Just looking to blow off some steam/emotions. Husband and I do come to agreements about how to spend money, but it's sometimes frustrating to have these conversations. Both my husband and I were raised with parents who weren't well off and really had to budget. However my parents borrowed to buy their property and not much else. They believe in saving up for what they need and sacrificing some conveniences to not go over the budget or stress about money.
Hubby's parents on the other hand seem to have a mentality of having loans all the time and not worrying about how much interest they'll pay back in the long run because they want said item/experience now.
It has led to some interesting conversations with my husband & I about big purchases. When we were looking at buying a house he mentioned how he had to share a room with his sister when they were teenagers because his parents always needed a guest bedroom ready. That seemed blastic to me. Sure, make them sleep in the same room when guests are over, but making them permanently room share for the occasion someone will stay seemed crazy to me.
We're having an ongoing conversation about what size new car to get. Whether to have standard 5 seats or pay extra to get 7. I know it would be convenient for when our two planned kids (one cooking!) have friends stay over, but husband mentioned it could be another $10k for the extra seats and that just seems (again) crazy to spend that much money for the few occasions where we will need to use more than 5 seats. I know the kid/teenage years will be friend heavy, but it's something I think we can work around fairly easily and spend the money on something else.
I don't mind spending money on some things to be comfortable, but there needs to be a limit. I have similar feelings with how giant houses are getting. Having two lounge rooms, a media and kids room seems insane to me.
Not really after advice because luckily for me, hubby & I have always come to a conclusion we both agree on, but just feeling like venting since the car seat number was talked about with his sister who is looking at the same model and wants to pay the extra for 7 seats (and get a brand new car which seems crazy again to me because cars devalue the moment they roll off the lot and there are plenty of second hand for sale). I just feel like I'll never get my in-laws to understand the way I think with frugality and consuming/intaking items more purposefully. My heart also hurts for the environment and how much consumerism we have fallen into.
February 07, 2022 at 05:58AM
