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Relationships

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He isn't skint.

1000 replies

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 09:32

NC for this as personal/outing. Am wondering AIBU? Or WWYD?

Began seeing a local man met on OLD. We matched so perfectly: same age, local, some mutual acquaintances, similar hobbies, outlook, politics, music taste, humour etc. Found him incredibly sexually and emotionally attractive and vice versa.

We became very close and cosy very quickly: daily contact, usually in person, in and out of each others' houses for coffee and a chat, sleeping over at each others houses often, meeting each other's friends and family. Talked loads, for hours, about a wide range of subjects and very frankly. Within weeks we were so close and comfortable with one another it felt like we'd been together for ages.

The only thing that wasn't perfect was that he had no spare spending money. He had gone part time at work to give him the time to renovate his house, singlehandedly, and those renovations also ate up all the money he had left over after paying mortgage and bills. He warned me that, until the house was finished and he returned to full time working, he could not afford to spend much on going out, going away, buying me gifts, unless it was cheap and we split the costs. I am not materialistic so I did not care and to be honest I am a homely person who is more than happy to have dates at each other's houses, cooking each other a meal or watching a film. For Xmas he saw something in a charity shop window which he knew I would love and he even admitted it had cost him only £2 and said he felt guilty and mean and sorry and hoped I would tolerate his being skint until he got back to work and could treat me properly and take me to a swanky restaurant now and again.

Whilst chatting and being in his home whilst things were happening in his daily life he would mention now and again that he was down to his last few pounds, or that the purchase of some essential building materials or an emergency dental problem or vet bill had wiped his bank account. I am not wealthy but I do have a couple of hundred pounds left over every month which I usually just put into a savings account. He never once asked me for money and in fact when I offered to lend him money once or twice he absolutely refused. When I offered to treat him to a fancy meal out or a theatre ticket he also refused, saying that unless he could pay at least his own share, he would not go. I saw these refusals as a confirmation of his honesty and integrity.

One day I was at his house reading the paper after breakfast and he was opposite me on his laptop. As he went to answer the front door I took the dirty plates to the sink and as I turned round to walk back to the table I could not help myself, my eyes were drawn to the screen which had some kind of spreadsheet of figures. I was absolutely staggered to see that he had stocks and shares and an ISA totalling £1.5m. When he came back into the room I just pretended I had not seen anything because I knew I should not have been snooping but I went home and was literally in shock and also really angry that he had been lying to me the whole time.

Next time I stayed at his I deliberately snooped when he was in the shower, and read an open letter about the sale of a flat he owned (which he had never mentioned to me). £250,000 from the sale had been deposited into my boyfriend's bank account about a week before, and yet that very day he had been saying how broke he was.

Am I in the wrong for snooping or is he in the wrong for telling me for a whole year the lie that he is struggling financially from month to month?

What would you do? Confront him and admit you snooped? End it? Tell yourself his finances are none of your business?

OP posts:
roses2 · 19/10/2024 09:34

Run a mile - he’s stingy and imagine if you have kids with this guy.

VestPantsandSocks · 19/10/2024 09:36

roses2 · 19/10/2024 09:34

Run a mile - he’s stingy and imagine if you have kids with this guy.

He is also a liar.

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 09:38

roses2 · 19/10/2024 09:34

Run a mile - he’s stingy and imagine if you have kids with this guy.

Whoops sorry I totally forgot to say, we are both over 50 and neither of us has children and I am post menopause.

OP posts:
redastherose · 19/10/2024 09:38

It's not that he has money it's the fact that he has blatantly lied to you over and over again. He obviously feels comfortable lying to you and that doesn't bode well for any kind of relationship.

MugPlate · 19/10/2024 09:39

The foundation of the relationship is a lie. I expect he has previous experience of feeling taken advantage of but that doesn’t excuse the behaviour now.
What else might he have concealed?

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 09:41

redastherose · 19/10/2024 09:38

It's not that he has money it's the fact that he has blatantly lied to you over and over again. He obviously feels comfortable lying to you and that doesn't bode well for any kind of relationship.

You make a good point. I had not thought of that aspect of it before - I mean, that he is a habitual liar by nature. I have been focussing more on just the money. I have not (yet) found out that anything else he has ever told me is a lie.

OP posts:
Silvertulips · 19/10/2024 09:41

So he’s a saver? Hes never asked you for money and refuses to let you help -

You are dating not married.

You get on and don’t share finances. He works part time and does his own renovations.

Im not sure what you are asking here?

Are you looking for marridge?

CaptainCabinetsTrappedInCabinets · 19/10/2024 09:41

His finances are none of your business! I mean, he could likely bang on less about being super skint BUT people don't amass 1.5mil by spending.

You don't say how long you've been seeing each other op?

FrenchandSaunders · 19/10/2024 09:41

God that’s awful. I couldn’t get over this however much I liked him. The reason he’s part time is because he’s fucking loaded!

Id mention it just to see what he says then bin him off.

KittyGetSmall · 19/10/2024 09:41

Could he be some kind on con artist and leaving his laptop open is the first part of him playing you some way?

You confront him and he says he has xyz but needs to borrow abc to access it?

Silvertulips · 19/10/2024 09:42

Maybe other woman have liked the money more than him? Maybe he’s looking for love not love of his money.

kiwiane · 19/10/2024 09:42

So he is a stingy liar with hidden wealth and a bore. Just break up with him - he will never change. He must be in fear of spending more than £2 on you - what a creep!

HellonHeels · 19/10/2024 09:45

I wonder if he's doing that mirroring thing, where he moulds himself to be like you in his interests etc. It's a way of building a false intimacy.

Piggled · 19/10/2024 09:45

Sounds like a walking red flag. He’s a liar and he is clearly presenting himself as skint so he doesn’t have to treat you or spend money on you. That would just make me feel shit. I like to spoil and treat people I love. He has the means and doesn’t want to. Does that not say enough?

pardre · 19/10/2024 09:45

It could be tired up with no access type plan.

Myself and my oh have these type of accounts and never even consider it as cash we can spend right now. It's to help the kids in the future.

bifurCAT · 19/10/2024 09:46

This is probably his test for you. There are many people who would dig their claws in and really take advantage of a wealthy person. He's probably seeing whether you'd be there through his 'hard times' before he lets you into the easy times.

Think about it... most people, if they found out you earned a million while they only earned 25k, they'd expect you to pay for everything.

Harvestfestivalknickers · 19/10/2024 09:47

If there's one thing I can't stand it stinginess. He's lying to you about his wealth. I don't think you need to confront him or admit to seeing his spreadsheet but I couldn't carry on with the relationship if he persists in this lie.
I'd be asking him if he's sees a future with you. If he does I'd talk about a expensive trip you have always wanted to do. You would love to do it with him, maybe you could plan to do it next year once he's finished the house? Gauge his reaction - if he sees a future with you but can't commit to something that's really important to you because 'he cant afford it', I'd end it.

AmICrazyToEvenBother · 19/10/2024 09:47

The money invested is probably not accessible though at this moment in time? They're most likely long-term investments and that money is tied up.

As for the sale money, you also have no idea whether that money is earmarked elsewhere. Whether him not telling you about it is an issue depends partly on how long you've been together - you dont actually say, but it all sounds a bit whirlwind, I dont blame him for exercising caution on financial matters.

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 09:54

Silvertulips · 19/10/2024 09:41

So he’s a saver? Hes never asked you for money and refuses to let you help -

You are dating not married.

You get on and don’t share finances. He works part time and does his own renovations.

Im not sure what you are asking here?

Are you looking for marridge?

Not marriage but a long term partnership, probably living together for the rest of our lives (we are both over 50).

You are not sure what I am asking, even though I put it as plainly and clearly as I could in my OP?

"Am I in the wrong for snooping or is he in the wrong for telling me for a whole year the lie that he is struggling financially from month to month?"

"What would you do? Confront him and admit you snooped? End it? Tell yourself his finances are none of your business?"

OP posts:
oviraptor21 · 19/10/2024 09:55

AmICrazyToEvenBother · 19/10/2024 09:47

The money invested is probably not accessible though at this moment in time? They're most likely long-term investments and that money is tied up.

As for the sale money, you also have no idea whether that money is earmarked elsewhere. Whether him not telling you about it is an issue depends partly on how long you've been together - you dont actually say, but it all sounds a bit whirlwind, I dont blame him for exercising caution on financial matters.

I'm with this.
Stocks and shares and ISAs are part of his retirement planning.
The sale of his property, maybe that is earmarked for other things - does he have an ex to pay off or children he wants to provide for?

If in his own mind, and before he met you, he decided to live frugally for a while in order to support his long term aims that's entirely laudable.
He hasn't put any pressure on you to support him and has gone out of his way (rightly);to refuse support from you.
Perhaps his only fault is to not be open with you at some point. Not at the beginning - that would be a bad move to disclose his relative wealth at the start - but when it became obvious the relationship had legs. At the same time, perhaps he doesn't want to alter the dynamic and he enjoys your mutually acceptable more frugal lifestyle?

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 09:57

pardre · 19/10/2024 09:45

It could be tired up with no access type plan.

Myself and my oh have these type of accounts and never even consider it as cash we can spend right now. It's to help the kids in the future.

I'm afraid not. I have exactly the same type of account and you can withdraw any time you like, takes 3 or 4 days to come through. Also money from the sale of the flat was in his bank account.

OP posts:
Completelyjo · 19/10/2024 09:59

I don’t think any normal mildly financially aware person counts pension savings as their normal money. He has a generous long term savings account for when he retires in the not too distant future at the he doesn’t plan on dipping into those savings to fund his daily life while he works part time to renovate his house. Sounds completely reasonable.

If that doesn’t interest you from a partner then it’s your prerogative to find someone else.

oviraptor21 · 19/10/2024 09:59

Does he say he is struggling - or does he say things are a bit tight? The latter, no problem; the former, not in the strictest sense true although according to his self- made rules, maybe so.

I don't think you need to snoop any more; you've found what you need to know.
As for calling him out - maybe be patient and wait for opportunities to raise the subject (perhaps talk about retirement planning) rather than being confrontational.

schoolfeeslave · 19/10/2024 10:00

How on earth has he managed to get £1.5m in a stocks and shares ISA? I want to know his investment strategy as that is good going.

Also - he probably doesn't see this as money available to spend, it's probably for his retirement and his frugal living might just be a lifestyle choice? I sometimes bail on something because I can't justify spending the money on it - however if this means you miss out on things too then perhaps you need to rethink?

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:00

@@oviraptor21

He has nobody he has to provide for. Never had kids. No siblings. Has an elderly mother (85) who is wealthy and when she dies he will also inherit her house. I've been there and been given "the tour" and it is a five-bed detached in a posh area so he'll make another (probably) three-quarters of a million from that.

OP posts:
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