My husband Eric is amazing. He is very organised, healthy, thoughtful, sensible with money and very handsome. He ticks all the boxes.
We met through a dating site and clicked on the very first date. I have a good job and also earn good money, but at the beginning of our relationship I was not very sensible with my money and overspent regularly.
When I was single I didn’t care as I only had myself to consider, but when I met Eric, I became ashamed of my spending habits and my ever mounting credit card debt. Worried I would lose him, I decided to keep my huge credit card debt a secret, but I did decide to change my habits.
I consolidated my credit cards into a personal loan and chopped them up, and started using debit cards instead. It was difficult to cut down my spending at first, but I soon found it to be a fun challenge. Once I stopped spending and thought about just how much money I wasted each week on lunches, coffees and gossip magazines alone, I was horrified!
I felt very proud of myself, and for the first time in many years I was starting to save money. Things were going well with Eric and we decided to open a joint account to save for a house. With Eric as my motivator, there simply was no option to withdraw money or skip instalments. It felt great.
As we were rapidly coming close to approaching a bank regarding a loan I knew my secret would soon be out. There was no way I could pay off my large personal loan in time without Eric finding out.
I began to panic and would wake up at night, wondering for hours on end what I was going to do. I knew Eric would have been disgusted in me for lying to him for so long and that he would end our relationship. I just couldn’t risk losing him.
After weeks of thinking I finally worked up the courage to come clean. We were at home sharing a lovely dinner discussing our plans to buy a house when Eric surprised me and proposed. He popped the question with a beautiful BIG diamond ring.
I was shocked and of course said yes, but in the back of my mind, panic was rising in me as I remembered what I was about to confess.
The next week as I gazed at my beautiful ring, I formed a plan. After work I raced into a shop that specialised in good quality, but fake jewellery and I had my ring replicated. I sold my beautiful, expensive ring and started wearing the fake one instead. Eric never noticed the difference.
With the money I got from the sale of my real engagement ring plus some money that I borrowed from my brother, I was able to pay off my loan and Eric has never found out.
We have been married for four years now and I still get regular compliments on my beautiful, but fake, diamond ring. I hate what I did and feel so guilty, but I know it was for the best. I also know I will never allow myself to get into credit card debt ever again.
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