around in scruffy or painful shoes, pants with holes in (so classy) while he's wazzocking money around on fucking cigarettes and nights out. Alright, nights out a few times a month is not exactly excessive, but I haven't been out for over a year because I thought we had no money. I didn't have a haircut for over 2 years because £40 every 6 months seemed excessive to me.

He will say in his defence that he always offered me the odd £100 here and there, but he's always saying how broke he is, how maybe he can't afford the rent this month, so in my mind, how can I say yes please? He earns more than twice as much as me and I don't understand where the fuck the money is going. I'm £3.5k in debt because for the last couple of years I keep having to use my credit card to get petrol at the end of the month when I was out of money, to get shoes etc for the kids, mot, car service, christmas and birthday presents and it's just spiralled.

How could he watch me struggling, knowing that he could cut down on cigarettes and have some spare money for the family, knowing that he earned twice as much but was still happy to say "oh ok" when I turned down his offer of money because I thought he was also broke.

I feel like such a fucking mug. How could he not notice that I was struggling Sad He's crap at emotions so when he upsets me I have to deal with it myself - in fact he's gone off in a little strop because I asked him if there were any other secrets.

And I can't be rational because I am so angry and feeling neglected and not understanding how my own husband didn't think to mention how much he was spending on something not so essential - i know it's addictive and I can't expect him to stop but I just keep imaging him opening the cigarette packet and thinking, "hmm, shall I cut down to two packets a week instead of three so after a month my wife can buy some shoes that aren't shit? Nah fuck, these things are delicious, fuck her!"

Oh and he tried to blame me for not knowing how many cigarettes he smoked a week. How would I know??
Fuck. Ing. Hell.
I would appreciate calming thoughts right now Angry

OP posts:
TheNaze73 · 24/11/2017 07:26

You’re propping up a cocklodging drug addict. Look yourself in the mirror & ask yourself, is this what you wanted from life?

category12 · 24/11/2017 07:33

Don't be in a hurry to let it go or smooth things over. He lives with you and he's been happy enough to watch you struggle. For years.

Get things sorted out financially and in other ways (fair shares of leisure time and household responsibilities). Make that work and then maybe think about letting go the resentment after it's habit.

HeckyPeck · 24/11/2017 12:27

Yy to the poster who said not to leave it to him to decide what's fair and to sit down and work out all income/outgoings then split the remainder 50/50.

That is, of course, assuming you still want to be with him. I can understand if you wouldn't considering he's been so selfish to you and the kids for so long.

smokingtwatpuffin · 24/11/2017 17:31

"I am on a similar mission to redress the balance of a lot of minor things in my relationship as in hindsight I find it falling that I’ve always had to take the burden of this & that."

buckeejit I think I know how that feels, and it's not just money where I've had to explain why things he does are hurtful. I hope things improve for you too!

Last night he was saying that he was worried about his debt - £1k on a credit card on a £26k salary. I have £3.5k debt on a £11k salary - how must he think I feel?? Well, I know the answer to that. If I ask him to consider anything from my point of view he just refuses. It's the strangest, most infuriating thing.

So, he's off drinking after work tonight of course, and he's offered to take me shopping tomorrow so we can get stuff the kids need and he'll buy anything I want too. Hmm But he's still completely missing the point!

I've had to say no, I'm not going to go running to him every time I need something, but from now on we have to pool our money to pay the rent and the bills, then whatever is left over is split 50/50 between us for things we want, going out etc. Fuck percentages, at least until I've calmed down! Consider it back pay. He seems fine with this. I'm still cross. Smile

OP posts:
Dullboringusername · 25/11/2017 07:45

Well, none of this shows him in a great light, but I think you have to take some of the blame. Why on earth haven’t you both sat down before and discussed finances? By your own admission he’s offered you money and you’ve turned it down. In his mind that probably means that you’re not struggling that much. And if you’d taken one of those £100s you could have had some decent shoes and hole-free knickers. Even if you didn’t know how much he spent on cigarettes you knew he had enough spare to go out fairly regularly and therefore that even if he was pleading poverty he had some room for manoeuvre.

I’m pleased you seem to have put your foot down and made a fairer arrangement but you need to make sure you don’t start enabling him again

LJ25 · 25/11/2017 10:22

LTB he’s a twat

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