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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

I feel like I am being massively taken advantage of financially

324 replies

Dominique82 · 02/02/2019 16:27

My frustration is getting bigger and bigger week by week.
I am 36 years old, have got a reasonably good job, small car, nice flat. I work quite hard, often till late hours.
I have a boyfriend of 3 years, who earns over 100k a year (that’s nearly 3x more than me), drives an 80k car, lives in another town but works in my town Monday to Friday.
Sorry to mention the salary and car value, but feel like this is important in the big picture.
Boyfriend has been staying with me, most weekdays for the past year and a half, Monday to Friday. This happened so unnoticeably, that I don’t even know how. It started with just one night a week, now he has taken over my flat. Often, when he doesn’t need to go to the office, he sets up an office in my kitchen, doing calls and spreading his laptops, phones, notepads, charging cords all over. I can’t access my fridge or make tea. I need to ask him to move constantly.
He uses my car a few times a week if he needs to run some errand or is going to the gym. He rarely comes in his car, as comes up by train. So having my car is very handy (for him)
I am paying all the household bills.
I just got a huge gas and electricity bill for the past 3 months, which I told him about. His response - wow that’s high. Has there been an increase ? Is the boiler broken? That’s it. Not a single word about helping me with paying the bill. He takes very long showers, and has the heating on full blast when I am not around.
When I come home from work, every light in every single room of my flat is on. That is 6 rooms including the hallway, and even the f*ing storage room ! Wtf. He just doesn’t care that I am paying for all of this.

Also, My car recently broke down, which I told him about, his response was- ‘you need to ring the garage’.That was it. No mention from him of sorting it out for me. He uses my car more than I do. I pay the insurance etc. He puts in petrol. But occasionally I do too.

He tells me he loves me all the time, and that I am the woman of his dreams. I feel so stupid writing this now, as he must be loving me for all the freeloading I think.

Honestly, I feel like I am being a cheap hotel in town. All the cleaning, bills and entertainment included.

He occasionally buys groceries, then looks so proud of himself telling me how much he likes to help out...
When we go out, he always pays the bill BUT I am quite sure, he claims it back as an expense from his company. So he doesn’t really spend anything.
When we go on holiday, he books and pays for everything. But I just feel like this is not enough.
I got to the point where I know, i can’t live like this, but how do I say he needs to ... leave?
I don’t even have a key to his house. Been there max 5 times in the last 3 years. Help

OP posts:
Gina2012 · 02/02/2019 22:04

know it seems mad I haven’t talked to him about finances

It really really really does

You are enabling this knob of a man

Stop it now - is my advice

adultcat · 02/02/2019 22:08

If it was me I'd be doing some serious detective work Wink
Looking her and him up on SM, keeping an eye on the house and trying to arrange a surprise drop in. I'd want evidence for myself before I confronted him so he couldn't get chance to worm his way out.
I'd also be asking for a contribution to the gas bill OP..

Hope you are ok after this thread. Its not a nice feeling.

Fl0w3r · 02/02/2019 22:08

Get rid and cut your losses.

I was in a similar situation and wish I'd have kicked him out when he all of a sudden moved himself in.

Watched a YouTube video and popped to a diy shop. It was easy to do.

I wish you all the best of luck OP XOXO

Fl0w3r · 02/02/2019 22:10

Sorry, YouTube video and diy shop was in relation to lock changing.

Brain doesn't work properly when it's angry. Brought back feelings of my own cocklodger

Weenurse · 02/02/2019 22:20

Pack up all of his stuff and dump at his house. Ask him to cover the increased bills and decide if this is really for you and what you want

Dominique82 · 02/02/2019 22:30

Thank you so much for replies! I feel better reading them.
I wrote down the questions and here are the answers:
Christmas- we have never spent together the actual christmas day. First year it was very early days, 2 years ago I was in France, and this past christmas he came to see me on Christmas Eve. We spent NYE together.

His house- it was definitely his house, as i checked on the electoral roll and i have seen official letters addressed to him to that address on multiple occasions. When i visited, the house was very tidy, a bit of dust here and there, not perfectly shiny shower etc but everything was in perfect order, like a showroom.
He kept tidying all the time as well. Shame he doesn’t do the same in my place.
My visits were planned in advance. Never a sour of the moment ‘are you coming this weekend’.

His car- i think the main reson he doesn’t drive to my town is that he would need a parking permit to park on the street, as I don’t have a driveway. But he loves his car and always driving everywhere on the weekend.
Never been to a wedding together or any other event.

His phone- obviously i don’t know his passcode. Everything that comes to his phone needs passcode to access, for example when he gets a whatsapp it only says ‘new whatsapp message’, whereas in my phone you can see the sender without unlocking the phone. He must have set it up that way. But he never gets phonecalls from anybody except from work/ friends when we are together.
We have been on a few holidays together. Short breaks in the uk, and longer - 5 days max holiday abroad.
He lives around 2 hours drive away

OP posts:
Dominique82 · 02/02/2019 22:32

I must say i’d noticed pretty quickly, that he wasn’t the most generous man, he hadn’t bought me a gift for a very long time. I think it took him a good 10-11 months to buy me that first gift. My previous boyfriends pretty much showered me with (expensive) gifts from the very beginning. But i thought that maybe i’m being a princess and i got used to being treated like one, and maybe that is not the norm, so i wasn’t complaining.
I think that is part of the problem- i am used to high spending boyfriends, and when i got with him and he wasn’t spending on me, i took everything as ‘well, stop being a princess, you were lucky before but most men maybe aren’t so generous’. So i kept my mouth shut about finances too.
There is so many little situations that left me embarrassed when he was making coments about prices in public. For example after paying a bill in a cafe for 3 coffees and some croissants, he would loudly say ‘NOT CHEAP’. As if it was my fault. Why mention that to me? Just pay up or don’t go to cafes and stop embarrassing yourself and me. Or making comments to a barman in a very fancy bar about prices of drinks...
So i pretty much don’t like going for dinner or drinks with him, as he makes me feel that the places we go to are too expensive and i feel like we are being cheap, but of course it’s him. On the other hand if we went to a cheap place, he would probably complain that the place is crap.
Having said that, he is not afraid to spend money on himself. Especially clothes and gadgets, or expensive watches.

OP posts:
TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 02/02/2019 22:36

Is there a particular reason why are you not telling him to fuck off rihgt now, Dominique? He is an utter wanker, a tightfisted cocklodger, a liar and quite possibly not single. There's nothing redeeming about him. On top of this, you owe him nothing. Not a damn thing. He can easily be dumped as he is not in your flat just now. It's quite simple. Box up his shit and drive it round his house tomorrow. Dump it on his doorstep. Leave. Send him a text. The end.

MadeForThis · 02/02/2019 22:43

Just text him and say you've decided to drive down first thing in the morning.

Then see how he responds.

CardinalCat · 02/02/2019 22:47

I suspect that despite his income, he has little disposable cash if he is servicing a large mortgage and expensive car repayments, and paying for a child/ ex wife support, and whatever he has left is clearly being spent on either another woman at the weekend or on him living the single life. So I think that your problem isn’t so much stinginess as the fact that you are very low down his list of priorities and having established that you are low maintenance, he has been rolling with it. Too many red flags re the lack of overlap between your home lives and families and the pre-arranges visits to the carefully sanitised show home/
For goodness sake,get rid.
Have you thought about logistics and what you’re going to do?

Dominique82 · 02/02/2019 22:50

Or doing a big shopping in a supermaket, groceries, toilet paper, washing liquids etc. He is not embarrassed to let me pay for it, standing right next to me.
I know what he earns because i went through his laptop bag once and saw a remortgage papers where he had to attach his payslips. So he definitely earns over 100k. If it was me, i would not let my girlfriend pay for groceries when i am earning this much. I am so so angry arghhh.
I haven’t repied to his messages all day which has never happened before. Just planning my speach.
I love him, but this love is so overshadowed now by his behavious. So now i only love him a little bit. Less and less every day...

OP posts:
Giesabreak · 02/02/2019 22:51

How much contact do you have when he's in his home town for the weekend? What time does he spend with his dc apart from EOW? Does he speak with him during the week?

AnyFucker · 02/02/2019 22:56

Dominique...are you actually going to do anything ?

TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 02/02/2019 22:58

Don't speak to him. Because he will manipulate you, twist your words and gaslight you. He will do this. Why? Because he knows exactly what he is doing. He knows, he knows, he knows. He knows he is ripping the piss out of you and will keep you sweet however so that he can continue to do this because it makes his life easier.

Wowserme · 02/02/2019 22:59

Just curious do you call him over the weekend and chat? He is still so obviously married or living with somebody.
Kick him to the curb...

TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 02/02/2019 23:00

Dominique...are you actually going to do anything ?

I'll give you three guesses, AF, and the first two don't count . . . Grin

converseandjeans · 02/02/2019 23:01

You need to go up and surprise him tomorrow - see who is in the house & gauge his reaction. I don't think he is on his own tbh. He is either still with his ex or has a new partner. Don't let on you are going up there.

Maelstrop · 02/02/2019 23:03

Il se fout de ta geuele, chérie.

ChakiraChakra · 02/02/2019 23:12

He needs to shit or get off the pot, as they say.

All the time he's letting you pay to keep him 5 days a week, an already wealthy man is getting richer and richer because he's living on your money.

moredoll · 02/02/2019 23:14

Sorry but I think you might be the OW without realising it. No Christmas Days, short holidays, never meeting his family, not hanging around with you in his town, cleaning up after you straight away in his house. Try and get the money back for bills before you have it out with him.

CaptainJaneway62 · 02/02/2019 23:22

3years you will never get back!
Cut your losses and take his stuff back to his house and dump it on his doorstep!
Don't even waste your time making a "speech"....you're on a hiding to nothing with the tight fisted Cocklodger!!

Oliversmumsarmy · 02/02/2019 23:37

He then says how much he would like that’s but the opportunities FOR HIS job in his town, are not amazing. So it’s all about him again

But wasnt he working in your town when you met him.

It sounds like if you move in with him (not that I think that is going to happen. The tidying up and all the other things I think are signs that he is already living with someone). That he would lose his free board and lodgings.

whatamidoingwithmylife · 03/02/2019 00:03

I do think a lot of men tend to take more than they think they do. My DP seems oblivious to the amount of food he eats (that he never offers payment for) or that he doesn't bother to ask before getting in my shower as if the bill fairy pays it all.
I've asked him if he thinks he's on all-inclusive which he finds hilarious but still hasn't worked out I'm calling him a freeloader. I've dropped into conversation how much my ex did around the house in exchange for the food he ate and energy he used - but it goes straight over his head.

You DP really does sound like a tight git though - earning all that money and not paying his way is just rude. Rather than not really understanding what he's costing you, he's well aware and just doesn't care.
It sounds from your posts that you're hoping for expensive gifts as that's what you're used to - but he is under no obligation to do this at all and I don't blame him for not doing it.

You really do need to bring it up with him and have a proper conversation about how much he's adding to your bills and he should be aware that he has to contribute - or stop coming over and treating your home as his own. Make him aware that this could be a deal breaker if he's unwilling, as he'll likely be much worse if you actually end up living together in future.

SandyY2K · 03/02/2019 00:20

I'd just pack up his stuff, change the locks (or wait till he comes and take your keys back) and tell him it's over. ... that the relationship isn't working for you anymore and you both need to move on.

Caucho · 03/02/2019 00:23

The thing is even if he spends a lot of time at yours he is till having to fund his own place. I doubt he’s saving a fortune just through electricity and gas bills alone. Perhaps he believes he spends more on going out and holidays than your bills increasing and you’re still in ‘profit’. It’s not romantic to tot up everything but he perhaps is. Your discomfort seems to be a result of not knowing where the relationship stands. Everyone seems to be calling him a cocklodger but he has his own place which he’s paying for. It’s not full scrounger behaviour and both comparable to cock / fanny lodging