My dear cheapskate: “He checks our joint account every day to make sure I don’t spend anything.”

To ensure you don't miss any testimonials or stories, subscribe to our new "Live Experience" newsletter .

Desire for control and retention, inability to give in every sense of the word… Being around a stingy person is a source of immense suffering. The energy they expend saving exhausts and hurts others, but that doesn't matter: living alone, for some, is preferable to the idea of ​​having to share, support and please. In this episode, Mélissandre (1), 37, HR Director in Bordeaux, paid the price: her daughter's father refuses to let them buy anything other than cheap clothes and food.

"When I met my ex-husband, I was 27 and he was 25. He was finishing his studies, so I knew he was careful with his money. I was already employed, so it didn't bother me because I told myself it was temporary: while he finished school and things fell into place, we would eventually find a balance. But once he graduated, he didn't negotiate his salary well and he started very low. At home, he contributed as much as he could, which was half the rent, and I covered all the other expenses, including social expenses.

“At the time, we got along well. We had a common vision, the same interests, we were both passionate about cinema. I don't keep track, because