A woman has described walking out on her husband after discovering he was stocking their kitchen with food bank handouts – despite earning more than £160,000 as a household.
The woman, who has not been identified, took to Reddit to ask for advice after tiring of his deliberate deception – as it emerged he would make himself look "deliberately dishevelled" to gain the sympathy of volunteers. Between them, they earn more than $200,000 a year – more than four times the area average, the Mirror reports.
Explaining her husband's "frugality", she said he is deliberately thrifty. But matters came to a head when she came home to find the fridge filled with "fresh produce and meat" from the food bank, and she left to stay with her brother.
She wrote on the internet forum: "I've been in a committed relationship with my husband for 17 years, and overall, things have been great. We've had a few rough patches, but what's important to note is that while he earns more than me and is considered the main provider, I have a substantial trust fund that ensures we're financially stable.
"I work part-time as a teacher while attending university, earning less than him, and most of my income goes towards tuition. Our household income exceeds $200k (£160k) annually, while the average in our area is below $50k (£40k).
"One ongoing issue we have is my husband's frugality. He likes to control my spending and have the final say on how he uses his earnings. It's worth mentioning that I've never used any of his income and have no intention to do so.
"However, the main point of contention between us is his frequent visits to food banks. Despite having more than enough food at home, he insists on going to food banks to save money. He intentionally looks dishevelled and uses our beat-up car to blend in, even though he's never experienced food scarcity.
"I've explained to him the need for food donations in our community, even showing him social media posts from local food banks, but he remains indifferent. I suggested he volunteer or donate to gain firsthand experience, but he refuses. The unfortunate part is that since we're never short on food, most of what he brings home ends up getting thrown away."
She showed her husband posts from people who appeared to be in genuine need asking if there was food left at the community larders. But she says he "brushed them off", claiming those who needed the food "should have gone earlier."
She added: "Exhausted by the situation, I packed a bag and went to stay with my brother for the week, asking for space to think things over. My husband accuses me of overreacting, being vindictive, and threatens to go back to the food banks regardless of my feelings.
"All I want is to enjoy the rest of my week without being angry at my husband. Yes, I could let this go and not scold him, but the food he takes could have gone to people who truly need it."
Commenters on the post were equally furious with the man. Many said it was "unacceptable" of him to take food from people who need it.
One person said: "A man making $200k while married to a woman with a trust fund going to a food bank is unacceptable."
While another added: "Your husband is stealing from people that are less fortunate. I'm frugal, too, and I like to save money where I can.
"I use coupons, buy store brands for some products, etc. What your husband is doing isn't frugality, it's being a s****y person."
And a third wrote: "This isn't frugality, it's literally taking from those who are less fortunate. He knows its wrong because he intentionally tries to look poorer to sell the con, he just doesn't give a s**t. The dude sucks.
"If his takeaway from your objections to behaviour that's obviously, objectively wrong is to dig his heels in even further, that's a massive red flag going forward because not only is he an awful person towards others, he also doesn't care about your feelings at all."
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