When it comes to relationships, money is a notorious source of tension and disagreement. It takes a great deal of work and compromise to establish guidelines for how you will manage your finances as a couple. As with all things, open communication is the key to keeping the harmony.
A man recently took to Reddit to enlist the opinions of others in the forum regarding a financial disagreement he and his fiancé were having. User Unsurebigbig said that his 10-year old German Shepherd had been acting strangely. After a few visits to the vet, a tumor was found under the dog’s fur which was determined to me malignant. The vet recommended surgery to remove the tumor.
The estimated cost of the surgery was over $5000, which he agreed to spend without giving it a second thought. His dog is very important to him and he, understandably, values the dog more than his savings. Even though the surgery was not a guaranteed solution, as is the case with all such procedures, the man was completely open to giving it a try. He said on Reddit,
“The vet I spoke to said it would likely cost over $5000 to remove it completely and there’s no guarantee it will be a success. I don’t know why the cost was so high, but it didn’t matter to me. My dog is my dog and there is no question in my mind that paying for the surgery was the right thing to do.”
When his bride-to-be learned of the large outlay of cash, she was not very pleased. In fact, she was outright furious. He went on to say,
“My fiancée and I have separate finances and my savings are easily 5x what she had saved up. When she found out how much the surgery cost, she went ballistic that I paid for the surgery without asking her when we’re planning a wedding.”
If the post had stopped right there, most of us probably would have seen her side of things. Although the couple is not yet married, they are clearly committed to each other. While planning a large, expensive event as big as a wedding, it’s reasonable to expect a discussion before the money being set aside for said event is spent on something else.
But Bridezilla didn’t stop there. She took it further. Her true colors are being shown to the world and the dog-loving world doesn’t like it one little bit.
“She says that she will have to downsize her wedding to compensate, and that my dog is already so old (10) the money “wouldn’t go far.” I can’t even comprehend how she could say that to me.”
Time heals all wounds. Well, maybe not. Matters don’t appears to have gotten better.
“She hasn’t talked to me since other than to tell me to take out the garbage, clean the dishes, etc,” he continues. “If I try to engage conversation she will shut down or walk away. She refuses to talk this over unless I get on my knees, grovel and apologize. I can’t bring myself to do this as a matter of principle and self-respect.”
Reactions were somewhat mixed with some commenters agreeing that the expense did at least warrant a conversation but by and large, people could not believe that this woman would play the age card so callously. His dog is a part of his family. You don’t flinch before doing anything within your power to save their lives, just as you would for a human member of your family.
What are your thoughts? Should he have talked about this first or should he feel free to spend his “own” money as he sees fit?
Toledo, United States.
