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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:
ExtraVotes · 19/10/2024 13:38

@Bestyearever2024
Would you buy your romantic partner of 2 years a £2 gift for Christmas from a charity shop, saying how sad you are that you have to do this, but things will change once your house is renovated? Knowing you could buy her something for £50 with no impact on your finances, @ExtraVotes ?
I'd buy a £2 present if it was the right present and be pleased about it but I wouldn't say it was all I could afford.

babyproblems · 19/10/2024 13:39

I don’t find it odd that he hasn’t told you the balance of his savings accounts… how long have you been together? I would continue and see where it goes. Im not sure I’d write him off totally but agree he seems stingy. Is it possible what you’ve seen isn’t his- eg a relatives budget or something. I also wondered whether he deliberately put it there for you to see? If you like him I would carry on taking it slowly. At What point would you expect someone to share their bank balance? Be mindful of any future choices you make that he might be stingy.

BunnyLake · 19/10/2024 13:40

Faldodiddledee · 19/10/2024 13:38

The OP isn't in the dating stage because they don't go out on many dates! They go round each others houses and cook food and hang out. Nice and cosy, but cheap.

After 18 months/2 years, this is make or break time for me. I'd be wanting it to be a forever type of relationship. You've gone past the heady early days and into what would be the rest of your life. You are saying daily you love each other, you know each other's families, I'd just want to go all in or not at all at this stage, which is why lying would matter to me hugely, whereas in the first few dates I would consider it protective. I can't build a life with a liar and that's that.

Totally. Lying is the worst, it f*cks with your head. Living with a liar can destroy your mental well-being.

Time for a big talk I think.

JenniferBooth · 19/10/2024 13:42

Stormyweatheroutthere · 19/10/2024 10:40

Imagine heaven forbid he was infirm in his dotage.. All that cash and unable to have fun with it. If he isn't prepared to spend money in his 50's on living he is wasting his best years... Don't waste yours op.

Yep Cant see him spending money on carers when hes got OP to do it for him....................oh wait they are only dating so she doesnt have to

LittlePudding1 · 19/10/2024 13:42

I think you need to talk to him about this otherwise the resentment will grow and the relationship will be over anyway

Start the conversation by saying that you want to book a trip away or a holiday together and see what he says, if he says he can't afford it just say, I know that you can so why are pretending that you can't

middleeasternpromise · 19/10/2024 13:44

I think your dilemma here is how you came about the information. Snooping is going to put you in a difficult position in terms of declaring how you know what you know. If you can make your peace with that, then you can decide how it affects you and what it means for this relationship you have been investing in.

It might be that this man was planning to tell you about his money situation, as others have said perhaps finances have been a source of difficulty in relationships before and he wanted to see what happened over time.

To his credit he has not accepted your kind offers of money so ethically he doesn't believe he is so poor that its ok to accept from others.

Your acquisition of this information appears to have fundamentally changed the way you see things. I think you need to find a way to declare what you know and see where it takes you. If all your other values appear to align it seems a shame to lose a relationship over something you have not yet discussed. If its a deal breaker and there isn't space for compromise, you will soon know it once you talk openly.

Whatshername99 · 19/10/2024 13:44

Trust your gut instincts here.
Is it that he trusts you implicitly not to snoop, OR has he left those financial details on the screen deliberately (to test you & if confronted he has a cock n bull story ready to tell)? Are there any other 'red-flags' niggling at the back of your mind that you keep pushing aside?
Watch out! He could be a confidence trickster & luring you in slowly, using OTT 'trustworthy' tactics and then wham bam!
I'd be running a mile, as he hasn't been truthful at all!!

Yougetmoreofwhatyoufocuson · 19/10/2024 13:44

It’s like hoarding but with money. He sounds a bit unhinged. Mentally unwell around money. I don’t know how you would ever get him to enjoy his money a bit more and have fun with you. Such a shame. But it is a biggie.

Blondiebeachbabe · 19/10/2024 13:45

And in the interval when everyone made a dash to the bar he pulled out a small carton of Ribena

Omg, what an embarrassment.

I think I'd have to end it, and I would tell him why. It's one thing to be stingy when there is a genuine reason, but it's quite another when you DO have the money, but don't want to spend it. Not only that, but he's strung you along to believe that the hard up years are only temporary.

When it boils down to it, he is never going to change, because this is who he is when he DOES have money. Do you want a tight assed retirement, with no holidays, birthday treats, or meals out? What's the point of that?

You are the same age is me and my DH. We have multiple holidays planned. Just next week, we are off to the other side of the world. By the time you get to our age, we are supposed to be doing this stuff, we've worked for it, we deserve it!

ChristmasFluff · 19/10/2024 13:47

He's an absolute liar and needs dumped - unless you want to live the rest of your life with a stingy liar, OP?

All these people excusing him because 'he might not want to be with a gold-digger'! He doesn't have to make out he's skint and ostentatiously buy OP a £2 Xmas present!

He didn't tell OP "I'm temporarily a bit more short on cash than normal, but I'm comfortably off" or "I have savings but they are tied up" (even tied up savings can be accessed, you just lose interest). He told her he was skint. And that was because it would allow him to be selfish and low-effort.

I would end it, telling him exactly why. The ultimate proof of not being a gold-digger and valuing true intimacy (he's not allowed you to truly know him all this time, OP) over money.

thepariscrimefiles · 19/10/2024 13:47

IMustDoMoreExercise · 19/10/2024 12:06

She could have bought him a £2 gift, it was her choice to spend £75.

2 years in a relationship is nothing. It is the honeymoon period.

If I had £1.5m , there is no way I would tell anyone either.

The OP is being ridiculous and if she ends it, she will be the loser.

She could have bought him a £2 gift, but she isn't skint or mean so could be more generous and buy him something that he needed.

2 years into a relationship can be a honeymoon period when both people try and show their best selves and hide their faults/flaws. In OP's case, her DP has shown her his mistrustful and miserly self. 2 years should also be long enough for someone to judge whether they trust their partner or not. He obviously doesn't trust the OP or just wants an excuse never to spend any money on her.

You haven't said what his good points are to justify your claim of him being a really nice guy.

The OP isn't being ridiculous and she should end it.

CapitalKnockers · 19/10/2024 13:47

I dated a guy like this for a few years (he was technically a millionaire although had all his funds tied into investments and savings for his retirement which was about 25 years away, this was on top of pensions and other regular savings). Guys like this don't get any better, the one I dated didn't and after a while the frugality with money got very tiresome. Knowing what I know now if I were the OP I would be running a mile.

sherbertcandy · 19/10/2024 13:48

I would ask him and tell him honestly how you noticed this and ask him why? It might be not his or something?

Aspergallus · 19/10/2024 13:49

A lot of people will have pension pots of £1.5m at age 60. He might just be someone who prefers to monitor and manage their pension pot themselves, hence it not being tucked away "out of sight". If it is for his pension he's unlikely to be considering it here-and-now money really. Being in the midst of renovations might mean he's built up a lot of debt getting the work done, so the £250k from the flat sale may be all accounted for.

He does sound very careful with money. Whether he's managing a temporary issue of cash flow or whether this is a long term approach, you can't really know without discussing it with him. So why not just ask him @AmIbeingUn "you seem to be very careful with money (give examples) which is a bit different to my spending style -I prefer to enjoy spending money on xyz...is this a long standing trait or a temporary situation?" and then see where the conversation goes. Trust your gut, if he says its temporary but isn't really forthcoming about what would be more usual then this might be worth suspicion.

I do think you need to get over what is most likely his pension pot (I know you've said its a standard stocks and shares ISA but people keep their pension pots in these too) and movement of property money...neither really say anything about his day to day cashflow.

Starting to speculate on inheritance isn't classy.

NunyaBeeswax · 19/10/2024 13:49

Any one snooping to this level can not be trusted.
It's a complete breach and an absolute ending of any relationship and if the sexes were reversed, this thread would look vastly different .. though people will deny that obviously.

You can raise it, go for it, if he's any self worth he'll end it there and then because you snooped into his personal financial situation.

May as well end it and not even bring it up.
He's not been truthful with you, your trust in him is also gone.

He can go and find someone who won't snoop and you can go find someone who won't lie.

Onlinetherapist · 19/10/2024 13:50

@AmIbeingUn Could it be that the money he has is tied up for a certain amount of time? So unavailable at the moment? Just a thought. It might form part of his retirement plan, ie not for frittering away on dates etc. Until you talk to him you won’t know. Also I wouldn’t necessarily disclose my assets until a relationship was getting very serious, eg moving towards marriage. I would want to know that my person wanted me for me with or without assets.

TheShellBeach · 19/10/2024 13:50

Any one snooping to this level can not be trusted

Well, anyone lying about their financial position to this level can also not be trusted.

NovemberMorn · 19/10/2024 13:51

Money isn't the main issue...lying is.

FoxtrotOscarFoxtrotOscar · 19/10/2024 13:51

The Ribena moment is a massive turn off.
If he's so secretive about his money, why would he even risk opening the spreadsheet when you're there? And not in his office, but the kitchen?

Completelyjo · 19/10/2024 13:52

thepariscrimefiles · 19/10/2024 13:47

She could have bought him a £2 gift, but she isn't skint or mean so could be more generous and buy him something that he needed.

2 years into a relationship can be a honeymoon period when both people try and show their best selves and hide their faults/flaws. In OP's case, her DP has shown her his mistrustful and miserly self. 2 years should also be long enough for someone to judge whether they trust their partner or not. He obviously doesn't trust the OP or just wants an excuse never to spend any money on her.

You haven't said what his good points are to justify your claim of him being a really nice guy.

The OP isn't being ridiculous and she should end it.

They weren’t even together 2 years at Christmas, people keep repeating that but that hadn’t even been together 1 year last Christmas.

rumred · 19/10/2024 13:53

He isn't skint, he's a rich tightarse. Extremely unattractive and deceitful.
I'd talk to him and get rid if he carries on pretending he's hard up.

theleafandnotthetree · 19/10/2024 13:55

The carton of Ribena alone would give me the ick, especially when scrounged from the secret compartment of his charity shop coat. I'm pretty frugal myself and buy lots of my clothes in charity shops buts there's a shabbiness and meanness to his behaviour that I would find both very off putting and insulting towards people with genuine money problems.

Faldodiddledee · 19/10/2024 13:56

I snoop about people I go on two dates with, not in their houses, but online, to see if they are who they say they are. Not beginning to apologise, there's loads of dodgy people around.

I would expect after 18 months/2 years to see letters and computer things around all the time, especially if you never go out. Closing down computers and hiding letters at that stage, when spending all your time in each other's homes would be quite the effort.

Has he any friends, OP? Does he treat his friends to a meal round at his, or a pint at the pub? Even within his limited (made-up) budget?

thepariscrimefiles · 19/10/2024 13:57

IMustDoMoreExercise · 19/10/2024 12:16

Have you ever hired anyone to renovate your house? They will never do as good a job as you can yourself if you have the skills.

He will put everything in to the renovating, anyone else will just take short-cuts because they don't care.

What is wrong with a £2 present? As everyone says, it is the thought that counts isn't it? (I don't given anyone presents as I cannot see the point).

If he was a conman, he would have spent all her money, he hasn't spent a penny.

You have never given anyone a present, ever? No Christmas or birthday presents to your husband, children, parents or friends? You must realise that this is very unusual. No wonder you completely side with OP's partner as the idea of being open, kind and generous to other people is completely outside your experience.

JenniferBooth · 19/10/2024 14:01

Andthesky · 19/10/2024 11:15

Not read the whole thread, but it could be that he has been stung and wants to know that he is not with a gold digger.

Personally, I would be having a frank, cards on table conversation that it was never about money but honesty. See where it lands, but be prepared that you may be walking away from the relationship.

Why is it ok for men to test women to see if they are gold diggers if they have indeed been stung before but not ok for a woman to test a man if she has been cheated on before.
because i can guarantee if we were talking about the latter the OP would be getting told that the new boyf is not the same person as her ex and to get therapy

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