In a recent post on Am I The A**hole (AITA), a woman expressed her frustration with her husband’s decision to buy a gaming system.
She shared that they were both struggling financially in the post-pandemic era and relying on credit cards. Their debt had become so burdensome that she could not afford gas and had difficulty buying groceries.
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A Surprise She Was Not Expecting
Despite this, the original poster (OP) came home one evening to find a brand-new game on the table. While the OP admits to saying things like, “I can’t wait to be able to afford a new gaming system. I would love to play that game,” she only meant it for the future. She stressed that she never thought it a priority.
Upset, she demanded her husband explain why he had wasted money on a game she could not play, which is when he got upset and revealed a whole new gaming system. The system cost over $600 when finances were strained, and she repeatedly argued with her husband.
The OP seemed exasperated because she has worked so hard on budgeting. Unfortunately, her husband does not understand how bad it was to invest in a game console when she is struggling with the basics.
Reddit Responded
This view gained empathy from many people, with one person pointing out, “I don’t see how it is possible he does not know the state of their budget. ‘Doing’ the budgeting sounds like she is the one who figures out if they pay the electric bill or the water bill on time this month.”
Another commented, “He should have communicated before blowing $600+!! Unless you know you regularly have plenty of disposable income each month, who decides to spend $600 w/out running it by their spouse ?!?” Many others were straight to the point when dissing her husband, saying, “Lmao are men that stupid that they can’t be aware of the finances in their house unless someone cOmMunIcAtEs it to them? NTA”
On the other hand, some Reddit users looked at things from their husband’s viewpoint, saying, “I’d have to say YTA for not letting him know the full financial situation and that it needs to be adjusted, and then being upset he used what he thought was his available money from his account to get you a thing.”
Another noted, “If their finances are separate and he has money for a PS5, it’s possible he’s not in the same dire situation she is.” While some people could deduce that the OP was or wasn’t the a**hole, others were seeking more information to know if her husband was in as many dire straits as her.
A few Updates Later…
She updated to say that they have their finances but hold a joint account for household bills. This led some people to comment that her husband was trying to do something nice and that she should be thankful.
There was some sound advice at the end of the thread, with one person commuting “You both need to sit down and go through the budget together. Review the items, discuss what edits need to be made, and do the bills together. If he is part of the process, he may do better with his spending.”
HIS STONE COLD GREED. WIFE TRAGICALLY LOSES HER PARENTS BUT HER HUSBAND DEMANDS INHERITANCE
Source: Reddit