Should he pay? Moving in together. Read before you vote
Option 1 - YES. He should pay for everything (50%-50%)
Option 2 - OF COURSE! He should pay for half of the furniture, but no built-in furniture (kitchen and bathroom) or renovations (flooring, walls, window treatments etc). But he should absolutely split the cost for the furniture (bed, sofa, dining table etc)
Option 3 - YES, but NO major furniture. Nothing like (bed, sofa, dining table). But he should absolutely split the cost of anything smaller and contribute - things like chairs, night stands or dresser and even decor - the things that make the house a home.
Option 4 - NO. He shouldn't pay for anything, not even the essentials like silverware, dishes/cups, towels, bedding etc.
***Story***
Here's what's happening. Me and my boyfriend have been dating for 4 years now. Very serious relationship (we plan on waiting for marriage once we hit 30). Mid 20s.
Long story short, we both work. He earns quite a lot more than I do, considering I earn minimum wage and he makes a decent living. Last year I inherited 2 properties - a large 3 bedroom house; and a smaller 1 bedroom apartment, along with some money (5000$).
Because of the way things are, last year we decided on moved into the house as soon as I inherited it (we lived in a furnished rented apartment prior). The house came with everything we needed - new linens, beddings, towels; new silverware, cookware, dishes; even appliances like coffee maker etc. Won't go into details, it' my childhood home (parents moved). He has so far spent 0$ on anything, since there hasn't been any need really.
The 1 bedroom apartment came completely empty - no kitchen, no nothing. So for the past year I have been renovating it. Since I legally own both properties, both are under my name; and as such I think it's only fair that he shouldn't invest in anything built-in or permanent such as bathroom, kitchen furniture (we're thinking wardrobes, cabinets, counter, sink, oven, toilet etc) or flooring.
But I thought he would help me out with the rest - things like the sofa, the bed etc. Boy was I wrong! Not only that, he didn't even want to help me out with the smaller stuff - things like his dresser, nightstand even HIS work desk. I had to pay for absolutely anything and everything.
Fast forward, the apartment is nearly finished and we are planning on moving in next month. All that's left is the essentials as I mentioned the day-to-day stuff such as silverware, dishes, towels etc. Things he absolutely should participate in buying? NO. He disagrees he should invest in anything. So I am wondering if I should again pay for everything or should he indeed step up and help?
I have spent all of my money on this renovation (trust me, it adds up). Now I'm saving from my monthy expenses (which as I mentioned I'm minimum wage and it's not easy).
We don't live in the US. If you buy or inherit a property, you have no additional fees except a small fee for owning it (50-500$ a year depending on size and type of property).
We plan on moving back to the house once we have a family of our own. The house is way too big an costly for us to live in now. Plus, the apartment is in the city centre and it's perfect for a couple (closer to work, closer to social events etc). While we live in the apartment, the house will stay empty (which won't end up costing me anything extra, except the small annual fee of around 75$). And I don't want to rent it out.
I refuse to take anything from the house as I believe everything should stay there - linens, beddings etc don't match our new apartment (we need smaller), towels we need new anyways, and all kitchen related dishes/cups/silverware is matching sets which I have no intention of "breaking up", since I couldn't possibly fit them all at our new place. We are taking our toaster, coffee machine etc, because we like them and they work great, and they are individual pieces.
I pay for half his car's expenses (repairs, maintenance, gas) despite not even being able to drive it (his car is manual and I have an automatic driver licence). I pay half because I use it (as a passanger).
I paid for half of his computer - which he needs for work and gaming. Which again I don't use since he is working 12-15 hours a day on it and I have a laptop (which we both use for netflix and such).
My question is this. Should he help with anything? If so, with what?
I feel if the roles were reversed I would 100% participate in everything except the built-ins (wardrobes, bathroom, kitchen cabinets etc. ), even the sofa and the bed since we will BOTH use them. Heck I would even buy things just because I would want to make OUR space feel like home (who cares who's name is on the documents, as long as we live together it's ours). And if we *do break up* the last thing on my mind would be you owe me half of the bed and 3 forks, like 🤦🏻♀️ who cares.
Please share your opinions with me! In real life I get biased opinions depending on who I ask. It's really stressing me out and I need to know if I'm unfair to him or myself. What do you think?
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