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Deception:How much does your wife know about your trains? Quantity and number of trains.

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Deception:How much does your wife know about your trains? Quantity and number of trains.
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 10, 2005 11:54 PM
My wife doesn't really know how many trains I have. I keep most of them in a closet or at my mothers. She knows even less about how much I have spent on my trains.She always thought my trains were cheap to purchase(lionel engine less than $100.00 and rolling stock $15.00). She really dosen't know their true cost. She thinks I have about half of what I really have. I have two excel spread sheet with my inventory and total cost. One is accurate and true the other shows roughly half of what I have. I keep the real spread sheet on a old computer. I am the only one who knows the password to this old computer. She is not aware of any new purchases I make because I have them shipped to my mother's house. I have some trains stored at my mom's. It makes it easy when you get something new because all I have to say is it was stored at my mom's. I don't like to do this but I wouldn't be allowed to buy one more piece if she knew. I have 2 credit cards in my name only and she has the same. I buy most of my stuff on these credit cards. I bought most of my collection before I met my wife. Am I alone in this deception? What do your wives or girlfriends think about you buying more trains?
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Posted by dougdagrump on Friday, March 11, 2005 12:45 AM
Mine is fully aware of my trains and their cost. Most of mine were used, E-Bay, so I don't have quite as much of an investment had they all been new. The ones that were bought new were, as a general rule, drastically reduced sales. [^]

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Posted by Buckeye Riveter on Friday, March 11, 2005 5:10 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dougdagrump

Mine is fully aware of my trains and their cost. Most of mine were used, E-Bay, so I don't have quite as much of an investment had they all been new. The ones that were bought new were, as a general rule, drastically reduced sales. [^]

[#ditto][:)]

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 5:43 AM

Hmmm, well lets just hope she never opens your monthly credit card statements,or this could be her---> [:(!] and this could be you---->[xx(]......LOL

I normally buy my stuff during income tax season, so the "bite" is somewhat smoothed over. However my wife still grits her teeth when I tell her that it cost 80 bucks practically to buy a controll tower, and a radar tower made of flimsy plastic that breaks easily......

She aways compares this manufacturers price gouging to charging a bar of gold for a glass of water, to a guy stranded in a desert.


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Posted by Frank53 on Friday, March 11, 2005 6:24 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by macaste

My wife doesn't really know how many trains I have. I keep most of them in a closet or at my mothers. She knows even less about how much I have spent on my trains.She always thought my trains were cheap to purchase(lionel engine less than $100.00 and rolling stock $15.00). She really dosen't know their true cost. She thinks I have about half of what I really have. I have two excel spread sheet with my inventory and total cost. One is accurate and true the other shows roughly half of what I have. I keep the real spread sheet on a old computer. I am the only one who knows the password to this old computer. She is not aware of any new purchases I make because I have them shipped to my mother's house. I have some trains stored at my mom's. It makes it easy when you get something new because all I have to say is it was stored at my mom's. I don't like to do this but I wouldn't be allowed to buy one more piece if she knew. I have 2 credit cards in my name only and she has the same. I buy most of my stuff on these credit cards. I bought most of my collection before I met my wife. Am I alone in this deception? What do your wives or girlfriends think about you buying more trains?


well, half the world knows now, better hope she doesn't browse this forum. [}:)]
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Posted by tjsprague on Friday, March 11, 2005 6:38 AM
I try to be upfront about it. Though sometimes I don't tell her that I paid $200 for a somewhat scratched 70 year old tinplate house.

I try to equate it with the expenses other people have for their hobbies. We live on the water, so it seems a lot of people, including all my wife's brothers, own boats. When she, or someone else, looks at the walls of trains in my home office and asks, "aren't they expensive?" I say, "It's cheaper than a boat"

I also try not to keep boxes of trains packed away. Cool if you do, but to me that represents resources that could be used for other things I'd use more often. Trains or otherwise.

Tim
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Posted by AlanRail on Friday, March 11, 2005 6:42 AM
This thread seems familiar.

If I were a divorce attorney I would place these threads on all forums in hopes of getting some idiot, who my client is suing for divorce to respond. Any responses would be discoverable in court.

I would caution anyone NOT to respond to these threads as they have no purpose. Exposing your fraudulent and deceptive behavior while may sooth the soul could be very costly.

It is no one else's business, if you lie to your spouse??
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Posted by Jim Duda on Friday, March 11, 2005 6:56 AM
QUOTE: Exposing your fraudulent and deceptive behavior while may sooth the soul could be very costly. - AlanRail


Alan - your post only applies to us that use "fraudulent and deceptive behavior"...us good guys have nuthin' to hide...(wink)
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Posted by spankybird on Friday, March 11, 2005 7:14 AM
I have to agree with JimBo.

My wife is fully aware of my trains, it just cost me a doll or two.

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Posted by darsenau on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:10 AM
What trains?
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Posted by laz 57 on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:11 AM
My wife knows the cost and encourages me to get more.
laz57
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Posted by jonadel on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:24 AM
WHY would you ever lie to your best friend? A marriage based on deceit and deception has to be on thin ice to begin with. Good grief.

Jon

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Posted by cnw1995 on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:45 AM
Yikes, this covering your tracks sounds pretty precarious. Why not be upfront about it - consider together the resources directed to the hobby. I know, its easier said than done. I'm in a season of life without a whole lot of resources to spend on the trains, but I don't hide it, or rather am open about it, and most are connected to a birthday or holiday gift.

Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.

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Posted by eZAK on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:56 AM
macastle;
Let us know when you have to sell your trains for the divorce.[:-^]

Laz;
Does your wife have a twin sister[swg]

Doug;
That 'season never ends[sigh]
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Posted by mersenne6 on Friday, March 11, 2005 9:18 AM
As someone once said - if you don't lie you don't have to remember anything. I made sure before we tied the knot that my wife to be knew about the trains and their cost. We also discussed and came to an agreement about issues surrounding hobby budget and purchases in the future. She knows their worth, she knows how much fun I have with them and it has never been a problem.
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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Friday, March 11, 2005 9:20 AM
I think your a little over the top here - false books and drop shipments to an accomplice (i.e. your mother). All this deceit says you have a lot of guilt feelings over what you spend and your marriage is in deep trouble.

My wife knows when I bought something and roughly what I am spending, just as I know when she's buying jewelry supplies and roughly how much she is spending. I even take her to train shows when she'll go. (One show she spent more than I did buying plates from a dealer who had a bunch of non train stuff in addition to train memorabilia.)

I would suggest you and your wife need to start having some communication, if necessary with a counselor.

Good luck
Paul

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Posted by garyseven on Friday, March 11, 2005 9:27 AM
I actually tell my wife too much... I must sound, to her, like the teacher on Charlie Brown. So when I tell her I am going to buy something, it tends to go in one ear and out the other...
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Posted by flyingyankee616 on Friday, March 11, 2005 9:34 AM
[:D][:D]My wife loves my trains,since she is the one that got me started in the first place.I always make sure her needs come first anyway.
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Posted by selector on Friday, March 11, 2005 10:55 AM
Yeeoooowwww! I would have to agree that keeping such things from one's MATE (fer cryin' out loud!) is a very shaky platform on which to base a stable relationship.

I would be devastated if my wife hid something like that from me, so I would never deceive her in return.

When I decided that I wanted my first loco, just after Christmas, I phoned her from the store and asked her if she objected ($575 Cdn). Fortunately, her reply was to go ahead and get it. If she had said otherwise, it would have been an investment in our mutual regard, and probably an indication that she knows more about our liquidity than I.

Better a partner than a potential torment....for those with a conscience.

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Posted by cnw1995 on Friday, March 11, 2005 11:04 AM
I hear you, Pat - with kids from 2 to 14, I'm in this 'season' for the long haul - but it makes me creative!

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Posted by Buckeye Riveter on Friday, March 11, 2005 12:15 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jonadel

WHY would you ever lie to your best friend? A marriage based on deceit and deception has to be on thin ice to begin with. Good grief.

Jon

[#ditto][swg]

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 12:49 PM
good gosh, I can't imagine not having my wife involved in my hobbies in some way or another. We love the same hobbies, trains, steam engines, pets, and our rr putt-putt car which we take on excursions. I travel so we also share a hobby of guns, I recently bought her a winchester 1300 pump, which she knows how to use, so she feels safer now when I'm gone. we know about each others spending, it's much better for a marriage that way.
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Posted by FJ and G on Friday, March 11, 2005 1:00 PM
If any females between 30 and 50 are reading this post, I'm available to marry. You can buy all the shoes you like if I can by all the trains.

I want that put into a contract!

On second thought, make that age 18 and up (i'm not fussy if you're not)

Also, you gotta like beagles who get into trouble
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 1:16 PM
Hello All: As I have said before my Wife has a good knowledge of what my stash is worth, if my flag ever falls you people will see a fast estate sale. Regards Steve
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 1:37 PM
We both have our own hobbies but decisions to buy for them is mutually made.

I fell in love with a SOUTHERN E8 built by Proto. It was kind of expensive but surprise, surprise, my wife got it for me for Xmas. For Valentine's Day I discovered in a card from an admirer (my wife) that she had put an entire passenger car set on order to go with the locomotive.

She decided that she needed a new sewing machine. $2400 later, we had a new sewing machine that retails around $5000. She got it from E-bay. It does everything except go out and buy the thread.

I've been through a divorce... my son has my ATHEARN Santa Fe locomotives.... but it's not something I plan for in my future. Like a lot of other people have already said, if you can't be open and honest with your wife... better hang it up.

Erik
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Posted by Jim Duda on Friday, March 11, 2005 1:45 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

If any females between 30 and 50 are reading this post, I'm available to marry. You can buy all the shoes you like if I can by all the trains.

I want that put into a contract!

On second thought, make that age 18 and up (i'm not fussy if you're not)

Also, you gotta like beagles who get into trouble


You better hang on, Big Dave...I'll post that on the U.T. campus - gotta be close to 30,000+ enrolled now that fit your description...and it's SPRING BREAK down here...which means they'll be lookin' for some fun in the sun! There's gotta be some that like trains...
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 7:13 PM
My wife knows everything about my train purchases and my train hobby. I know everything about her doll purchases and her doll hobby. It's been that way with us for 40 years now and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 7:18 PM
Guys dont forget there half hers to [if your married][:O]
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 7:35 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jonadel

WHY would you ever lie to your best friend? A marriage based on deceit and deception has to be on thin ice to begin with. Good grief.

Jon


[#ditto][#ditto][#ditto][#ditto]
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Posted by cmrj on Friday, March 11, 2005 8:56 PM
we have an under standing ,I buy train's She buy's jewlery. And we talk over high dollar item's . She has a plaqe on the wall that say's my husband collect's toy train's pray for me. I tell her I could be in bar or casino throwing money down the drain . If some thing happen's to me she can sell it all and buy a big diamond or something. macaste if I were you I would sit her down and talk before you get busted.

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