Lazy boyfriend refuses to pick up his trash off the apartment floor; girlfriend forbids him from using her credit card until he cleans up: 'Why are you marrying this man-baby?'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Aug 19, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

What is wrong with him? 

One of the hardest things about living with other people is agreeing on a standard level of cleanliness. Everyone grew up in a different environment where "clean" meant something different. For some people, "clean" means there is no literal trash on the ground, and all the crumbs on the floor are perfectly fine to stay because they're smaller than an empty Mountain Dew bottle. For others, a single pillow out of place is so upsetting and distracting that they need to fluff and rearrange the pillows on the couch every time someone uses it. Most of us are somewhere in the middle, but know people who have lived in the lands of these extremes. 

The man in this story is a textbook slob, and he always has been. His fiancée is trying to incentivize him to change, but it's not going anywhere. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • A lazy man lies on the couch instead of picking up the trash he has left on the ground.
    via Sandra Seitamaa (Unsplash+)

    A lazy man lies on the couch instead of picking up the trash he has left on the ground. 

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I the bad guy for blocking my credit card after my fiancé refused to clean up after himself?

    My fiancé and I got into a huge argument because of the state of our apartment. He has a habit of leaving trash on the floor instead of throwing it in the bin. I've asked him countless times to stop, but nothing changed. Eventually, I lost my temper.
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • I also want to add that he is currently sick with a cold, and I understand that he may have less energy than usual. However, this has been an ongoing issue even before he got sick, and I feel like I have reached my limit with constantly having to remind
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673

  • She has to treat him like he's a child and she's his mother, and that's not a good way to set up a marriage.

    him about basic things like throwing rubbish away. Out of frustration, I blocked my credit card and texted him that it would stay blocked until he cleaned up his mess.
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673

  • Imagine that: a guy who can earn a good living but can't pick up his own trash off the floor!

    For context, it's my card. He is only using it temporarily because of our current circumstances. This is not our normal situation at all he normally earns a very good income and pays for his own expenses.
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • After the argument, we both completely forgot that I had blocked the card. Later that day, he went to a convenience store and tried to pay with it. Instead of just saying the payment was declined, the terminal apparently displayed a
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • message saying that the card had been reported as stolen. The cashier became suspicious, and they were considering calling the police. Thankfully, the situation was explained before the police actually got involved.
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • A man giving the cashier the credit card that his girlfriend blocked him from using until he cleaned up his trash.
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A man giving the cashier the credit card that his girlfriend blocked him from using until he cleaned up his trash.

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes. 

  • Did she tell him that she was blocking the card? Or does she make a lot of empty threats like that without following through on them?

    I genuinely thought blocking the card would simply decline the transaction. I had no idea it could trigger a message like that. Now he's furious with me. He says the situation was incredibly humiliating and that, to him, this was even
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673

  • How was she supposed to know that the kiosk would trigger that message?

    worse than being cheated on. I think that's a massive exaggeration. I also feel like I did tell him the card was blocked we both just forgot about it. I know blocking the card was a petty, emotional reaction,
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • but I was at the end of my rope after repeatedly asking him to clean up after himself. So, AITA?
    via u/Distinct_Glove6673
  • Potential Drive 7999 Why are you marrying this man baby
    via u/Potential_Drive7999

  • He has totally diverted attention away from his wrongdoings and placed blame on her.

    Music_withRocks_In This is classic DARVO. He wants a reason to be mad at her so she can't be mad at him, which is really clear with the 'this is even worse than cheating' line. If it works once he's gonna do it every single time - he will find a way to turn everything around so that he's the mad one and she's in trouble and he is never held accountable for leaving his sh all over the floor like a wild bear.
    via u/Music_withRocks_In
  • Someone discovering the power of DARVO can turn ab ive pretty fast - they need to find reasons to get mad at their partner and be angry at them, and will start twisting any situation they can. There is also an element of 'punishing' you for standing up to them, where they will look for any excuse to yell at you so you don't want to stand up to them or have boundaries with them any more.
    via u/Music_withRocks_In
  • Caspian4136 ΝΤΑ This is actually the life you want to live with this guy?? A careless slob who can't be bothered to throw trash in the actual bin and leaves it on the floor? Even my kids as toddlers knew enough to throw trash away. If you have to resort to punishment to try to teach your partner a lesson, you need to seriously reevaluate your choices in a partner.
    via u/Caspian4136
  • A toddler cleaning up after himself with a broom and pan.
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A toddler cleaning up after himself with a broom and pan.

    Individual pictured is a model used for illustrative purposes.

  • kevnmartin I still can't get past the idea of throwing trash on the floor. Once could be a mistake but twice I'd be taking a good hard look. Thrice? Break up time.
    via u/kevnmartin

  • A store employee would have called the police if this actually happened

    SpiderlandsJester That man is lying to you. I block different cards CONSTANTLY and use several different terminals for card payments. The message will read either "declined transaction" or "card error." Even IF the card had been reported stolen (unless it's AMEX) it will also read ONLY those two messages. He's manipulating you because he doesn't like the consequences of his actions
    via u/SpiderlandsJester
  • Trick-Tonight2119 Why are you even arguing with him about being a slob? He's not going to change. I hope you hear me. He's not going to change. Leave him
    via u/Trick-Tonight2119

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

boyfriend long term relationship marriage trash credit card floor gross relationships girlfriend in a relationship fiancé money toxic relationship fiancee apartment
Scroll Down For The Next Article