In today’s story, a stay-at-home mom wants a car to use during the day while her husband is at work, but her husband says they can only afford a car if she pays for it.
Unfortunately, they’re having trouble getting on the same page.
Let’s see how the story unfolds…
AITA for moving our second car away from the house after my Wife refused to pay for it?
My Wife and I have always only had 1 car until recently.
We have a toddler, so she’s been mostly a SAH parent to save on childcare cost until preschool, just working a couple times a week here and there for spending money. She brings in around $1,000 a month doing this.
I cover all the bills, and I’ve gotten a few raises and promotions over the past couple years, but not enough to handle 2 car payments.
He made an agreement with his wife about getting a 2nd car.
My Wife has been wanting a car to get around while I’m at work; shopping, events for our kid during the day, etc.
I did the math, and told her we can only get a second car if she helps pay for some of it, otherwise I can’t afford to pay for it on my own.
We were already leasing a newer SUV at the time that she loved and I didn’t really care for, so we agreed that she’d cover a $400 monthly payment and I’d cover insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.
She was fine with the plan and agreed.
His wife didn’t have enough for the payment.
I spent some weeks looking around, then went and bought a car I liked.
Now we have two vehicles.
I didn’t have to pay for the first 60 days on the new car, so let my Wife “save up money” while I continued paying for the SUV payments.
60 days later, Wife tells me she only has $300 of the $400 and is upset that I expect her to pay for the car she agreed to pay for.
I just have her send the $300, cover the difference, and remind her that I can’t afford two cars, so it’s important she budgets the money she earns properly.
Keep in mind, she has NO bills aside from like a credit card.
OP’s wife doesn’t plan to pay for the car.
The next week, she ran over something in the road and destroyed one of the tires, so I keep up my end and get the tire replaced and another tire patched for a couple hundred bucks.
Next month rolls by and it comes time for the next payment.
I remind my Wife payment is coming due and she simply responds, “I’m not paying it.”
At this point, it’s become pretty clear that she had no intent to pay after she paid the $300 from the previous month, continuing to express that she shouldn’t have to pay.
I start talking to her about accountability (which she absolutely hated), and told her I’ll have to take the car away because she didn’t fulfill her end of the agreement, which she didn’t dispute.
OP isn’t sure if he made the right decision or not.
When I got home, I cleaned the SUV out and took it away from the house to a safe location. When I got back home my Wife was livid.
We are now back to one vehicle, which she has full access to when I’m not at work.
She has not spoken to me since I took the car away (about a week) and refuses to drive the car we have. She has been calling Ubers or her friends/family to take her places.
It really just seems like a big accountability problem to me, but I spoke with a couple family members about it and one believes I’m justified while the other believes I’m dead wrong. And so, I ask The People. AITA?
I wonder how much she’s paying for Uber. Perhaps that would be enough to pay for the car. With a baby, it would be much easier to get around with your own car due to the need for a car seat.
Let’s see how Reddit responded…
This reader points out a bigger problem than the car.
Another reader is on OP’s side.
This reader thinks this couple needs therapy.
Another person called the wife “a spoiled brat.”
If they truly can’t afford it unless she pays for it, she needs to make that a priority or understand they really can’t afford it.
If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.