Original Reddit post

22M. All my life, I’ve struggled to maintain long-term relationships because I’m extremely frugal with my money. I’ve never had a problem paying for dates, buying flowers, or taking a girlfriend shopping for her birthday. But in almost every relationship I’ve been in, it eventually gets to the point where I’m being asked to buy things that cost hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars. That’s where I have a hard time saying yes. It’s not that I don’t think my girlfriend is worth a $2,000 bag or expensive jewelry. I just genuinely cannot wrap my head around spending that much money on designer clothes, bags, watches, rings, etc. To me, it feels like throwing money away. I’d literally rather max out her Roth IRA, put the money into the S&P 500, buy gold or Treasury bonds, or invest it in something that could actually benefit me or us financially in the future. The problem is that this mindset has affected basically every relationship I’ve had. Most of the women I’ve dated have eventually become frustrated with how frugal I am, and some have left partly because of it. I do want to get married someday, and I’d love to have a wife and build a life with someone. But i don’t know if the idea that being a good husband means potentially spending tens of thousands of dollars on designer bags, jewelry, expensive rings, and other luxury items. it’s difficult for me to understand. I’m starting to wonder if I’m being selfish. I’ve always been stingy with my money, and so far that mindset definitely helped me get to being worth 6 figures, but it hasn’t helped me in relationships. For those of you who are married or in long-term relationships: how do you handle this? Do you generally buy your wife/girlfriend whatever she asks for if you can afford it? Where do you draw the line between being financially responsible and just being cheap? submitted by /u/Normal_Media_367

Originally posted by u/Normal_Media_367 on r/AskMen