My husband has been taken over by an alien intelligence, I just know it. How else can one explain the weirdo turnaround in his behavior since just before Thanksgiving?
DH did dishes last night while I cooked dinner. This is the 3rd? 4th? time he's done dishes since 11/21. This is abnormal behaviour for my spouse as 11/21 is the first time I remember doing dishes in this house since we moved in 7/21. I'm starting to get creeped out by it. Thankful, but creeped out.
He has cleaned up the area around his chair (nicknamed the 'throne' by baselle!) at least every other day, sometimes more.
We talked about finances after dinner last night (second night in a row!) and DH asked what the interest rate is on my car. I told him, he pondered for a minute, then said we should probably pay off the car after we pay off his Honda Card...
WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAA! Hold on a second!
When I mentioned a month ago we should pay off the car after paying off his Honda Card because it would save us over 7k in interest, he literally said "But you can't think of it that way, it's not going to help to think about the amount you're paying in interest." VERBATIM.
Either DH has been taken over by an alien intelligence, he has been possessed by a financially responsible being, or someone on SavingAdvice.com has started sending him threatening emails 
Or perhaps I'm starting to wear him down. All the subliminal tapes I'm playing at night while he's asleep might be kicking in!
Granted, his progress in certain areas is a little slower than I'd like. For instance, we're making more than minimum payments on the Honda Card, hospital bill, and money owed his parents. His idea for paying off the Honda Card is to cut the payment to his parents down to the minimum required and throw the extra $50 per month to the Honda Card. All well and good in theory, but it'll take us over a year to pay off just that one card that way...
Another thing he's not catching on to: house money vs my allowance money. I pull out my allowance, grocery money, and a small amount of 'house money' every week. As the budgeter, I control the house cash, and when we go do something, he assumes the house is always paying. For instance we went on our weekly monday-night chinese food pilgrammage, and he wanted to eat my leftovers I was saving for lunch. He was trying to be funny and said "This is house money, which means we're both paying for it so I can eat some of yours too!" And I had to look at him and say "No, actually, this is coming out of my allowance, because the house is out of cash until Friday." The initial response? Blink blink. Then he pulled out his wallet and chipped in from his allowance, which was nice.
The moral of this story is he hates hearing that the house is out of cash. More specifically, he hates when I say the house is out of cash and anyone is around to hear it. I guess he gets embarrased because he assumes anyone who hears it will think we're broke. Apparently I need a euphamism for 'the house is out of cash' that I can use with DH so he'll know what I mean but won't get embarrassed.
"We're driving on empty"
"All our cash is tied up in the market till Friday"
"We're outta checks with no ATM card"
"I wrote the grocery list on the benjamin in my pocket, and don't want to spend it"
Any suggestions?
Invasion of the Hubby Snatchers!
November 29th, 2006 at 03:27 pm
November 29th, 2006 at 04:03 pm 1164816239
No?
As for the alien possession, while that is entirely possible, it's also possible that he's trying to be an Extra Good Boy for Santa this year.
Seriously though, regardless of the reason, I am glad that he's getting on board. Any man that can do that is doing good, and I applaud him for it.
November 29th, 2006 at 04:10 pm 1164816605
on the other hand, maybe he's trying to get me to change my mind about my gift. he did ask last night if i'd rather have the new computer we've been talking about instead of the photography equipment i'd asked for.
let's see,
a new computer for the whole house to use, or photography equipment that's just for me...
which is the gift i would prefer to have labeled with my name under the tree...
maybe it's just me, but i think that a 'household' gift (i.e. computer, freezer, dishwasher, storage shed) should either be the gift we give each other or something we save for, not something that one of us buys 'for the other one' knowing full well it's something for the house and not the other person...
and while i'd love to tell DH we're broke like ashley simpson lip syncing on SNL, i think the word 'broke' will still cause him concern!
November 29th, 2006 at 04:42 pm 1164818577
My dad bought my mom a video camera once that of course she never used--he does. Then he bought her a laptop that she doesn't get to use for her birthday. So for her anniversary, she bought him a sewing machine.....
November 29th, 2006 at 04:49 pm 1164818998
November 29th, 2006 at 04:57 pm 1164819454
November 29th, 2006 at 06:43 pm 1164825791
November 29th, 2006 at 06:59 pm 1164826790
LOL!...that is just TOO funny!....
Tina: any important birthdays coming up that might have made him ponder about his unfrugal ways??...any friends going broke?, that might have scared him into thinking frugally!
November 29th, 2006 at 07:04 pm 1164827060
now, he does have a friend that is apparently dumb as dirt when it comes to money and maybe seeing this poor schmuck is acting as a type of wake-up call. nice guy, but about to move for the 3rd time this year resulting in over 3k lost in deposits. also living with 2 maybe 3 check advances hanging over him... gah!
November 29th, 2006 at 09:03 pm 1164834225
Tina- I'm glad he's shaping up, sometimes alien possession can be a good thing!
November 30th, 2006 at 01:03 am 1164848606
Tina--I hope you are thanking him profusely for all the stuff he is doing right. Best to encourage that kind of behavior. As for the stuff he hasn't cottoned onto yet, repetition, repetition, repetition. It eventually should sink in as he's finally proven some stuff does. Keep at it.