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Busted! Just too obvious.
I wonder what percentage of us hide what we buy from our wives? We eventually worked out (peacefully) a don't ask/don't tell policy.
Alan
Not a problem for me.
Not a problem for me either. Wife doesn't care what I buy, she even goes to the shows and shops with me.
The really smart thing to do is act as nothing happen. Have a personal bank account on the side, make sure you are there to receive the package before she arrives home from work. That was my system with the big purchases. It worked. Pretty much done with the train purchases these days thanks to my minimalistic lifestyle.
no problem here , so as I have my half of the household expenses.
There are Ham Radio versions of this cartoon...!
Is that a Matthew Diffee cartoon?
David
I may not tell her right off the bat but she finds out sooner or later, most of the time I just tell her or ask her if its ok if I buy a new train.
Since we have joint checking she knows when I've been to the hobby shop and she is usually the one who's home for the packages. Tried sneaking in a new pistol once and when I walked through the door she informed me the gun shop called because I missed a spot on the 4473 form. That was the last time I tried hiding a purchase.
As a fully paid up, card carrying member of the Brotherhood of the Happily Divorced, my purchases (trains and otherwise) are a matter solely between me and my credit card companies 
We have a don't ask/don't tell policy. As long as all our bills are paid, kids have everything they need and we put away money for monthly savings, it is usually good. If it's something really expensive, I ask before I buy. Happy wife = happy life 
I don't hide anything. The wife buys new clothes that I only discover when she greets me wearing the new garment. If she's happy I'm happy. Besides, she is abundantly practical and responsible. A girl has got to be a girl. She wouldn't be much fun otherwise.
When I showed that cartoon to my wife on Facebook yesterday, she said, "send it to me!"
I've spent more on trains this year than the past 10 years combined. How, you ask? She is giving me many of the items (mostly Menards buildings) for Christmas. Solves my problem and hers!
I don't hide it....never have. Now, I just remind her where the inventory valuation file, insurance and attorney file is.
Sneaking stuff past your wife in a pandemic when everybody is home requires a whole new skillset.
Truth is my wife spends a lot more than me. So much so that Wayfair called her because they offer discounts to professional shoppers. They wanted to know who her customers were. 🤷♂️
I usually save up for things that I really want ahead if time. Then when I buy it feels like free trains which is a lot better experience.
Or as Sheryl Crow sings.
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Even though we continue to do our best to survive this Corona Mess thing, don't forget that LOVE is still a many spendored thing. Life is much to short to play hide and seek with your partner. Give her a big hug and tell her you love her today, tomorrow might be too late. How many lives have already been lost this year so far? What good are your trains w/o the woman who puts up with you 24/7? Have you ever given any thought that she might enjoy watching you run your trains just for her? If you've never invited her to see your layout why not do it today? You might just be surprised afterall!
RickO: Thanks for sharing the cartoon. I love it!
No problems here either RICKO. WIFE LOVES ME!!!!!❤️❤️😍🥰
No honey, it was a railroad lantern.
Face it guys. They are smarter than all of us combined. 
I get glared at occasionally but my purchases are tolerated. I've slowed down the level of buying for the past year or so which helps too.
Great cartoon tho....
Great thread Rick O, some wives think toy trains are not real important, possibly a waste of money, just for kids. When my wife built our home, she actually had a basement built for me to build a train layout. This was in the year 1996. Since then, she let me purchase the Lionels Century Club One, entire collection. She was thinking I would build a table with a couple of 4 by 8 sheets of plywood. Well, we had a 1800 square foot basement and we have a layout table 38 by 17, 5 level. So, I must say she has been very accommodating to my Addiction. At the beginning, rather than tell her I wanted a 1996 TMCC Lionel F3 Sante Fe ABA Passenger train with all the cars, $1100, she would flip out. I worked a deal with my long time dealer in Nashville, Phillips Toy Mart, paid it over a three month period and when paid for I had a plan. We pretended that I won the set in a drawing, a prize type deal. I had a friend call the house to see if I was at home, knowing I was at work, telling my wife I had won the annual drawing of the special train set at Phillips. Wow, she called me right away to tell me the news and Ta Da, we went to Nashville to pick up my gift. The owner played the game with us, and today, she points out that train to friends as a free gift. That was the way many trains made it to my basement, a raffle win. This is a fun hobby, just tell your wife you want to buy a VL Hudson, see the Reaction..... Have fun fellows, it’s a Great Hobby. Happy Railroading Everyone, Merry Christmas.
My love supports MY hobby 100%......we go to all the shows together and she handles the money. No secrets.
Donald
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@CarGuyZM10 posted:No honey, it was a railroad lantern.
“Good heavens... just how many railroad lanterns does one man need??? You planning on lighting the entire neighborhood???”
I don't hide anything. My income from repairs and upgrades as well as my electronic projects pays for my hobby and leaves a little for other expenses. Hence, no need to hide.
3Rail - You hit the mark right on the sweet spot. My wife also supports my hobby and she actually does ALL scenery and painting. I also have pictures of her on the table painting clouds, making mountains and doing so much more. She does get somewhat upset sometimes if I purchase something and forget to talk with her but she is so supportive. I don't drink, smoke or go out on the town with the guys. I worked my whole life and sometimes worked a full time and 4 part time jobs a year to pay for things we needed or wanted. We raised four great children, all married now with there own families. When I met her I knew she was a gift to me from God and have always kept that in perspective. When I got back into the hobby in 2014 she was the biggest cheerleader. I love her and I love the fact that she is so involved with OUR hobby.
As a side note: I was looking at MTH auction 3 and she came in and sat down. Needless to say we bought 11 buildings. I should say she bought 11 buildings. BUT the funniest thing was watching her. She would put Max Bids on everything and then stop. EXCEPT FOR ONE ITEM! I have not and most likely will not weather any of my trains. She saw a caboose and liked it and to my surprise put a max bid on it. When the auction arrived she sat patiently and watched. She said oh well on several items she lost. BUT THE CABOOSE, she said maybe one more bid. 5 maybe one more times later she won her caboose. The joy I witnessed was what I have every day when running trains or working on the layout with her. True unfiltered joy. But what she said to me after winning it was the icing on the cake with ice cream. "This is mine and I am GOING to weather it!" Thanks God! I love her and will treat your gift with the respect it deserves. After all it is a gift from you!
Curtis
@ITS TOY TRAINS FOR ME posted:Not a problem for me either. Wife doesn't care what I buy, she even goes to the shows and shops with me.
Lucky you.
Alan
@ajzend posted:I wonder what percentage of us hide what we buy from our wives? We eventually worked out (peacefully) a don't ask/don't tell policy.
Alan
I used to set up a display with a guy named Bill that got busted by his wife. He had a great scheme while it worked, until his wife talked to her husband's train friend, Frank's wife. Bill had his train packages sent to Frank's house and he told his wife that they were for Bill, but he had them shipped to me so his wife didn't find out. And vice versa. Worked for a couple of years... Hope I didn't give anyone ideas.
My lady's father was into HO then O trains, and her brother was a big modeler. Guess she was used to trains so my interest in them was never an issue with her. She has been very supportive in the short 44 years we have been together. Besides, I think she prefers knowing where I am (basement) then out fishing or golfing somewhere.
I don't hide anything from my wife, I tell her what I buy before I buy, no need to get into a trust situation, and in turn she doesn't tell me about all the little chaskas that she buys and instead says " No we've had that for a long time, honey, don't you remember? Which just adds to my senility! LOL!! Anyway I have a friend a work and we both love and trade trains, I've given him all my N scale stuff, high end and all my G scale stuff for his grand kids, and my HO stuff too, since I was thinking about going into HO but with my investment in O it just wasn't worth it. Well one day I walk into my office and see a cardboard box on my desk with the Lionel 50th Anniversary Set packed all nice and neat. I was like "Huh?' One of my co-workers said " Yeah Dave left that for you". I was flabbergasted, but to the story, try walking into your house like that and telling your wife, "No I didn't buy this, it was given to me!!!" To this day I still don't think she believes that story!! LOL!!
No Problem here: When we go to the Big E show in Springfield, I drive north on 91 to North Hampton MA to Webs Yarn Store drop my bride off, return to Springfield spend about 5 hours there, go back and pick her up where she is always "almost done".
It's a great life
The standing joke at our place is the arrival of preorder items months (sometimes many) after I placed the order. I always say, ..."yeah I ordered this last year..." and my wife rolls her eyes."
But I think she knows enough about Lionel shipping schedule slippage now that it's all a big laugh. In the end, it's all good. Now I just say I bought some trains today, you'll see them in a year or so.
And I never hide anything.
If you need to hide things from your wife, you have the wrong wife.
@Arthur P. Bloom posted:If you need to hide things from your wife, you have the wrong wife.
I agree. I buy what I want, but try to be sensible
@Arthur P. Bloom posted:If you need to hide things from your wife, you have the wrong wife.
That would be like changing gauges, and buying a Chinese model. If you were to change would you get a RTR or BTO?
@ajzend posted:I wonder what percentage of us hide what we buy from our wives? We eventually worked out (peacefully) a don't ask/don't tell policy.
Alan
Never have to hide anything, it's not a problem. Wife likes the trains too. She picks out what she wants. I don't complain about her shoes and purses so she leaves me alone. Of course the fact that she likes the trains does not hurt.
We have an arrangement of a family account for all household family related costs including the occasional going out when we were able to do that. Then we each have our own bank accounts where the balance of our paychecks go. She spends on what she wants, and I spend on what I want and there are no arguments other than "what are you going to do with all these trains when you die?"
It really makes the relationship much more transparent as we don't spend "each others" money and of course if the community needs more for whatever reason we contribute more of our personal funds to cover those expenses.
Ask for forgiveness, not permission!
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Advantage: Being single.
