Spending Habits

[gdgwp]

My wife and I have a budget (excel spreadsheet) that every dollar goes into. Every transaction falls into a line item...pay checks, groceries, entertainment, daycare, car insurance, etc...

There's a comparison page that compares what's been spent during the month and what we've budgeted. We talk about it every month...what went right? What went wrong? Do we need to change something?

At the end of every month, hopefully we've saved some cash, we then take that and split the earnings into different things we're saving for: Me (hunting trips & gear), her (new bling), joint savings (new ac/furnace).

I think the point is...we communicate...a lot. Almost weekly about our spending. We're on the same page & have the same goals.

 

[hank4elk]

Never married but was with the same one for 20 yrs and have 4 sisters.
To some of the advice here,enjoy the dog couch.
The ex and I kept our finances seperate,but had joint property and enjoyed many of the same things.She got a cabin to stay in and enjoy.I got a cabin to restore and hunt & fish out of. We just sold it & split the profit & furniture I built.

I never questioned the cost of stuff I got for her and I got a great life with a fine lady & foodie .

I just had to get out of dodge & retire away from folks.
She stayed near her kids& friends and we remain friends.
Just had dinner with her a couple months ago in Santa Fe when she was in town.

Maybe I'll find an equal here or maybe she will finally come to her senses and move to the middle of nowhere NM....lol.......NOT.

Point is you get out of a relationship what you put into it.

That, and there is no right answer to a woman.......................

 

[rmyoung1]

1. Sell your $250 Remington Wingmaster locally in the classifieds.

2. Splurge on a new Benelli (http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns) that is way more expensive than what you need.

3. Unwrap the gun in front of her and explain that even though it is more expensive than your previous shotgun, it really is an investment in us since it makes you happy to shoot an expensive shotgun.

4. Duck whatever she throws at you.

5. Enjoy your night sleeping on the $1000 couch. (do not cuss the guy on Hunttalk that gave you marriage advice.)

6. Return the Benelli. Spend the money you got from selling the Remington Wingmaster on red roses and chocolate.

7. Never again ask for advice on Hunttalk where women, finances, and happiness are involved.

8. Thank your wife for buying such a comfortable couch for us.

9. Figure alternative ways of raising money to fund your hunting needs. I hear plasma donations are a good way to raise cash. Donating a kidney can raise quite a bit of money. You only need one to survive.

10. Good luck. When in doubt re-read #7.

This is one of the greatest HuntTalk posts of all time. Nice work, Gerald.

 

[rmyoung1]

Here's my serious answer: Want your wife to value what's important to you? Then you need to value what's important to her. I think you should scrape together some money and then buy her something nice that you know she wants. Make sure it's something for just her. (Not an "us" item.) And don't do it with strings attached that expect something in return. Just make a habit of valuing what she values. There's a Biblical principle at play here. Jesus washed His disciples' feet and explained that He didn't come to be served but to serve. This stuff works really, really well in marital relationships. Value her above yourself. I'd be willing to bet that she'll follow your lead over time. Best wishes to a successful marriage.

 

[MNDeerHunter]

Thanks for all the input!

 

[glass eye]

Here's my serious answer: Want your wife to value what's important to you? Then you need to value what's important to her. I think you should scrape together some money and then buy her something nice that you know she wants. Make sure it's something for just her. (Not an "us" item.) And don't do it with strings attached that expect something in return. Just make a habit of valuing what she values. There's a Biblical principle at play here. Jesus washed His disciples and explained that He didn't come to be served but to serve. This stuff works really, really well in marital relationships. Value her above yourself. I'd be willing to bet that she'll follow your lead over time. Best wishes to a successful marriage.

Amen !

 

[7mm08mo]

The wife and I have been married for 15 good years with no signs of slowing down and have three boys that like hunting. She enjoys it not as much as I do though. She likes to watch her sisters play basketball so I go hunting and she watches basketball during hunting season or helps her sisters with what they need. After hunting season I go watch basketball. We both work and contribute to the funds, she has her own business and makes more but I pay the bills and we try to bank hers. Any cash I get or expendable money that I get goes in my hunting account, and she doesn't mind as long as i'm not taking away to much from family. Just seems like we are good at give and take it just works for us and as long as she's happy i'm happy and vice-versa.

 

[Ben Long]

When ever i am tempted to quibble about money with my wife I remember the hourly rate of a divorce attorney and go think of something else.

 

[LuketheDog]

Shoot, what if I'M the one that wanted the nice couch?! It's leather, it's sooooo comfortable, it's sooooo much better than that crappy $300 one we had for 5 years before it fell apart...

Our solution is this: whenever I buy gear, my wife gets to spend the equal amount on shoes or clothes. She also likes to eat what I shoot, and tells me to keep the freezer stocked, so win-win!

 

[privateer]

My solution was to teach her how to shoot and then buy her guns too... She loves that new o/u 20gauge skeet gun which cost more than our entire living room furnishings...

 

[alwayshunting]

My wife and I have only been married for 3.5 years, but we have a system down that works for us. We each pay a percentage of our income like a tax to the joint account. This pays for everything mutual such as the house payment, groceries, and now items for our first child. With the added expense of a new child we have had to change our percentages. The rest of the money stays in our individual accounts and we spend it as we please. These expenses include my hunting trips and gear or if she wants to go out to eat with friends and but scrap-booking crap. She bought a brand new car and I drive a truck old enough to vote, but I have no issues because it was her money. We have had some disagreements on joint household items like a couch. In some cases i conceded some and she got what she wanted, but other times like when she wanted a fancy bedroom set that I refused she paid the difference with her money. It may not be a perfect system, but with our very different spending habits it has worked well.

 

[1_pointer]

I would strongly suggest against hiding money for your stuff unless you are okay with her doing so.

You feel slighted on what money gets spent on. Work out a budget and stick to it. One thing that's worked for us is to set an amount that anything under that is fair game. Anything over has to be discussed and agreed to by both.