Devastated Wife Watches Husband Ruin Their Family 3 Times—Now He Wants Her Inheritance Too

The moment you become a parent, your world shifts—your child’s happiness, well-being, and future become more important than anything else. Sleepless nights spent finishing school projects, dreams put on hold to ensure their needs are met—sacrifices become second nature. For one mother, this instinct was no different.

When she received an inheritance, she immediately saw it as an opportunity to secure a better future for her children. She envisioned saving the money for their graduations, college expenses, and the experiences that would shape their lives. But her husband had a different plan. Instead of thinking about their family’s well-being, he wanted to use the money for himself—ignoring not only their children’s needs but also the financial struggles he had already put them through with his reckless decisions. Keep reading for the full story.

A desperate woman turned to Reddit to share her complicated and very tough family story.

A woman, who came under a nickname Throw30Away2022, has turned to one of the Reddit communities to get advice from people on her very tough family situation.

A loving parent does whatever it takes to secure their child’s future. For the OP, this commitment was unwavering. When she received a significant inheritance, she saw it as a chance to give her children the stability and opportunities they deserved—saving for their graduations, college trips, and a better future.

But her husband had other ideas. Instead of supporting her vision, he wanted to spend the money on himself, despite his long history of reckless financial decisions that had already left their family struggling.

After enduring years of financial instability caused by his irresponsibility, she found herself at a crossroads. She asked the community if, in their opinion, she should continue down this path, knowing her children’s future was at risk, or if it was a time to break free and protect them on her own.

OP and her husband have never been unanimous about spending and saving money.

The OP shared, “My mother passed away last year. And the entire process is about to come to an end in just a few weeks.”

“For the past six months, my husband has been looking at a multitude of things that on a regular day, we definitely can’t afford. He’d have to use credit or save up for weeks or months. A person can wish for stuff or want to work towards a treat for themselves. But he hasn’t made an effort to save up for these expensive purchases.”

“Instead, he’s been asking for updates on the legal process and asking how much longer it’s going to take. He’s even asked me several times about an estimated amount. I’ve given him very little to no information because at this time, things can still drastically change. With a creditor popping up and saying that money is owed or etc.”

The woman had already made plans on how to spend her inheritance.

The OP shared, “He’s not the most responsible person with money. I’ve managed the finances full-time for the past three years straight. He used to manage our finances. But he has a history of sabotaging our financial goals and blowing our budgets.

My intention is to use half of my inheritance to move our family into a house. Then save 40% to help my children in the future. Like graduations, college, trips, their first cars, etc. And have a small emergency fund.”

The woman added, [edited by Bright Side], “We couldn’t do it before because my husband kept giving money to his side of the family to help them with bills, groceries, legal troubles, etc. Draining our accounts and leading our family to homelessness 3 times. When I got the inheritance, to my shock, he said that life is too short for investing or saving.”

The OP fears that her spouse will blow all money down the drain again.

The woman shared, “I understand that if it’s family, you have to try and help somehow. But letting your three children and wife become homeless because an adult family member couldn’t be responsible enough to pay their own bills or got into legal trouble is a hard thing for me to fully understand.”

“I really don’t want to wake up one day and find out that every cent has been spent behind my back. I’d like to open an account in my name and follow through with the plan I mentioned above. He has made it clear that he intends to buy a new vehicle, tech, game system and other items just for him. Not our children or to improve our family’s future.”

The OP added, “When I talk about investing or saving, he says that life is too short for that. I told him that it wasn’t about us. It was about our children. And his response was that when our children become adults, they should work for what they want.”

She asked the netizens about their opinions, saying, “That statement seems backwards considering his actions as of late. I know for sure that if his parents pass, we will have to pay off their debts and cover all of the unknown costs out of pocket. Financially speaking, I started my marriage with my husband completely debt free. And I have worked for years to finally get him to be debt free as well.”

“But over the past ten years, he’s paid off his parents’ credit card and IRS debts. They live paycheck to paycheck and think saving money is pointless. I’m not sure if I’m making the right choice. But I really just want my children to have the same happy and stress-free childhood I had. Am I a bad person and am I wrong?”

People of Reddit rushed to the comments section to share their emotional opinions.

One user wrote, “Inheritance isn’t marital property. But you need to be straight up with him and tell him he isn’t going to have access to it. You’re gonna have to have enough spine to put your foot down. If he doesn’t like it, let him leave because it doesn’t sound like he’s contributing anything.
Please read the other comments and talk to someone that can give you financial advice and help you protect that money. Keep it wholly separate from any joint funds. Don’t even use the same bank if you don’t have to and don’t tell him when you have it. Be prepared for an epic tantrum when he finds out he isn’t going to spend your money.”

Another user said, “When his parents pass on, you should not be responsible for their debts. Unless (unknown to you) he co-signed loans with them. I would contact a lawyer & have something drawn up that as the wife, you are not responsible for helping to pay off the parents’ debt, you did not cosign anything.
I also would not have a joint account with him. If you have one take your money out & have a separate one. Actually I think you should just think about a divorce because you still have younger kids & he will always be a drain on your money. AND he will be CONSTANTLY nagging you about the inheritance.”

One more person added, “As someone who divorced a person like this, also agree. She will have a miserable life where she will be playing catch-up with her husband’s bad decisions permanently. And the kids will be dragged into it.
If she wants to be happy and not take care of an adult who should be her partner, she should end this. People try, and pretend money is not important when it comes to love, but how both people handle money is a huge part of a relationship.”

And here’s a dramatic story told by a woman, whose best friend cheated on her husband in the most brutal way possible. And she didn’t stop at this point, bragging about her affair and ruining her husband’s life. The OP couldn’t remain indifferent about this injustice and taught her best friend a good life lesson she’ll never forget.