A lot of divorces happen after money disagreements. So it’s no wonder a man is trying to understand if he’s in the wrong for wanting his wife to drive another car just to save money.

They have very different attitudes toward spending.

One of them loves fixing things, saving money, and getting every last mile out of something before replacing it.

The other enjoys nicer things and doesn’t see much point in being frugal.

Things escalated when she told him she was embarrassed to drive their car to work.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for being mad about my wife buying an impractical car against my wishes?

Me and my wife are now both in our mid 30s and have a pretty good marriage and make good money, she works in banking and I worked in engineering before quitting to take care of the kids full time until school age.

Generally this arrangement works for us and like all marriages ours isn’t perfect but we love eachother and both are pretty happy with life.

We spend time together but also keep separate hobbies and are more than happy to give each other space when needed.

Me and my wife have also been blessed to be doing pretty well financially, although taxes and HCOL take a toll we live very comfortably and can afford nice things on occasion.

It’s pertinent to say that she has always made significantly more money than me.

They see and spend money very differently, though.

I am an habitually frugal person in almost every way.

I simply enjoy life that way, DIY, budget travel, home repairs, thrifting and all of that.

I recognize they aren’t strictly necessary in the stage of my life I’m in, but I simply hate wasting money and loathe luxury conveniences.

There is nothing I love more than taking something cheap and fixing it up until I have something functional that is truly mine.

I was raised middle class by two parents who had the same values and I take pride in them.

That sounds lovely… But maybe too much pride.

My wife could not be more the opposite, she is from an upper class foreign family, we met when she was an international student at university.

She grew up surrounded by luxury and enjoys and expects it.

This has always been a bit of a flashpoint in our relationship but it’s always something we’ve been able to resolve by being adults.

Sometimes I have to put down my snobbery and admit that the occasional fancy meal is actually pretty nice and sometimes she has to put up with my weird complex.

However, recently this issue sprung up again in a nasty way.

Their differences in regards to money became clearer than ever.

We share one car as we live downtown in a city with good transport.

We have a 2003 Toyota Camry passed down from my parents that I love, it drives perfectly, its reliable and fulfills all of our needs, and I’ve made it my project to keep it in condition.

My wife hated that car, she said she felt embarrassed driving it to work.

This had been an issue for a while but it finally boiled over when she came home one night upset and said she wouldn’t drive it anymore.

I agreed to let go of the car and asked her how she wanted to replace it, she said she wanted a new GMC Yukon Denali, (100,000$).

Surprise to no one, they disagreed.

I immediately hated that idea, since the idea of driving around a brand new impractical overpriced SUV in the middle of a city just for four people makes me sick to my stomach.

But she got angry with me and said it was what she wanted and that she could afford it, so why not?

I objected and offered some compromises but she decided she would rather just pay for it mostly out of her own savings to get the car she wanted, which I reluctantly agreed to.

We have had the car for a month and I try not to be an ******* but she still says that my bitterness about it has made her upset and ruined her enjoyment of the purchase she was looking forward to enjoying.

AITA?

Yikes. She decided what she wanted and he should respect that instead of tainting it with his negativity.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a teacher who learns a lesson of his own from his student’s essays about personal responsibility.

What did Reddit think?

Too much.

It is baffling.

Something to consider.

Another reader shares their opinion.

Too intense a reaction.

The issue here is that these two see money and spending very differently.

For him, spending six figures on a large luxury SUV feels wasteful, unnecessary, and maybe even irresponsible.

For her, buying something she wants after years of working hard and earning a high income probably feels amazing and more than fair. And I have to say, I agree with her.

The thing is, he can’t seem to respect her free will to do what she wants and feel good about her decisions.

There isn’t an actual problem going on. They’re just two different people with different opinions.

In other words, he’s not being supportive just because he disagrees in principle.