How do you work with spouse that is not on same page?

[disneysteve]

my father has taken much the same philiosophy that disneysteve brought up--as long as money is still being put away, everything always gets paid and they're not wanting for anything, he is generally okay with it. not that he doesn't ever disagree with her on a certain purchase, but it's never a critical issue.

Exactly. Sure, I don't always agree with purchases made by my wife, but it is very rarely an issue of any significance because the money is there to cover the purchases without affecting the big picture.

[cicy33]

I pretty much agree with everyone. If she is staying within her allotted moneys then it is her choice. If she is spending outside the budget on these items then it needs to be addressed together in a rational way. perhaps allow a certain amount for these sales. She could save the money up if there was not a sale that week. or spend it if there was. I am a stock piler too. Cereal is one item that is good to stock pile as long as it doesn't go stale as mentioned above. We use it as a night time snack as well as breakfast. clothes are another matter. I tend to agree with you that it is not easy to buy ahead for a child, especially one not born yet. jackets can be a safe bet if they are bought with the thought they might be a little big. For ex child is born in october, she buys a 6 month coat, it will probably fit for most of the winter. if it is to big well, so much the better! as long of course as it is not to big! Most times the doctor can you tell within a pound of how big the baby is going to be and generally (though not always) your family history will tell you how big the baby will become.

[segmond]

I feel this is the precise reason people need to really talk about money before marriage and getting together. I just can't live with someone who is not on the same page when it comes to money.