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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:
theresnoautomobile · 19/10/2024 17:54

Hi OP, it does sound like he has some kind of mental health problem - like he can't actually see how miserly he's being and is genuinely anxious about money despite having loads. I think the only way forward is for you to be honest and explain to him what you saw on the laptop , then ask him why he feels so stressed about money and lives in such a restrictive way when he has so much of it. If you do this in a calm, empathic way you may get some answers and begin to gain an understanding of his mindset, whether that will change how he is or not who knows! But at least once you've had that conversation you may feel clearer about whether you want to stay in the relationship or not.

Mookytoo · 19/10/2024 17:55

One persons loaded is another persons skint. It’s you that’s the problem.

He might be thinking … I could live another 50 years. Based on £1,250,000 - at todays value equals £25k a year for 50 years. And ever decreasing while cost of living increases.

Maybe he is planning leaving some cash on death to family or friends. Not spending it all right now.

It’s really none of your business, you opened the Pandora box and now you are unhappy. Poor you.

IMustDoMoreExercise · 19/10/2024 17:56

BettyBardMacDonald · 19/10/2024 17:31

That's not really a lot if she wants a decent standard of living & ability to travel for what might be another 40 years.

I have 5x that and am 61, and just two weeks ago my advisor and I were contemplating scenarios that MIGHT let me retire next year, but it would involve scaling back the prospective annual budget. Plus there is old-age care to consider, either in-home or residential.

Well, I suppose we all have different ideas of what a comfortable retirement is and you have a point.

But to be fair, today's was quite modest compared to most weeks.

helgel · 19/10/2024 17:57

Your defence of him indicates that you're going to stick it out OP. Good luck.

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 17:58

helgel · 19/10/2024 17:57

Your defence of him indicates that you're going to stick it out OP. Good luck.

I have not defended his lying to me or being so stingy when there is no need.

I am still undecided, hence posting this thread.

OP posts:
Mirabai · 19/10/2024 17:58

BettyBardMacDonald · 19/10/2024 17:31

That's not really a lot if she wants a decent standard of living & ability to travel for what might be another 40 years.

I have 5x that and am 61, and just two weeks ago my advisor and I were contemplating scenarios that MIGHT let me retire next year, but it would involve scaling back the prospective annual budget. Plus there is old-age care to consider, either in-home or residential.

I don’t disagree with this, but he’s not investing wisely and there’s no reason not to be transparent.

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 17:59

Mirabai · 19/10/2024 17:54

The ability to learn how to do plumbing, electrics, bricklaying, plastering, tiling, carpentry, just from books and YT videos and when past middle age.

No he doesn’t OP, and however clever he is this is really stupid.

Right, so it's "really stupid" to teach oneself useful life skills. Got it.

OP posts:
SunnieShine · 19/10/2024 17:59

It sounds like he sees you as a cheap and convenient option who won't ask too much from him or rock the boat.

You are selling yourself short.

Uricon2 · 19/10/2024 17:59

The question should be do you want to spend the rest of your life with someone who is that stingy and secretive about money? Even if you don't mention this and try to carry on as normal, every £2 charity shop gift from Mr Millions is going to raise the issue in your head and a retort in your mouth. It's not workable and I don't think he'll change, if he's scouring for battered frying pans when he could afford a decently priced alternative and you always have to occupy the cheap seats to be with him.

Nothing wrong with shopping at Lidl BTW, but there is a hell of a big gap between profligate and miser and he seems to be at the latter end.

SilverTabbyCat · 19/10/2024 17:59

OK, so it sounds like he is a smart guy who has worked hard and been frugal to achieve financial independence, and now works very part-time and enjoys the challenge of home renovations. He spends on things that have value for him and not on things that don't. So far, so good. (Look up Mr Money Mustache who is very similar and explains this mindset / approach very well).

The issue is he has deliberately misrepresented himself as "skint", seemingly bringing it up again and again even when there is absolutely no need to. This is dishonest.

Within a few months of his relationship with OP, he should have admitted that his frugality is a choice not necessity (which is entirely valid), found out what is important to her, and worked out how, if at all, they could be compatible. Eg a set budget for holidays, meals out, gifts - whatever is important to OP. His lies have enabled him to have the relationship entirely on his terms, according to his preferences and values, rather than compromising with OP.

OP - talk to him. Have this discussion now, and see if you still want to have a relationship with him, and what this might look like. You are not wrong to feel betrayed, but there may be a way forward if everyone is honest now.

TragicTess · 19/10/2024 18:00

I think you should tell him you have seen his laptop when left unattended. Just take it from there.

BettyBardMacDonald · 19/10/2024 18:00

timenowplease · 19/10/2024 17:51

You sound like a kind and generous person but you aren't skint. Sounds like you're sweeping more money than you should be into your pension and investment fund and haven't left yourself a floating contingency fund. That's fine too, but you aren't skint and maybe you're not as good with money as you think.

What about if the situation with the OP was reversed? The partner pretending he has loads of money, pension pot etc. but in fact he is £1.5m in debt and his house is about to be repossessed. Would that be ok for OP or for you for that matter?

I reckon you'd run a mile faster that Usain Bolt does 100m.

That's absurd. Finding out that a potential partner has tonnes of debt is far different than learning a boyfriend with separate finances has a goodly amount of investments.

As to me, I think I am pretty good with money. Putting off a 1k investment in new tyres for a month because I decided to upgrade my living room or go to Hawaii in business class is not a sign of poor financial management. I do not use credit or overdraft, ever; am mortgage-free and have a decent nest egg for my old age. Do not rely on anyone, help others, give to charity. And still do fun things.

The boyfriend's constant moaning about money would be annoying. But it's hardly "lying" if in his mind, his budget doesn't allow for things. We're all allowed to set our financial priorities as we see fit. I consider it unseemly to be eyeballing someone else's accounts.

Roosnoodles · 19/10/2024 18:00

But I don’t understand he said he didn’t have any money to pay for things and he doesn’t. He has savings. Most people that have savings have them fixed for years it’s the only way to make any money from them nowadays. I understand you’re hurt but different people have a different ideas about being poor. Being cash poor is a wretched situation if your doing up a house.

AnneKipankitoo · 19/10/2024 18:00

Only you know what you are going to do. It certainly sounds like he has lied.
Every time he now mentions how skint he is it will grate.
He has a decent company pension, a recent flat sale( did you know he had another property? ) , and a very large amount of money in stocks, shares, and ISA.
I think bringing his own Ribena carton would have been it for me.

Mirabai · 19/10/2024 18:00

Mookytoo · 19/10/2024 17:55

One persons loaded is another persons skint. It’s you that’s the problem.

He might be thinking … I could live another 50 years. Based on £1,250,000 - at todays value equals £25k a year for 50 years. And ever decreasing while cost of living increases.

Maybe he is planning leaving some cash on death to family or friends. Not spending it all right now.

It’s really none of your business, you opened the Pandora box and now you are unhappy. Poor you.

Well no, you put it in an investment portfolio and live off the income while growing the fund. He’s doing a diy version of that but it’s not very efficient.

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 18:01

How have you stayed in a relationship with someone like this?

You claim he's wonderful, yet all your responses are basically a list of reasons why he's not.

OnaBegonia · 19/10/2024 18:01

Maybe set him up with skint @BettyBardMacDonald
The value of his investments etc isn't the main issue for OP, it's his lies.
He constantly whinges he is too poor/can't afford anything with his big sad face, that's deliberate.
@BettyBardMacDonald you also are not skint, sell a house if you're struggling 😅

Nina1013 · 19/10/2024 18:01

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:07

@roses2

Does he buy the good quality supermarket food or the budget low quality food?

He always has nice food in the fridge and cooks me wonderful full English breakfasts, steak, salmon etc but it is all from Lidl. He always has crisps, nuts, and chocolate in the house but again Lidl's own not the top brands.

In fairness, we are high earners and I shop almost exclusively at Aldi.

Mirabai · 19/10/2024 18:03

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 17:59

Right, so it's "really stupid" to teach oneself useful life skills. Got it.

I don’t think you’ve understood. Skills come with practice and experience, that’s not something you can learn from YT. Knocking up a brick wall from a video is actively unwise.

SomethingFun · 19/10/2024 18:03

So many misers crawling out the woodwork - your sensible financial situation is everyone else’s Scrooge McScroogeface 😁 Life is to be lived and it is so sad that rather than have the ice cream or see the show so many people are living a grey life so they can put that extra £5 in the bank. And I say that as someone who takes their own snacks to the cinema and doesn’t spend savings on meals out.

If he always talks about how skint he is, he is lying. Most people would take money out of savings to look after their sick cat or a broken boiler - you are meant to save for a rainy day as well as retirement after all. I’d hate to have wasted years of my life eating yellow stickered meals from Lidl and staying in a building site for ‘love’ when I could’ve been living the high life at the cinema, or having a pint in the pub 😁

BettyBardMacDonald · 19/10/2024 18:04

Mirabai · 19/10/2024 17:58

I don’t disagree with this, but he’s not investing wisely and there’s no reason not to be transparent.

Why do you say he's not investing wisely? It sounds as though his ISA is invested longterm in the financial markets as most of us are.

CameronStrike · 19/10/2024 18:04

He's not testing to see if you're a gold digger, he a chronic skinflint and he's clearly set in to living this way because he prefers it. This is a fundamental incompatibility. Personally I would have to raise it and it will probably to result in a break up, either because you can't agree on a financial position or because he's angry with you for snooping.

HarraKiri · 19/10/2024 18:07

I get it OP - you understood about the no holidays (even though you would pay for yourself) or nice days out, because you thought he can't. Now you know he WONT. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to spend his millions on doing nice things with you - he gets greater joy that his money is in the bank than he does the idea of a weekend away with you.

You are not his priority, his money is.

You have been together two years. He should be willing to spend his millions on some Maltesers for you to make you smile ffs.

It's inconsiderate, selfish and stingy. And he lied. For me, that's enough to end a relationship.

Startingagainandagain · 19/10/2024 18:07

Well you are not married and don't have shared finances so ultimately he does not owe you the details of what is on his bank accounts...

He could be concerned that the renovation might cost a lot of money and that being over 50 he might struggle to work again so considers the money he has to be savings for retirement.

Or he has had issues with gold-diggers in the past...

HollyKnight · 19/10/2024 18:07

Jammedchakra · 19/10/2024 16:07

She didn’t say £2.5m in an ISA, but it’s certainly possible to have a million.

The FSCS is not the same with investments as a bank. You own a share, the asset is yours, it matters not that you have more than £85k

Of course an ISA and investments are liquid assets - liquidity is part of the appeal.

You really think he has less than £85k in a cash ISA and over a million in stocks&shares? If so, he's a bit of an idiot financially then.

He's not going to liquidate assets prematurely just so he can buy his new gf gifts. That's not good financial planning.

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