I [27F] pay $100 less in rent than my [27m] boyfriend of 8 years, and it's becoming a huge strain on the relationship.

I agree with you, important details are intentionally being ignored for the sake of insulting the OP. When you move in with a friend or a random person, rent is 50/50, that's it. You make it or you get kicked out because there is no permanent coupling, no future with this person. But when you're in a relationship and you intend to remain with this person perhaps permanently, you do not harbor a habit of keeping score; this does not mean you become a doormat but there is a very big difference between "I pay everything" and "I pay $100 more a month". I mentioned this to m1m earlier and his only reply was a downvote but if we are doing this evenly, they should be splitting the bills. Which they are not. He doesn't pay his share so he must have poor financial management skills or he's taking advantage of her or some other me versus you accusation. So let's even it up. He needs to pay for half the bills. This frees up money for her to pay half the rent, which in the end only means she's relocating the extra she pays in bills to the rent but if it makes everyone feel better, why not?

The relationship model being proposed here is a me versus you, write your name on the milk, no future together, score keeping, petty, platonic business arrangement in which the betterment of one another is irrelevant until you say "I do". Struggling financially does not automatically mean you manage your money poorly, shit happens, but clearly not to everyone and you can tell who has breezed through life pretty easily... The understanding of what financial management actually is here is totally lacking. Between bragging about his income and this:

Him spending money on stuff he can afford is different than her spending money on stuff she can't afford.

...we've gotten a pretty good understanding of why. Boat because he can afford it > food because she sometimes needs to borrow money she pays back the next day. W the actual F?

And then there's this:

If I was in his position no way in hell id quit. If I loved you I'd want to ensure you can do your thing

So he shouldn't quit his job and live on his inheritance, he should keep working, so that he can "ensure she can do her thing" but paying $100 more a month somehow doesn't fall under "ensuring she can do her thing".

You sound like some rich dickhead who thinks people only have financial difficulties because they're stupid or lazy

The rich definitely do not suffer from an understanding of what it really takes when managing your finances means going hungry so you can make rent.

/r/relationships Thread Parent