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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:
burnoutbabe · 19/10/2024 10:52

Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 10:46

" had to buy my own Maltesers in the lobby and he would not pay the theatre's inflated price. And in the interval when everyone made a dash to the bar he pulled out a small carton of Ribena."

Now, you know he's just tight and not really anything to do with the renovations. This goes beyond being frugal and I'd argue that a rich person breaking theatre rules to bring their own stuff in (I presume it's against the rules) is bordering on being ill.

Hah
We take stuff into the cinema all the time. Water bottles plus sone chocolate.

I am not sure that makes us ill!

(I think I took sweets into cursed child at theatre too and I got us the cheapest seats too)

At the theatre I can afford £400 seats but I just don't want to spend that much - I don't value it hugely so the cheapest seats (checked by seat plan guides) are usually fine.

Flossflower · 19/10/2024 10:52

He probably has a ling term goal of a a really nice house and a good pension. My pension savings are in a stocks and shares ISA. I have nowhere near 1.5 million!
However, if he considers you are a couple he should have been more open with you.

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:52

I'm upset that someone upthread has accused me of being nothing but a gold digger who demands lavish gifts and expensive meals out!

I have been a feminist all my adult life and have always paid my half share for everything in every previous relationship with a man. I don't expect him to spend any more on me than I do on him!

OP posts:
SomethingFun · 19/10/2024 10:53

Urgh. What’s the point of having money if you live like you have nothing. It’s one thing not having a pot to piss in and making the best of it (as I think you thought you were) and having a fortune but living on Lidl beans in case someone somewhere gets a bit of joy from the money you have amassed. I’d end it because I’d think he was laughing at my naivety and his cleverness every time he did something like get me a £2 present for Xmas. What an absolute knob. You sound like a lovely person op and you deserve to be treated with respect by the man you love.

fallenbranches · 19/10/2024 10:53

Whilst he didn't have to expose his huge wealth to you at first, he also didn't have to play the extreme poverty lie. I agree with some posts that he may be testing you due to previous gold diggers perhaps, but he could have just acted normal. Going out, restaurants normal gifts. Normal earners still go to restaurants sometimes and can buy a gift for more than £2 without exposing they're a millionaire. So I'm not sure what this big act is all about which makes me wonder whether he's a con artist.

user1492757084 · 19/10/2024 10:53

I don't think it is lying to not divulge one's finances to boyfriends or girlfriends.

When engaged and when married I would want to share those types of details, or even just approximate financial details to help work out a forward plan.

Going out with a spend thrift would be wonderful.
Shopping at charity shops saves the planet. Doing DIY home improvements are sensible and I admire aperson with practical skills.

If you like the man in every other way then keep your money to yourself and enjoy the relationship.

TwinklyOrca · 19/10/2024 10:54

Maybe he has been stung financially in previous relationships. If this was a man posting this, he would be flamed.

ChampagneLassie · 19/10/2024 10:54

I think anyone can shop in charity shops but wealthy people pleading poverty really winds me up. Many people in this country are genuinely struggling. I bet he doesn’t give to charity or volunteer either he’s too busy enriching himself renovating his house!

ladycardamom · 19/10/2024 10:54

Does he mention holidays, trips or nice places he has been in the past? If not perhaps he has no intention of forking out for those type of things in the future.

FeistyFrankie · 19/10/2024 10:54

The good times weren’t even real, were they? If he can lie about this, what else is he lying about?

Run for the hills, OP. Liars never change,

Attelina · 19/10/2024 10:54

His stocks and shares and other investments may be tied up so he can't access the funds on a daily basis and would wait for dividends to be paid out.

The recent sale of the house may be used for further investments or even to pay off debt.

So he may not be lying as to being able to access easy money on a daily basis.

Eddielizzard · 19/10/2024 10:55

Keeping his finances private is one thing, the stinginess is another. It would give me the serious ick. yuck yuck yuck

TwistedWonder · 19/10/2024 10:55

Catticoo · 19/10/2024 10:49

I know a number of widowed and divorced women in their fifties and they are quite clear that even though they have partners, they will never share finances or even a house with these partners because they want all their money to be passed to their children.
There will be lots of women like your boyfriend who do not want to share finances and they are in it for the nice company. There is nothing wrong in that.
If it doesn't suit you, you can walk away.

And I’m one of those women. I’m single right now but if I do meet someone, my investments are no one else’s business as that’s for my future retirement plans and my DS inheritance.

My salary is my disposable income and I would definitely say I can’t afford something if it means I’d need to dip into my ringfenced savings account. Its not lying, its treating those funds as not part of disposable income fir day to day life.

However I’m nowhere near as fugal as the OP’s partner. I go out regularly, have weekends away and holidays and wouldn’t expect a date to buy their own ticket for an event I suggested.

The investments are a completely different thing to his day to day tightness

smallsilvercloud · 19/10/2024 10:56

Throw him back, a healthy relationship should match your level and he's stingy,
A £2 gift is an insult especially when you know how much he really has, he should be at least treating you the same but instead you are the one reaching to pay and lending him money.
What is his says is you are not a priority to him and it doesn't want a true relationship at this time.

ChampagneLassie · 19/10/2024 10:56

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:52

I'm upset that someone upthread has accused me of being nothing but a gold digger who demands lavish gifts and expensive meals out!

I have been a feminist all my adult life and have always paid my half share for everything in every previous relationship with a man. I don't expect him to spend any more on me than I do on him!

I think if you were a gold digger you’d have swerved this guy early on! There are far easier targets! 🤣

Awfeckoff · 19/10/2024 10:57

Oh come on, he's not pulling out his carton of ribena in the cheap seats as some part of long game to check the OP is not just after his money. He's a frugal miser.

Needed repeating 😂

Flossflower · 19/10/2024 10:58

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?

https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/articles/latest-thoughts/investing-success/25-years-of-isas-how-much-could-you-have-made

Yes £1.5 million does seem a lot!

25 years of ISAs – how much could you have made?

The ISA has turned 25! Find out how much you could have made by investing your ISA allowance every year since 1999 versus leaving it in cash savings.

https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/articles/latest-thoughts/investing-success/25-years-of-isas-how-much-could-you-have-made

Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 10:58

burnoutbabe · 19/10/2024 10:52

Hah
We take stuff into the cinema all the time. Water bottles plus sone chocolate.

I am not sure that makes us ill!

(I think I took sweets into cursed child at theatre too and I got us the cheapest seats too)

At the theatre I can afford £400 seats but I just don't want to spend that much - I don't value it hugely so the cheapest seats (checked by seat plan guides) are usually fine.

Is taking your own stuff in allowed at the cinema though?

I really don't get that behaviour from a wealthy person who could afford a £400 seat.

SomethingFun · 19/10/2024 10:58

Also urgh at all the tight arses this thread has pulled out of the woodwork. I don’t waste money but ffs you can buy a drink at a gig or go out for a meal and not end up in penury. They’ve not been on holiday for 2 years and he’s a millionaire- it’s ridiculous!

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:58

DoIWantTo · 19/10/2024 10:51

If he’s got as much as you say he is probably protecting himself from gold diggers and the like. Your attitude towards him and money has completely changed and instead of seeing him you now see his money. I can understand why he didn’t share that with you.

That is not the case. I stayed with him even though I believed him skint on a long term basis.

I am merely shocked at the fact that he has lied to me every day for 22 months. I am shocked that he is dressing himself from charity shops and denying himself all the pleasures of life whilst he is a millionaire.

And I am hardly poor myself. My house (mortgage paid off) is worth nearly a million, I also have stocks and shares and an ISA, and every month I have about £250 left over to spend on whatever I want after all my bills are paid. I don't need a man to keep me, and I would not want a man to, either, as I have too much pride. I have worked for my wages and maintained myself for nearly 40 years. Never had a penny inheritance, never been married or lived off a man.

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 10:59

Awfeckoff · 19/10/2024 10:57

Oh come on, he's not pulling out his carton of ribena in the cheap seats as some part of long game to check the OP is not just after his money. He's a frugal miser.

Needed repeating 😂

Obviously.

Differentstarts · 19/10/2024 11:00

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.

This. He probably wants to wait a while to tell you about his finances so that he can be sure it's him you like. It's still quite a new relationship and you met online. If I had money I would also be keeping it quiet for a while especially if their is a history. I think he's testing you. If theirs no other issues and you like him I'd stay quiet about this and see what happens when he's done the house up

HowYouSpellingThat10 · 19/10/2024 11:00

I'm on the fence with this one. I don't think he has claimed to be long term skint, more that he has a cash flow problem and immediate costs he needs to get out of the way.

Just because he has money doesn't mean it's necessarily easy to get at without penalty he'd be wanting to avoid. That might be ringfence for retirement.

He has a project he wants to keep within a set budget and not draw down on his other capital. But he's told you when it's over he will do fancy meals and treat you.

I can also see you might want to build a relationship not built on extravagant days out but on a proper connection.

To offer a different perspective.

Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 11:00

ChampagneLassie · 19/10/2024 10:56

I think if you were a gold digger you’d have swerved this guy early on! There are far easier targets! 🤣

I'm not a gold digger at all, but I wouldn't have started a relationship with someone who said they never want to go out!

Mrsttcno1 · 19/10/2024 11:01

AmIbeingUn · 19/10/2024 10:52

I'm upset that someone upthread has accused me of being nothing but a gold digger who demands lavish gifts and expensive meals out!

I have been a feminist all my adult life and have always paid my half share for everything in every previous relationship with a man. I don't expect him to spend any more on me than I do on him!

See I’m not suggesting YOU are, but I can absolutely see that this is a smart way for him to behave if he is actually very wealthy.

See how a person behaves and how a relationship builds when the assumption is that he isn’t wealthy to see who is genuine. I can imagine if he opened with “I have 250k in the bank” he’d have a lot of women “falling in love” with him and maybe he just wants someone who wanted him for him not his bank account.

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