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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:
VimesandhisCardboardBoots · 19/10/2024 11:34

It sounds like he just doesn't want to dig into his savings, so he's worked out how to live within his means while he renovates his house.

What he does with his savings isn't really any of your business. You don't have shared finances.

He's been upfront with you from the start, told you that he'd be restricting how much money he spent every month while renovating.

You obviously decided then that he was worth having that restriction placed on your dating life. So what's changed now?

He's not pleased poverty, not asked you for a loan or to pay for thing, actively turned you down when you've offered.

He's not told you he's poor, he's not lied to you. He's just set his boundaries on what he's willing to spend on himself right now.

LateAF · 19/10/2024 11:34

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 11:30

I didn't say anything about days out Confused

I said that if a woman didn't want to tell her boyfriend about her financial status, she would get nothing but support on here. The days out are a totally separate issue imo.

That's not OP's issue though. The issue is the impact his lying about his financial status has had on both of their life choices. It has meant that she subsidised him financially and didn't insist on doing normal couple things that he could easily afford to do.

I don't think she would have posted this if she had found out he was rich, but all along he had still been going on days out with her, paying for maltesers in the theatre and proper seats, and buying her gifts worth more than £2.

AgreeableDragon · 19/10/2024 11:34

DevilgateDriver · 19/10/2024 10:13

I think other posters are right, he's probably being cautious after bad past experiences with other women who were mostly interested in his money. It sounds like you really like him and I wouldn't throw away what sounds like a nice relationship over this.

I don't know if it really counts as a "lie" as such as you're not living together, don't have joint finances etc. I don't share my financial info with my best friends and I don't know theirs either! I don't even know my siblings financial status.

if you give it more time you may find he relaxes into doing more fancy things (meals out, theatre etc). Or maybe he doesn't like doing those things and this is his way of getting out of it?

I wouldn't mention anything you've snooped on at all, unless you want him to break up with you. Imagine how you'd feel if he'd checked your bank or medical info!

I agree! He's not lied, he's not asked for money. OP was wrong to snoop! I definitely world advice against telling him what you saw.
He sounds life a lovely man, and he had no obligation what do every to tell you about his finances. If he chooses to move on a budget that's his business. If you like him OPkeep quiet.

HornyHornersPinkyWinky · 19/10/2024 11:36

You're getting a hard time here OP, but I would be angry too.

Of course in the early stages of a relationship you don't have a right to know what he has, but the fact that he lied constantly about it, and keeps claiming poverty as a reason not to be able to do things together is shitty behaviour.

I would honestly leave him to all his money, and find someone else.

LateAF · 19/10/2024 11:37

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 11:33

I'm not sure I buy that it's a huge difference, tbh. The end result is the same - OP can't do what she wants to do in a relationship because of her partner.

Even if she knew about the money, what difference would it make, really? He'd still be a miser who brings cartons of ribena to the theatre and refuses to pay £3 for some Maltesers.

You don't see a difference between someone not being able to do something and someone refusing to do something?? I wouldn't have started or entertained a relationship with knowledge that my partner fell into the latter category as it shows a complete lack of care and consideration for things that are important to me. The former is more nuanced.

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 11:37

LateAF · 19/10/2024 11:34

That's not OP's issue though. The issue is the impact his lying about his financial status has had on both of their life choices. It has meant that she subsidised him financially and didn't insist on doing normal couple things that he could easily afford to do.

I don't think she would have posted this if she had found out he was rich, but all along he had still been going on days out with her, paying for maltesers in the theatre and proper seats, and buying her gifts worth more than £2.

Yeah...that's what I'm trying to say, lol.

His attitude is the problem here, and that's not going to change regardless of whether he's working full-time or not. But also, she didn't have to subsidise him financially or change her life choices to suit him - she was free to walk away at any time if the relationship didn't suit her.

I don't like the idea that she was forced to do these things - she wasn't.

MikeRafone · 19/10/2024 11:38

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

there is a difference between his finances being none of your business and him deliberately telling you lies about his finances. he has mislead you into believing he is skint and that is a purposeful act.

A relationship needs to be built on trust and he hs gone out of his way to lie and now you have found the truth

Had he kept his finances his business and you stumbled across an is for 1.5m then that would be very different.

I wouldn't want to be with someone that was lying to me and dishonest - so would back away and end the relationship

MrsJoanDanvers · 19/10/2024 11:38

He does not sound a lovely man! Accepting expensive presents while giving a charity shop £2 one while sitting on hundreds of thousands is not lovely. He needs throwing back.

Tumbler2121 · 19/10/2024 11:38

I have a couple of very wealthy but tight friends. Both have substantial assets and no dependants. Neither of them would spend more than the minimum for anything. Preferably through marketplace, then haggled down.

It is so much part of their nature that they would leave a brilliant party early to get a bus home instead of a £5 taxi later.

if you decide that the tightness is a feature not a fault, one simple test could help you decide if you can have a happy life with him … does he keep his house at a decent temperature when it’s cold?

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 11:39

LateAF · 19/10/2024 11:37

You don't see a difference between someone not being able to do something and someone refusing to do something?? I wouldn't have started or entertained a relationship with knowledge that my partner fell into the latter category as it shows a complete lack of care and consideration for things that are important to me. The former is more nuanced.

I do see a difference, but ultimately the end result is exactly the same.

Personally, I wouldn't date someone who couldn't afford a weekend away or some decent theatre tickets occasionally, because it wouldn't align with what I want out of a relationship long-term.

TeatimeForTheSoul · 19/10/2024 11:40

He says he cannot predict how long the house renovation will take …
He also says he cannot make plans that depend on a future income …

This sounds like a very one sided way to live. From other things you’ve said, does he have difficulty recognising you may think and feel different than he does? Does he understand his decision making negatively impacts on you?
With the suggested level of focus on this one path forward, and resistance to alternatives, is he neurodiverse?

IVbumble · 19/10/2024 11:40

Maybe it would be wise just to wait and see OP - time will tell you if he is a stingy man or just a frugal one being careful not to draw interest from any potential gold diggers.

OhDearMuriel · 19/10/2024 11:41

Do not feel bad about snooping.

You weren't in the true sense of the word.

When you're in a relationship at someone's house, it's only a matter of time before you come across stuff, and I'm not surprised you're upset.

You've been deceived. He's lied and he's extremely tight.

Who is the real person behind this facade?

It's obvioudly deeply ingrained, and I think it's a very ugly trait.

I think you need to have that conversation, and afterwards make your decision.

Ihavearedbag · 19/10/2024 11:41

Christ he sounds awful. Meanness is the very worst characteristic. So unattractive.

StormingNorman · 19/10/2024 11:42

I can understand wanting to not reveal his net worth early so you could develop a genuine relationship. But a £2 Christmas present with close to £2m liquid assets???

He has either been burnt badly and I think you’ll forever be mistrusted. OR he is a Howard Hughes type miser who’ll suck the joy out of life.

Faldodiddledee · 19/10/2024 11:43

I couldn't be arsed with all this OP.

I'm single and usually the wealthier one amongst some of the men I've dated in mid-life. Not always, but often.

I'm like you- don't want men to share their money with me, am financially just fine and want to live an enjoyable life in the now.

If someone was telling me giant lies on a more or less daily basis or it was affecting my daily life by hanging in a shit place (as he's doing it up and won't get help but expects you all to live there some of the time) I wouldn't be interested in that.

It's fine not to disclose wealth at the start of a relationship. It's not fine to continue that lie for 18 months, through countless 'soulsearching' conversations late into the night, and to restrict what you do, where you go, all for some fantasy poverty. I mean allowing you to get him a £75 coat when he got you a £2 gift from a charity shop for Christmas is outrageous.

It suggests he isn't very honest, that he has compartmentalized his life, not just his wealth. You aren't in on the 'joke' (of his fantasy poverty living). I mean even if he's living of £28k a year right now, he has no mortgage, he has £2k a month to spend as he wishes, and the plain fact is he doesn't wish either to spend it on you and your life together, and he's not able to be honest about what he's doing.

I prize honesty more than anything. If someone asks me 'have you got another income?' after a few weeks, I'd tell them. I'm not worried and paranoid they might be with me for the pay-out as I'm never marrying anyway again.

What else has he compartmentalised- an ex-wife he's forgot to mention, a child he once had 20 years ago and doesn't see. I expect a fundamental level of honesty after a few weeks or months in a relationship and I don't see that here.

Luckily you are reasonably well off in your own right, you may not have an amazing pension but you have enough money to live on, spare money for treats and good friends. It's up to you what you do, now knowing what he is.

MounjaroUser · 19/10/2024 11:43

he chose the cheapest possible tickets (ie the worst seats) and I had to pay for my own because he "could not afford" to pay for us both. Also I 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.

I wouldn't have wanted to go out with him again after that.

And as for your £2 present - that's really shocking. Not only that "he saw it in the window" - no he bloody didn't, he rooted around in that shop until he found something cheap enough for you. Charity shops don't tend to display things of such low cost in the window.

I couldn't get past this, OP. He's not going to change. It would make me feel sick that he's so stingy.

MikeRafone · 19/10/2024 11:44

The stupid thing is, I genuinely DO love him as a person, even as a totally skint person.

But that person isn't real, he doesn't exist as you have now uncovered his lies

redtrain123 · 19/10/2024 11:44

I would have snooped a little also, after your initial findings.

Maybe he didn’t let on about his wealth, because he didn’t want a gold digger, fair enough. However, to be pleading (almost) poverty is the other extreme. However, at least he’s not asking to borrow money.

Bestyearever2024 · 19/10/2024 11:45

The theatre thing says it all

He brought a carton of ribena with him and wouldn't buy you maltesers, also he purchased the very cheapest seats

Plus a £2 gift for Christmas/birthday 🤣

Despite the S & S ISA and the £250k (which could be earmarked for house renovations) he has money (he buys nice food for himself) and could have chosen to spend some money on you

It's been 2 years so he knows you're not a money grabber

I'd talk to him about it to give him the opportunity to explain, with a view to dumping him if his explanation is pants

Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 11:45

coffeesaveslives · 19/10/2024 11:30

I didn't say anything about days out Confused

I said that if a woman didn't want to tell her boyfriend about her financial status, she would get nothing but support on here. The days out are a totally separate issue imo.

No, they're totally connected. He's pretending to be skint and refusing to do anything that costs any money with his girlfriend, making her life miserable too for no good reason.

Lengokengo · 19/10/2024 11:46

I was initially ‘on his side’ as I grew up with no access to money, and putting up with some difficult circumstances (sometimes hungry, sometimes in some bad situations ) which was stressful. everything I did from about 10 years old onwards was to achieve financial independence.

Now that I have achieved financial independence and a nice buffer, I cannot simply switch off’ and become a spender, even small scale. Something survivalist clicks in my brain.

however, I don’t lie about it, or insist on cheaper stuff than others. I would buy a nice theatre seat for myself if that’s what my friend wanted. I would buy a glass of wine, not bring bloody ribena! I spend in line with who I am with as it makes everything easier!

It’s not that he can’t afford it, it’s that he doesn’t want to afford it. That’s different.

i would be honest with him as this is a game changer. Say ‘ I saw by accident your account information. You seem to have quite the buffer!’ ( don’t get sidetracked by how or when etc, keep it simple ). And let him speak. And listen. Then decide.

viques · 19/10/2024 11:47

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?

I think she is looking for honesty.

Gwenhwyfar · 19/10/2024 11:47

"You are dating not married."

He won't go on actual dates though!

CheeseDreamz · 19/10/2024 11:47

I think there is a middle way here between him being an outright liar or a total miser. He hasn't been ready to be totally straight with you about his financial situation and how he wants to handle things with his cash and investments right now, so rather than tell all he has handled it by saying he is skint. I think we all do that sometimes - know I say I can't afford it, when in reality it's just not what I want to spend my money on. He also seems to be frugal, which is not the worst crime. Maybe he has always been that way, maybe it's just he has a particular aim in mind (ie. make xxxxx amount before 60 and then retire comfortably).

The issue really comes that you are at a point in your relationship where he probably needs to be clearer with you about his plans and preferences if you are going to move the relationship forward. He has let you think he is short, when really he is chosing to spend his money in different ways, and perhaps hurtfully, not on you or having a good time with you.

I understand you feeling foolish or duped by trying to compensate and always having to compromise about what your priorities are, but again maybe it's time to talk about that? To say to him that you would like to do something nice and treat yourself and that his preference not to spend is actually not the same as yours.

You could reveal what you have seen, but I am not sure it is necessary. Even on his salary he could stretch to something nearer to what you want to spend occaisionally. However, if he continues to dissemble and disguise his financial position and aims (ie why he won't spend) I think you probably do need to challenge him about it, as you are not in the same place about how you spend, and now you know it is a choice, not a necessity.

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