What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Virginia
My girlfriend and I have been together for almost five years and have had our ups and downs but I do love her. We rent a modest 3br house together and she has 2 children from previous relationships who we have custody of on weekends. She has been out of work since September (going on 5 months now) and I have been paying the rent and the bills. I make decent money but it is becoming more of a strain financially for me to support. I've tried to nicely get her motivated to get a new job but she hasn't really been hitting the pavement hard. She's been on a few interviews but nothing happened with them. When I was unemployed for even a week in the past I was able to find something to pay the bills - restaurant work, etc.
It's frustrating for me because I love her and because I'm unable to even afford small luxuries for us when 80% of my salary goes to paying the bills. She says that her friends say that I'm the man and should support us - but A) this isn't the 1950s and B) I'm 27, not 40! It's stressing me out, affecting our relationship, and I don't know what to do. She has really bad credit and no money and I just can't bring myself to ask her to move out, especially since she has 2 children (9 and 10) - I don't know what to do.
I feel obligated to her but I also feel a taken advantage of. I was prepared to deal with her being unemployed for a little while when she left her job. Hey, it happens that work doesn't often come right away. But it's been FIVE months now at nearly $1500 a month in rent/bills that I've paid nearly all of.
My girlfriend and I have been together for almost five years and have had our ups and downs but I do love her. We rent a modest 3br house together and she has 2 children from previous relationships who we have custody of on weekends. She has been out of work since September (going on 5 months now) and I have been paying the rent and the bills. I make decent money but it is becoming more of a strain financially for me to support. I've tried to nicely get her motivated to get a new job but she hasn't really been hitting the pavement hard. She's been on a few interviews but nothing happened with them. When I was unemployed for even a week in the past I was able to find something to pay the bills - restaurant work, etc.
It's frustrating for me because I love her and because I'm unable to even afford small luxuries for us when 80% of my salary goes to paying the bills. She says that her friends say that I'm the man and should support us - but A) this isn't the 1950s and B) I'm 27, not 40! It's stressing me out, affecting our relationship, and I don't know what to do. She has really bad credit and no money and I just can't bring myself to ask her to move out, especially since she has 2 children (9 and 10) - I don't know what to do.
I feel obligated to her but I also feel a taken advantage of. I was prepared to deal with her being unemployed for a little while when she left her job. Hey, it happens that work doesn't often come right away. But it's been FIVE months now at nearly $1500 a month in rent/bills that I've paid nearly all of.