Mom Asks For Advice After Realizing Her Husband Is Spending $700 A Month On Recreational Plants — 'That's Almost Our Entire Rent'
“It’s a lot of money and times are hard.”
Arsenii Palivoda / Shutterstock Everyone has their guilty pleasures and vices, and sometimes, these habits can get expensive if not approached with moderation.
One mom reached her wit's end after she discovered her husband had been blowing $700 a month on recreational plants.
The mom took her to TikTok to ask if she was overreacting to her husband’s denial that his habit was hurting their finances.
Rizzo, who goes by Rizzo Robby on TikTok, started her video asking for clarity after feeling “invisible” and helpless in the situation. She explained that her husband spends around $700 every month at the dispensary. Given they have three kids together, it’s understandable that Rizzo was shocked and concerned about their financial situation.
“That’s like almost our entire rent,” she said. “I was rightfully upset because every single month, that is an issue. That’s like almost half of what he makes in a month.”
She expressed her concerns to her husband and proposed a budgeted amount for him to spend on the recreational plants. “Recently, I said, this month, the month of May, $200 is reasonable. Like I’m willing to be okay with that,” she explained.
Her husband agreed that he needed to get his expensive spending habit under control, but by May 13, he had already spent his $200 budget by visiting the dispensary every day.
Four days of avoiding the dispensary later, her husband was having a difficult time maintaining the adjustment.
Rizzo said her husband began complaining and crying because of his incessant desire to visit the dispensary.
Rizzo revealed in a follow-up video that he had been visiting the dispensary daily and purchasing pre-rolls ranging from $20-$30 a piece, which evidently added up to nearly $700 every month. Because of his reliance on this routine, he struggled to keep his distance so he could save money.
It’s unknown how much he was consuming exactly, but based on his excessive monthly spending, it’s indicative that he had developed a strong dependency.
So much so, Rizzo said he began “guilting” her for attempting to curb his overspending.
“He was making me feel like it was me, like I’m the villain,” she expressed. “Like I’m forbidding him to go do this thing that he just loves to do, but we both agreed upon an amount, and he exceeded the amount.”
Her husband ended up leaving and visiting the dispensary again anyway, despite having already spent his limit.
The truth of the matter is that Rizzo’s intentions were not to strip her husband of his preferred form of therapy altogether. She was simply trying to protect their finances and encourage him to consume more modestly for the benefit of their family.
Rizzo tried to help her husband cultivate self-control after observing his excessive dependency.
The husband is exhibiting clear signs of psychological dependency and even addiction. Despite the medicinal properties and therapeutic benefits these plants offer, abusing them excessively makes it difficult to take breaks or reduce usage.
“We don't have that much money to just be spending on something you’re going to smoke and it’s gone,” Rizzo vented. “We have three kids, like what are you doing?”
These days, it’s challenging for individuals, and especially parents, to find healthy outlets to manage their anxiety and stress, and smoking is one of the most common habits adults turn to. While the habit may alleviate stress at the moment, it can develop into much larger problems — financially, physically, and psychologically.
While the process of overcoming a dependency on substance use can be significantly challenging, it is not impossible. Rizzo is only looking out for her family, and she’s right to try to help her husband stop such an expensive habit.
We all have our preferred ways of decompressing and unwinding after the daily chaos and stress we experience at work, in our families, and in our personal lives. No one is perfect, but it’s important to incorporate healthy practices in addition to these guilty pleasures to avoid any dependency that can harm your pockets and your mental health in the long run.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.