I (27F) recently learned how much my boyfriend (37M) earns, and it's a whole lot more than I ever imagined, or could ever earn myself. How can I navigate a relationship with huge income difference?

Hi, I'm very sorry if this comes off as a total first world problem, but I'm hoping to hear how other people deal with this.

A little background: I grew up in a very average household with a small home and we had everything we needed, but were not affluent. I was raised by parents who very much believe in gender equality and being self-reliant as a woman.

Therefore I love being able to also take my boyfriend out on dates, or paying for dinner, drinks, etc. We've been together for about a year and a half, and until now I've been trying to keep our spending on dates etc. a bit equal, even though I knew that he earns more and was okay with/grateful for him paying for gas for his car when we went places, or wanting to stay at a bit more fancy hotels than I could afford.

We have been talking more lately about a future together, and the conversation turned to living together. It's still some time away for us to get to that point, but it's nice to fantasize about. However, we then quickly came to the realization that the type of living I can afford is very very different from what he can afford, and then he told me what he makes in a year for the first time. I was kinda shocked, because it was a lot more than I thought, and I have no idea how to feel about it. It scares me a bit to be honest, because I don't want to feel dependent on him, or like I'm taking advantage of him ever. I would love to get input on how other people on both sides of income disparate relationships have managed to keep it feeling "equal"/comfortable/not awkward.

TL;DR Just found out about huge income difference with BF of 1,5 years, and would love input on how to navigate the relationship with this new knowledge.

Submitted October 01, 2021 at 02:40AM by Naite_ https://ift.tt/3utHZhx