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A regular customer over the years used to phone in and pay for a good chunk of his purchase on the switch card. Often, in a muffled tone from the cupboard under the stairs..
He'd then come and pick up the parts or frames or clothing etc and pay the outstanding amount in cash in front of the missus.
I relayed this story to a few mates one of whom is a missus herself - based on her reply - go check your wifes handbag for a red pen - all the better for crossing out the full price and replacing with a half price or better 'in the sale bargain' prior to getting them home.
What goes around....
I accept TJ's point but its a white lie situation rather than anything serious. I know my missus does it and as long as it doesn't break the bank I'm really not that fussed. Its a bit of a running joke. Personally I have found it easier to grossly underestimate the value of purchases rather than hide them altogether.
I was taking the piss a bit with the girlfriend vs wife comparison anyhow. I'm a cynical divorcee who has a magnificent GF again too young for him. She can't really argue about my spending because I bring 95% of it in, and work too much to enjoy it anyhow.
Have hidden stuff in the past, but I buy second hand mostly anyway, rarely buy new (sundries exc).
Also she knows if we were in need of the cash I'd sell one without a moan. Sold my Pace 303 once to pay the nursery bill. Down to a single bike now, & sold all my posh kit & FS bike.
Whatever you spend its cheaper than smoking.
And Motorsport and Sailing, dont let her forget that!
but then some women are as unobservant as my ex GF, who never noticed anything at all when I upgraded her bike for her!
Did a Pearce uplift day at Bringewood recently. Got to the top and I was nearest my GF's bike on the trailer so got it off for her. She got mine off only to start riding off on it to the top of the track, the wrong way I might add to boot...
Never mind that hers is an entirely different colour and weighs twice as much..
Believe me once that understanding girlfriend becomes a wife, and your warranty expires, your ability to purchase upgrades will significantly diminish to the point where you are desperately seeking wisdom from more experienced individuals around here.
Bollox +1
Twice married for 10yrs each never lied about anyfink, especially money.
you shouldn't lie to your wife. surely she'll be able to tell it's a new one when she's cleaning it for you after a muddy ride ?
i just don't get how some relationships work
flip - MemberBollox +1
Twice married for 10yrs each never lied about anyfink, especially money.
Typically I'd agree with you but being flippant, maybe in your case, if you had lied you'd not have been married twice 🙂
Someone I know (no, really, not me) did the following:
- used to draw £200/week out in cash as 'general spending money' then save it up to spend on bike stuff. He'd then buy on the company credit card, get stuff delivered to the office, and refund from his cash stockpile
- always bought identical bikes. Thus, he had a geared 26 and 29 version of the same very bling American Ti bike, plus a singlespeed 26 version. Then there were the other three bikes. And the road bikes.
- his bike shed had (and really, I'm not making this up) a false wall at the end, behind which the bikes were stored. Ostensibly this was for security reasons, but his wife had never been allowed to go in it. Probably wan't that bothered, to be fair, but eyebrows would have been considerably raised had she realised that far from having "a road bike, a suspension bike, and a hardtail" he had three of each.
Me? I just buy bikes as and when. When I said I was doing Mayhem, she just said (knowing what the weather would be like - she's done it twice herself) that I'd better get a singlespeed and mud spikes. So I did.
I have a mate who has a small room in a storage place where he keeps his 'proper' bikes and rides there on one of the two fairly cheap bikes he's had for years at his house before going for his actual ride... Funny thing is I reckon she'd probably be ok with the bikes if he'd not hidden them from her but now he reckons it's too late to stop... 😯
Anyone mentioned how nice that Yeti looks?
I honestly don't get the lying thing either.
I guess I'm fortunate in that my OH knows that bikes are a passion, and that as long as we have the room, and we can pay our bills it doesn't matter how many I've got or what they cost.
And we both trust each other to not spend more than we can afford. She actually *told me* to go an buy the Klein I picked up the other day on the grounds that:
"you haven't had a Klein before and it's a lovely colour!"
also...
How can you possibly hope to manage your household income properly if neither of you know how much money you actually have/don't have!
My OH knows bikes are my thing so doesn't batter an eyelid.......however she did moan at me before that while eyeing up a carbon lapiere in Afan......she quipped why haven't I got a carbon bike? I nearly fell on my a*se!
Plus the OH is happy as long as the house does not resemble 'Halfords' when people come over!
Be upfront and honest. If you are going to lie and deceive about a bike then what else becomes "fair game".
My OH is usually very understanding about what I spend my money on, but with 4 bikes already, she can loose her patience sometimes especially as my nice bike tends to live in the house rather than the garage.
However, I've got a new Titanium road frame and carbon forks hidden away in the loft which I'm itching to build up. I keep dropping subtle hints that I'd like a Ti frame as I've wanted one for years, but the usual response is "why do you need another bike?".
My current plan, as I've got a big birthday coming up in May, is to tell her that I've bought myself a birthday present. She can't complaing about that! Plus the fact that I'll need some time to put a few components together, May will be a good time to bring it out into the open.
However, I've got a new Titanium road frame and carbon forks hidden away in the loft which I'm itching to build up.
So, take the approach (I am convinced) my wife uses. When I say 'that's a (nice) new coat/top (meaning it looks expensive), she always sweeps me aside with 'oh, this old thing, noooh, I've had it in my wardrobe for aaaaages, its not new silly!
Water - Member
Are you typing with an extendable typing stick from all the way up there on your horse TJ?
Brilliant 😆
I am worse for buying bike bits than my husband tbh. We are mostly honest about these things and both spend too much on bikes.
He once however decided to buy an used enduro at the local shop, eventhough we had dicussed it and decided we could not afford it at that time. He then informed me if this fact while with collegues at a retirement do!! 😯 I was furius! If he would have just nagged a little longer I would have probably given in (my usual strategy), but what he had done really made me angry.
I made him go back to the shop and take it back! (they were very understanding, bless)
He now has a different enduro, bought after I spotted it in the same shop and suggested he'd buy it.
I think he got the message, he has not done it since....
Simone
Whenever my wife gets back from shopping she often tries to justify her purchases to me, "I saved X amount", "It'll save me money in the long run" etc.
I just say to her that it's none of my business, that she's a grown up and as long as she can afford to meet her financial obligations she can do what she wants with what ever is left over.
And when i buy bike stuff she generaly reciprocates.
We've come to a "one in, one out" agreement on bikes in the garage now, which seems fair enough as there's barely space for the seven (five mine, one hers, one son's) and a half (tagalong) in there already. As long as there's a good reason for spending on a new one she's not too bothered. The definition of 'good' is up for debate though... ride2work scheme helps a lot though, it paid for the bike I bought her for xmas a couple of years ago.
The thread title was very tongue in cheek by the way. Maybe the capital letters were a bit too subtle an indication?
@DezB - No! much nicer decals than last year, which I reckon were an unusually bad vintage for Yeti. I'm shocked more people haven't complained about the yellow.
Meh, losers.
My wife is buying my next bike.
I just wish the bloody thing would get here.
So you (Greece) are economical with the truth to your partner (Europe) about your spending habits?
I wonder where that will lead? 😉
First rule for success would be not to refer to your beloved as "THE" wife.
If the shoe (or handbag) were on the other foot, would you mind being refered to as "THE" husband?
It's better than referring to her as "my current wife".
...especially if it's in front of her.
😉
I have the opposite problem. If I fancy spending money on bikes or bits, I try talking to the wife about it. She just switches off. So long as her bike it clean and working, she doesn't care. She didn't notice the cane creak 110 headset I put on her commuter, or the fox forx, or the hope wheels. She's not noticed that I've swapped her bounce toy to stan's time and ust tyres either.
TBH she'd notice any big spends as she checks the joint account balance every other day...
generally I tell her if I'm going to spend on stuff and we have a sort of agreed budget for bike stuff...
That said I don't buy new items often if at all, if I was spanking £2-3K every couple of years on a brand new Dandyhorse like many of you seem to I don't think she'd be too understanding as we couldn't sustain that sort of spending and have agreed the Credit card is for Emergencys not shiny new toys...
She got mine off only to start riding off on it to the top of the track, the wrong way I might add to boot...Never mind that hers is an entirely different colour and weighs twice as much..
*Psst...* I think she did this on purpose!
I'm usually very upfront with the missus about bike purchases, because I'm not known for spluffing a lot of money on myself. I tend to pre-empt big purchases and talk them through with her and her attitude is usually one of encourangement. Obviously if I tell her that we can't go on holiday because I've treated myself to a new carbon frame then it's out of order, but I wouldn't dream of doing that either, so it all works very well.
I don't begrudge her at all for spending her hard earned cash on books, handbags and clothes. She deserves the right to be able to do this too.
It's better than referring to her as "my current wife".
that reminds me of Geoff Goldblum line in Jurrasic Park - "I'm always on the lookout for the next ex-Mrs ....."
not needed to hide yet, but she has reservations about me bringing another bike from the uk to here, whilst we live in a 2room apartment. But seen as i've got a busted hand, it's not a priority atm 🙂
she does think it's a great idea for me to get holeshot tho, which i'm more than happy to oblige.