Reader Question & Answer

I just received this e-mail from a reader and I wanted to give her some feedback and get your insight on it as well. Feel free to comment and give her some other suggestions!

Katie!

I love your blog! Some absolutely amazing ideas!

I was just wondering how your husband feels about your shopping habit! Do you find yourselves arguing about money/ buying clothes? Do you have some sort of agreement in place?

I am not married, but my boyfriend gets awfully mad at me over spending money sometimes. I am 22 and feel like it's not his position to be mad at me- we aren't married, don't live together, and don't have any shared bank accounts. And besides- I am smart about what I buy and how much I will pay for things (no, really!).

PLEASE HELP ME!

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

  Thanks for following my blog! Glad you like it!

Although I love shopping, I never go broke over it.  My husband never complains about me shopping because I don’t spend a lot of money on it monthly. I’ve acquired a lot of my “nice” pieces over the years, and I’ll settle for some cute Target or Old Navy items in between my more expensive purchases. I’ve explained to my husband that shopping is one of my hobbies, just like he enjoys fishing, hunting, snowboarding, etc.  It seems that most hobbies come with a price tag. It’s just part of being a responsible adult and knowing that nothing is worth going broke over. We would both never buy anything we can’t afford. If there’s something really nice that I want to buy, like a purse or shoes, I always ask him before. Just like he asks me before he buys a ridiculously expensive fishing pole. It’s not so much asking for permission, just a common courtesy and awareness that a good chunk of change will soon be missing from our checking account. If it’s not something we can afford at the time, we’ll wait until we can. My husband and I have a very laid back relationship and I can count our fights over the last seven years on one hand. We really just talk things through like adults and don’t seem to fight over things like money. Most things can be settled on pretty easily with us. I think having good communication skills is crucial in a relationship.

  Before we were married, we both worked full time. We never told each other how to spend our money because, quite honestly, we worked our booty’s off and it was ours as individuals. I think the golden rule is really just making sure you are smart about your money. Make sure you never live beyond your means and don’t go into debt…for anything! I think you should sit down with your boyfriend and just have a discussion about finances. Perhaps you can break down both of your monthly expenses. You might find that he spends $200 on fast food, movies, and going out with friends while you might spend $200 at Macy’s. It will surprise you both to actually see where your money is going. I would start there! And remember, YOU work hard and deserve to treat yourself every once in a while!

Sincerely,

Katie

*If you have a question you would like some insight on, e-mail me at allthingskatiemarie@yahoo.com and I'll get back to you ASAP!