Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners OT: Strategies for Wife Approval

I have several strategies for getting those things I want. They are listed in favorite to least favorite in order.

All you need to do to get that new expensive toy is contemplate taking up a new hobby or sport she would consider excessively dangerous and or expensive(even if you consider it so as well). I used the old motorcycle ploy(probably one of the best), although I have a bike I just start talking about upgrading to a new supersport maybe even for racing( I dont like sport bikes too much and would probably kill myself if I tried to race one). Hehe. works like a charm. She is always afraid I will kill myself on my slow ass cruiser, the mere mention of a crotch rocket is almost as good as a blank check.

Or if your wife is the jealous type, like mine, think of something that would put you in close contact with younger prettier versions of her. It doesnt matter if it is something you would never do, just as long as she thinks you will. Then mention if you got the new toy you probably would not have time do such and such. Works sometimes.

And the last option is bribery. It isnt that your wife doesnt want you to have nice stuff, just that it is not really for both of you and sometimes can be quite expensive. This option can double the price of a purchase though. If your wife wants new furniture or piece of jewelry tell her that you both work hard and deserve to treat yourselves to something nice. Hopefully whatever she wants isnt too expensive. This sometimes will work, but might not be worth the price you pay. I have learned this the hard way. I have volunteered to do numerous projects such as painting and building and whatever thing she comes up with. A nice night out on the town, flowers, whatever it is she likes. Hopefully you know what your wife likes. If not you have more serious problems. Out of the blue do all these things that really seem to impress a wife. Wait on her hand and foot. Perform your manly duties like you used to before you were married. Cook for her etc... Do this every now and then and dont ask for anything. If you try to get that new $1000 DVD player the first time you wine and dine her she will smell a rat. Wifes are genetically fundamentally incapable of seeing the difference between a 39.99 WalMart special Apex DVD and a nice new Denon. Overall this tactic isnt too bad even if you dont get that new toy, you are bound to get something out of it...

The last option is not a pretty one. It can become quite nasty when you put the shoe on the other foot. Whenever she wants something I point out that it is not really necessary and costs too much. When she gets mad I tell her that is the same thing she tells me whenever I want something. This usually leads to arguments and name calling, and occasionally threats. I usually dont say anything when my wife makes big purchases, she apparently doesnt feel the need to discuss it before she buys a new $800 sewing machine. Sometimes it is good to treat them the way they treat you and they realize how annoying it is.

I would say get a new wife but you never know how they will change after they get that ring on their finger. Very high risk factor, not to mention the financial ruin of divorce that we men usually face.

If you find one that works for you be careful not to overuse it, it must be used when there is a must have situation at hand.

Or you could just have separate bank accounts and a joint account, and give each other an equal allowance. Works like a charm...

i got my Axioms by using that first strategy! i had/have my heart set on getting one of the '05 Mustangs and have been prepping the wife for about 3 years for it. well since i work about 45 miles away from home, pretty much all backroads, and given the fact i would have had to sell my '98 Mazda 626 (darn!) to get it...we "mutually" decided that a 300hp rear wheel drive car would NOT be the best choice for me to be driving in the winter. That, and the fact that when the prices were announced for the Mustangs (which were lower than what i originally thought they were gonna be) i asked my wife "Hey sweetie,, what's $26 thousand dollars?" and after about 5 seconds of looking puzzled replied, "Ummm...my salary?" OUCH! not a good sign! Flash forward a few hours "Well honey," I said. "Since I won't be getting a pony for Christmas...I've been thinking about getting a home theater system" Worked like a charm. Though because she's a smart cookie, she figured out this scam. As I'm unpacking my M60's she comes up and proceeds to tell me she's on to my "Palpatine-ish" plan and says that i've been meticulously planning this for years, like I had gotten myself elected Supreme Chancellor years before just so I could go and kill all the Jedi. Oh well, I'll just have to use one of the other methods to get the plasma this christmas!

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separate bank accounts

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that works about as good as sucking frozen molasses thru a straw...

i made the mistake of even suggesting that scenario to my wife once..... ONCE...

bigjohn

Nah, the trick is to make sure each of you pulls the same amount in allowance. Plus, she suggested it.

The other good one is to get her interested in the hobby.

I've said it once and I'll say it again.
It sure is nice to be single.

My goodness....how about honest and trusting relationships that value putting the other first? Sacrificing for those we love?
Seems we are stressing our independance at the expense of a true open relationship.

This thread is a sad commentary on relationships.....

No offense intended to those who post......

Nah, we're just having fun. Getting agreement the right way is a lot of work, it's nice to dream about alternatives.

The best way I have found is that when you buy, let's say, some M60's, mention the sub came as a "package deal". Well.......it did....and that is what I'm sticking with...:)

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I would say get a new wife but you never know how they will change after they get that ring on their finger.

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No, no... you misunderstood "Ray's Law #1" - it's SELL the wife, not trade her in!!

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Very high risk factor, not to mention the financial ruin of divorce that we men usually face.

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Try being engaged to a family lawyer, how's that for the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head? I think I'll start twitching a lot and leaving Gun and Ammo magazines around the house... just sow that seed of doubt.

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She is always afraid I will kill myself on my slow ass cruiser, the mere mention of a crotch rocket is almost as good as a blank check.

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I think a buddy said it best - the hell do I want to go fast for? I'm out to be seen when I'm on my bike!

Bren R.

Of course, you could try this guy's strategy...

Best of Craisglist is often great for a few laughs or more.

That was great. very funny

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My goodness....how about honest and trusting relationships that value putting the other first? Sacrificing for those we love?
Seems we are stressing our independance at the expense of a true open relationship.

This thread is a sad commentary on relationships..
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What planet do you live on?

I sold the wife on the fact that the HT doesn't just benefit me, but also her and the kids. Sure I'll be watching football for hours on end, but football won't be back for 6 months anyway. I told her we'd have a weekly "movie night" which is a great FAMILY activity. She really latched on to that. But the kicker was when I suggested that, by having this bad a$$ HT, our house will be the cool place to hang out for our sons and their friends (when they're old enough). That makes it easier to stay in tune with what's going on in their lives, perhaps keep them out of trouble, and foster a greater parent/child relationship

Man I can't wait for football season.

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What planet do you live on?

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I suspect it's the same one we live on. I don't think we've got the internet relays between other planets set up yet.

It's all about negotiation and give and take. Although I did mention the fact that she might enjoy our home theatre we both knew that it was mainly for me.

But thats ok, the previous major purchase was mainly for her and the next one is going to to be for both of us. It doesn't have to always be my turn/your turn but I think it should be open and honest, and there is nothing wrong with it sometimes being just for you or her.

I'm getting dizzy, get me off this soapbox .

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I sold the wife on the fact that the HT doesn't just benefit me

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See, you got the FIRST part of that right... the "I sold the wife"... but there should have been a period at the end of that thought.

Bren R.
Ray, your royalty cheque is in the mail!

Apparently I touched a nerve.

This could go in so many directions that I will just let this die.

Best of luck in the future.

Very funny thread.

BBIBH,

I'm hear you and more or less agree with you, but some guys just need to bitch about this stuff once in a while. Who am I to stop them or criticize their relationships?

Wow - this thread might result in some serious demerits issued against a few Man Cards!!

I just got the latest copy of Home Theater Magazine today (April 2005 edition), and they had a section called "Gear Eye for the Married Guy" starting on page 60. I just read the first couple of paragraphs, and a few of the "Ten Tips to Avoid Shopping Tiffs"... It is geared for the guy who wants all of this crazy stuff that we call "home audio and video" and how we, as men, can get "buy-off" from our wives (I only have one wife, so it should be easier for me, right? )

Anyway, it should be some good reading.

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Gear Eye for the Married Guy

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i saw some comedy bit on TV the other night, and it was called the 'Straight plan for the gay man'. it was a group of white trash, redneck country boys trying to show a city-fied gay man how to be more "manly". one of the more humorous skits i have seen in a while.

the hair guy gave him a mullet..
the clothes guy gave him some overalls and a years supply of red bandanas.
the culture guy bought him tickets to a nascar race.
and the house guy gave him a wire spool coffee table and hung deer heads on the walls.

bigjohn

Ah, a blatent rip off of Tank McNamera's series awhile back featuring Sports Eye for the Gay Guy! (pretty darn similar.)

i think everyone is doing there own little spin-off. i saw sunday a show where, it was the same 'queer eye for straight guy', but instead of a guy, it was a chick. and it wasnt the same 5 gay dudes, they got some new ones, and one is a lesbian. it was basically much of the same, but they just did it to a girl this time. dont know if its a regular show or just a special. kinda entertaining though..

i am still waiting for 'Serenity and peace for the hairy and obese'.. i am a shoe-in for that show.

bigjohn

BTW- did anyone watch 'The Contender' premiere last night? i dig boxing, and the show looked pretty decent.

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did anyone watch 'The Contender' premiere last night? i dig boxing, and the show looked pretty decent.

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CBC recently did "Making the Cut"... giving guys that never got a chance their chance at the NHL.

The whole thing was based on a "feel good" heartwarming setup, that some poor guy with hockey in his veins would get a chance at playing in the bigs. Truth is, most of the guys had played at levels where they were seen by scouts already, and the great injustices done to keep them out of the limelight were mostly self-caused (pooping in a coaches car, getting a puck bunny pregnant, that sort of thing).

In the end, the top six guys get drafted by the six Canadian teams and fade into obscurity... Petaskinawa or whatever the guy's name was that the Canucks drafted isn't even listed in the system, guess he couldn't even cut it in the ECHL.

I'm surprised at the CBC, this is really beneath them, but I guess to keep up viewership, you have to dig down to where the viewers are.

Bren R.

I just wanted to thank you for adding "puck bunny" to my my heretofore sheltered American vocabulary.

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puck bunny

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we have a minor league hockey team here in san angelo called the 'san angelo saints'. they used to be called the 'outlaws', but they had an owner change, and the whole out with the old, in with the new.. bad-vs-good, outlaws to saints.. blah, blah.. anyway.. they play in the CHL(central hockey league). i go to a few games a month, but dont follow as close as i probably should..

we have a different name around here for "puck bunnies".. we call them "hockey whores".. same thing i suspect!

bigjohn

What else would you expect from a "taxpayer" funded organization. These clowns have been ripping off the Canadian taxpayers for years. If it wasn't for "Hockey Night in Canada" all these years the viewership would be in the toilet (probably where it is now without the NHL)! All in the name of preserving "Canadiana". With regards to "Making the Cut", a buddy of mine is in the "know" with some of the NHL bigwigs and we already knew the outcome of this sad saga before the final episode aired. It was pretty obvious from the beginning where this show was heading...into the dumpster! Hoist some Guinness for your B'day Bren!

Oh-oh... I'll leave this one alone, just let it be said I'm a huge CBC supporter, my beef was that this show slid the Corp. down into the Canwest-Global/CTV/Chum sewer where I'd expect this schlock to come from...

Bren R.

Well, the way things look now, those 6 guys will all have their chance to make the cut next year, since there aren't any real NHL players playing.

Well Bren, this might be one of those instances where we'd have to "agree to disagree". I did enjoy "Making the Cut" even if it was a little heavy on the drama and light on the action. There are some damn fine hockey players in that group, including numerous Major Junior Hockey players and it was a shame they didn't show more of the on-ice activity. I happened to know the kid that won it - i worked with him this past summer. In fact I went to see him play on Saturday when the UofM Bisons were in town to play the UofS Huskies. He is a great kid and is the kind of guy that truly deserves an opportunity like this. Great hockey player too with lots of potential, just a late bloomer and that's why he never turned too many heads coming up through junior hockey. He's likely to be in a uniform for the Oilers farm club next year though.

Now as far as support for the CBC, as soon as they can report the news even close to partially, I might consider watching. Not much worthy IMO other than Country Canada and some of their sketch comedy shows (Rick Mercer, 22 Minutes, etc).

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He's likely to be in a uniform for the Oilers farm club next year though.

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Playing for the Road Runners? Why isn't he in EDM now with the AHL affiliate? (I don't believe Edmonton has a lower league affiliate, do they?)

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Now as far as support for the CBC, as soon as they can report the news even close to partially, I might consider watching.

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Real double-edged sword there... there is no such thing as impartial news coverage anymore. No one wants to hear news, they want to hear editorials - that's more exciting. Gotta watch a pundit get red faced and bang his fist on the table about something - that's good journalism! Just depends which direction they lean (or in the case of Canwest and ClearChannel - which direction the Journalistas (not a typo) have been herded at gunpoint, screaming and drooling towards)... I'll take a lean to the left over a hand from the right working the anchor's strings.

Bren R.

"Real double-edged sword there... there is no such thing as impartial news coverage anymore."

You mean to tell me CNN isnt impartial?

Oilers mgmt/coaching staff said they'd prefer to have him finish the season with the Bisons and when that was over, join the farm club to get on their training and workout programs then. The RoadRunners are their affiliate as I understand it. They shared Hamilton with the Habs last year, but since no Oilers this year, decided to split and move the farm club to Edmonton.

I never really said in my initial post that I can totally understand why others would have been dissapointed by the program. For me, it was more of a personal interest in the whole thing. Seeing Jordan win it was pretty exciting.

...and on the news/politics side of things, my issue is that I just have a hard time taking news from an network that has their collective heads so far up the Liberals' a@@. I actually prefer Global & Kevin Newman. I always felt they were the only one of the major 3 that gave sufficient coverage, weighting, and overall accuracy to western Canadian issues (I've been particularily impressed with their continual BSE coverage). Again, to each his own I suppose.

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They shared Hamilton with the Habs last year, but since no Oilers this year, decided to split and move the farm club to Edmonton.

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Actually, last year, their primary affiliate was the Toronto Road Runners, they moved this season. The Bulldogs split with Les Habitants was the year before. (Don't mean to split hairs, but when you work for an AHL franchise...)

Bren R.

i wondered if i had that right or not, I figured since you worked for the Moose you would know for sure. I must admit that I have never really followed the AHL that closely, but I suppose I'll have to start.