At what price do you feel a purchase needs to be discussed with your spouse/partner before it is made?
What's the maximum amount of money you think is OK for one spouse to spend on a single item without discussing it with the other?
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That IS hard. We never ask permission to buy clothes, because neither of us buys clothes (or shoes) until we absolutely need them. If I want to buy anything over $100 that isn't food, shelter, or clothing, I talk to Chris. I trust he would do the same. I'm the one who balances the checkbook, so I would know eventually.
Jeff and I have a $75 agreement that I don't think either one of us sticks to very closely. If I spend more than $100 on clothes I tell him, but make sure he knows I NEEDED them. If it's something for the house we check in. Jeff hates spending money, so I don't worry about him. He also keeps his own pot of play money from his poker winnings so most of his personal fun stuff (CDs, prostitutes, etc...)comes out of that.
Hmm..we haven't really discussed this issue but if it's furniture or household stuff, we usually talk about it and make the decision together. I don't think I have bought anything material for myself that is over $100. Whereas Jason would buy his techy gadgets which would cost probably over $200 and not discuss about it.
Okay, people, now this is one of a handful of moments where its great to be single. I don't have to discuss any purchases with anybody! :-P
$125 for a flat iron for my hair is alright by me. I doubt a man would understand that though.
Matt and I aren't married, so he is free to spend his disposable income as he wishes. But anything above the $300 mark usually involves discussion of opportunity cost.
So, I figured he would have told me before dropping a grand on an econ class. But no. And man did I have sticker shock when he casually mentioned it! I didn't even know he had a grand to spend!
-Ali
Dude. Sorry. My single post just multiplied. Don't know what I did! Subliminally, I must have really wanted to get my point across.
-Ali
Ali, it's cool. Blogger's buggy, and I just, click click, fix it!
This all comes up because my lovely husband got paid yesterday and went out and bought himself a Sirius satellite radio. We live in the mountains and we get maybe six radio stations, none of which play anything that he likes to listen to.
He also is interested in the NFL channel, obviously.
I understand WHY he wants one, but...
The radio itself cost him $100, and I thought he should have discussed it with me prior to buying it because that is a lot of money to us and we disagreed about that. (That's putting it mildly)
My main point was that it has a monthly subscription fee, so it's not just $100, it's that plus the per month...even though it's less than $15 a month.
He thought I should get over it because I bought a coffee maker without asking him. But that only cost $30 and I don't have to put in a quarter everytime I brew coffee in it.
Eventually we agreed that major purchases (aka $100+ or those that tag on monthly payments) should be discussed prior to taking the plunge.
It seems that most of you are in agreement, so I feel confident that I'm not crazy or hypersensitive when it comes to this issue.
That's a case by case thing. We have no set limit.
My ex once came home with a new truck to the tune of $500 a month. He didn't seem to understand the "let's discuss major purchases" concept. This also may help explain why he's an ex.
That's definitely grounds for divorce!
I remember you blogging about the Sirius a while back. It IS cheaper per month if you get the 2-year plan, but then it's a big chunk o' money up front. Good thing Bob is about to get paid riches for a side job.
Lucky him!
When that bill comes, I will just hand it over to him! :)
Elizabeth: I also am the keeper of the checkbook, so there's very little that gets by me in THAT area. But Bob gets paid in cash for a lot of his side job work and that work pays well, so, he often has hundreds of unaccounted for dollars that I have no control over and that makes me crazy.
ew. That just made me sound like a bitch. But oh well.
Erin (anonymous), I just re-read your comment...
If I were you, I'd clamp down on that prostitute budget.
I thought it was $50? $75 or $50, no matter, I have found a loophole: I only solicit $20 whores.
For what it's worth, satellite radio isn't a bad deal, especially if you're up in the mountains. I think they're going to start streaming via internet (similar to XM. I have an internet-only XM subscription for work which is about $100 a year) soon, which means you could get it in the home as well as in the truck.
They stream on their web site if you log in, so if you have decent speakers on your PC, you get it at home for free.
As Bernie said, we haven't got limits set, but I saved and researched and waited months for a certain price point for a MP3-video player and went ahead and bought it without asking permission and I think that bothers her.
In my defense, I hardly ever make gadget purchases for myself, I always agonize over the decision for a long time, and I got a bonus at work that was 4 times what I paid for the player, and contributed the remainder to our general funds.
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