"Hiding" purchases

[ttrigg]

My wife and I go shopping together, except at Christmas time! When she gives me a list that includes, Store Name (or URL), Item name, (brand, style, etc.) and UPC. I do the same for her. Then around the 12th of DEC we go together to the train store and get something for the "house". That's the way it has been since 1972 (HO at the time, in Germany) and the good Lord willing I'll be able to go to the train store with her for at least another few years.[:)]

[Anonymous]

Mark, I'm not sure they ever "leave" I have 21 and 18 and still here with no plans of moving. Just the same it doesn't bother me to much, I love'em and would be very sad the day they leave.

[markperr]

If you're wealthy enough that you can make a purchase that costs hundreds of dollars and you or the wife doesn't care, then good for you. I'm still in the "raising two teenage daughters" phase of my life so the majority of my income goes toward their needs. Perhaps when they are out of the house and my disposable income situation starts to climb again, I'll make those purchases without consideration of the bottom line.

Speaking of bottom lines, I love and respect my wife far too much to ever make such a purchase without letting her know. Her income is ours and my income is ours. After the bills are paid and I find something that I'd really like, I'll ask her opinion and we'll discuss the financial aspect. She does the same with her hobby.

Mark

[Anonymous]

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission......[;)]

[RhB_HJ]

Rene,

My SO knows her way around the workshop as well as I do, in addition she's been involved with sales of MRR items for soooooooooo long it would be a stretch pulling one off by saying: "But honey, I've had that for y-e-a-r-s!"

But I have friends, aquaintances and customers who regularly "brown bag" certain things. A lot easier to do in the smaller scales, eh?[;)][;)]

"Sure.... no problem! Let me put that LS scale tree in a garbage bag.... your SO won't notice! Would you like a green or an orange one?"

Hehehe!

[Anonymous]

I used to hide diecast from my wife, but since I end up displaying it, she eventually found it.

Now I just bring it in. My venture into G-scale railroading has been slowed for lack of cash right now. I have a B&O Alco FA-1A & 1B units by REA/Aristocrat, that are still in the boxes since I bought them about 7 years ago. Never run.

I need track, power accessories, rolling stock, and space to get started. She'll really see a lot of stuff when I can afford it. I got 2 young boys who love this stuff, too. We drive her nuts! No wonder she runs off to bingo all the time! And don't even talk about the slot car track we want to put up. She often talks about leaving.....coming back?[^].....she might.

[bman36]

What a hilarious question. I used the leave it out until she notices approach. Now I just tell her "bought some more today". Her way of "allowing" it is to go spend the same as I did. "Look dear...got that Shay for 25 bucks!" [;)] [:D] Later eh...Brian.

[Anonymous]

I used to when my wife thought it was a passing fancy. Now she loves the layout, the minature plants. Funny thing, without knowing it, she picks out the most expensive stuff, so I am a lucky guy.

Reminds me of my beginning cigar smoking. She was complaining about the cost, so we went on a walk, and I smoked a cheap cigar. She said it smelled awful. Next time gave up the five dollar cigar, and smoked a better one. She said that it smelled better. Next walk, a Cuban.... she really liked it, so it's all Cubans for now!

So, time to order the mallet, a brace of heavyweights, a Pacific to pull them, and all the MRC (sorry) ore cars the mallet can pull.

Regards, Greg

[GRR7315]

NO way-on my way back home from East Coast Large Scale Train Show in April of this year at York PA; I called her on the cellphone about 30 minutes from home (getting dark) and said I'll take you out to dinner ; the Ford Taurus was filled to the brim in the truck and back seat, so after dinner I asked her (politely) to help unload ALL THE BOXES, she laughed and said I still owe her another DINNER! and always show something that appeals to her, say in a certain paint scheme, etc. [:D]

[devils]

[:D] everyone keeps telling me I'll have to stop buying trains and that when my girlfriend finds out how much I've got I'll be in trouble. Well she used to work at the shop where I bought most of it from her! So she knows and as long as the bills are paid and I don't forget birthdays there's no problem. I'm even building her nephew a OO gauge layout and Em helped design it. Life is good!! so getting back to the point no need to hide and if I did I think I'd move to N gauge.

[Anonymous]

I was in the same position before i left for my holidays, i have ben zipped up rwice but i should have been more vigilant. The rest have been very good purchases, but the postage is a pain in the butt.

Ian

[Anonymous]

Hi Tim & [#welcome],
What have you been buying mate? Are you just starting ot have you got some track down? Questions questions!! Anyway, enjoy the forum, lots of nice people.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

Been getting some great buy's from EBay that I just can't pass up.

[vsmith]

Nah Not realy, more of a hide in plain site attitude, besides I've nickeled and dimed my stuff together, so their are no big buck purchases for her to get upset about. Its all the cheap stuff!

[Anonymous]

All the bills are paid, there's enough food in the cupboards/fridge/freezer to feed an army, there's clothes on our backs and the car's legal. After all that it's still good fun when I walk through the door with a big box under my arm and Gail doesn't speak to me for at least 3 days, gives me time to get to know what I've bought! Heads I win, tails I win, wonderful. Mind you, not being a total fool when I see something new and Gail comes out with the 'Oh this, I've had it months' and my £300 purchase is in a great big box and her £300 purchase is in a small bag that I wouldn't notice anyway!! So that'll be heads & I've lost!![;)]
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

WELL I THINK IT HAS ALL BEEN SAID, NOW.

iAN

[underworld]

Nope....I don't have to! For anyone that might I would recommend a good old fashioned cloaking device~!!!!!!


underworld

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Rene,
Are you getting the idea? This is really a family hobby! We do it together. One might be more adept at one facet and the other at some other part. You each contribute what you can for the enjoyment of the whole!

[Anonymous]

don't have to buy and hide things , because my wife buys for the GARDEN RAIL ROAD
to, if she sees something we like or needs. Ben

[Anonymous]

My wife doesn't know what I have, thus I can add to it without active knowledge. She really doesn't care what I buy so long as there is money for nonessentials...like food, water and gas!

[bruce61]

The railway is joint... I make the case for the purchase, and she usually agrees, or makes a counter suggestion (usually a far more sensible one, at that). I have to say that the most expensive train set on the railway actually belongs to my wife. To cap that, when we were at a show earlier this year, I was contemplating spending a few pounds on some accessories when she announced that she'd just seen a coach (second hand) which would complement her train... at 10 times the amount I was thinking of spending! Needless to say, the coach has been added to the roster! [:)]

[Anonymous]

As long as my finacial responsabities are taken care of first, what evers left out of my income is mine to spend. However i have a tendency to spend on others way before myself even if it's something I really want, just look at how long it took me to justify in my own mind that yes I deserve a locomotive, and all the women here agreed[:D]

[Capt Bob Johnson]

No need to, As long as bills are paid neither of us worries bout what the other buys. I'm retired and have my income, she works and has her income. Cause we got married late in life, she wanted a prenup so that her offspring didn't argue with mine about what i worked a lifetime to save, and vice versa.

If i do something that really tics her off I just run down to the local jewelry store and get her some rocks; If I'm perturbed at her she orders something for my trains. It works.

[Anonymous]

well Rene here is something we can agree on, i actually did it once and never again.

Very early in trains I secretly bought an ICE train and thats a prett big package, I thought Doreen would love it, but I was dead wrong. At that stage we had some of our furniture in storage prior to selling our hhouse in sydney, I hid it down there.

I was amazed one day when she said they (ice trains) arent worth having they don't do anything and promptly motivated me to spend 10 times as much on a Mallet and Golden Mountain carriages. The day we sold our house i told her and got it out of storage, now with many modifications and 2 years later she still reckons its not worth having as its windows don't light up and it really doesn't do much. Anc by the time we get home from Europe it will have power at both ends, be digital have sound and steel wheels.

rgds Ian

Like me now that we have ridden on the real thing she is impressed by it but the model is not worth having as far as she is concerned.

rgds Ian

[Anonymous]

Marty, ya took the words right outta my mouth, "right" time is the key word!! Wouldn't do me any good to try to hide it anyhow, she's pretty sharp. Jeff

[Marty Cozad]

"hide" is such a misunderstood word. More like the "right" time in telling them. There is a Bad time to bring up the subject, yet its better to bring it up than for them to find it on the C.C. bill.

[Curmudgeon]

Kevin, I'd always wondered what happened to Imelda Marcos......

Anyway, I buy what I buy.
Not much at all anymore as I don't have room to store it or put it on the rr.

TOC

[powlee]

Gotta be honest. I don`t hide them away but if she notices something new, I own up. Sometimes, she gets to the post before I do. I get a phone call at work
`And what have be bought on Ebay this time?`[;)]

Ian P

[kstrong]

During the cold war, the phrase was "Detante."

I keep my train purchases out in the open, she keeps her shoe purchases out in the open. Hiding either of them would only lead to an escalation, and that's a bad thing...

Later,

K