Thread: I got caught red handed...

Last week I got caught red handed, bigtime.

My girlfriend doesn't seem to understand the need to have more than just one straight razor, soap, brush etc. I've tried to educate her but she just won't get it, though she understands why it's necessary for her to own lots of shoes, handbags, necklaces etc.

Last week it was valentines day. I don't like the commercialism of it all but I decided to buy her a new mobile phone as hers was broken, and I also bought her an iPod Nano so I could get mine back and actually listen to it occasionally. I also ordered myself a "present" or three, as I was feeling left out.

She loved her presents, and didn't give me an earful for spending too much money. Even when I took her out to a really nice Thai restaurant in the evening there were no complaints about the cost.

We got home, I made a coffee and fired up the PC to check the forums as usual. Now at this point I should mention my girlfriend isn't stupid and she knows full well who Lynn Abrams, Maestro Livi, Joe Chandler, Bill Ellis etc are - and none of you are welcome in my (her) house*.

*If I get a package from any of these guys I have to try and intercept the postman, or explain "oh it's one I sent to Lynn to sort the bevel out - not a new one".

Anyway, she comes into the study and sits on my lap while I'm waiting for Outlook to load up. All is well, until the conversation stops dead in it's tracks and I notice she's staring at the screen with an angry look starting to appear on her face.

My blood runs cold, the highlighted/previewed email on the screen is from Lynn.

"Dear Iwan, thanks for your payment of $xxx, your razor is in the mail and should be with you early next week".

"HOW MUCH?????!!!!!"

There's no way out, I'm busted. So I have to come clean.

I was only saved by the fact that it was valentines day, and she had a shiny new pink iPod to play with. She still wasn't overly impressed though.

I'd just like to thank the lord that I didn't have all messages in the Inbox on autopreview, and that currently she doesn't know who Robert Williams is - or the implications of the email immediately above Lynns which she didn't see.

Lynn, you're lucky you didn't get an angry call on Skype!

My wife is a super hero. I tell her everything and hardly get a batted eyelash from her. She knows about every dollar I spend on shaving and anything else for that matter. She also knows she can't do anything about it. I'm pretty brave myself and never bow to pressure. It does make for brief stormy moments in our relationship occasionally, but I think we're stronger for it.

X

Well I usually tell her everything, and in fairness she's usually pretty good about it - bless her.

It just sounds a bit hypocritical when I asked her to try and save money as we're hoping to move house/country this year, then buy more razors. She knows how many I had before my clearance sale, how many I sold, and that I'm currently down to 3. I told her I wanted to replace a few that I sold, up to a maximum rotation of 6 or 7.

I've been given the green light to buy cheap 'project' razors on Ebay, as long as I sell the majority once they've been restored. I'll be concentrating on this much more from now on, and am already building up a small stock of razors to work on.

Originally Posted by Steelforge

My girlfriend doesn't seem to understand the need to have more than just one straight razor, soap, brush etc.

I think you misspelled 'the need to have a pile of expensive high end razors'. Still in denial, are you?


My wife and I have a simple rule: any payment for non-essential items over 50 euros has to be agreed upon by the both of us.
Of course there are exceptions and there is some leeway on both sides.
It is more of a mutual trust and respect system.

My wife (God bless her) has been very patient and did not mind me buying a couple of stones, a TM strop (from christmas money) and colleen's soap.

I would never buy a Robert Williams razor without her approval.
We have a house to renovate and 1 toddler to raise + 1 baby due in July, so the money that remains at the end of the month (after a fixed amount has gone into savings) is not so high that we spend it without talking about what to spend it on.

My wife and I have a slightly different agreement. "Anything I can sneak in the house without her knowing is OK" I find in our case ignorence IS bliss. That is why when I do buy something (which lately is not often) I have it sent to my office.

I do not have a significant other (yet). And so I don't have so much of a problem. BUT!
I can kind of relate. Even though he can't stop me from spending my money on what I want. My room mate still loves to give me a hard time whenever I shave or whenever I get a package in. He is one of those poor misguided fools who is damned to shaving hell for his insolence. The poor fool actually claims that he gets as close a shave with his electric. Anyway, so I can kind of relate, but only slightly.

Matt

Originally Posted by Kentriv

He is one of those poor misguided fools who is damned to shaving hell for his insolence. The poor fool actually claims that he gets as close a shave with his electric.

Take him out for a barber shop shave one day. That'll give him a new perspective.

X

This thread got me thinking. My girlfriend and I have only been together for 8 months but I don't like to keep secrets from her.

We were having a chat about various relationship things earlier, and I decided on the spur of the moment to tell her about my RAD. I explained about the high end razors I bought and then subsequently sold, showed her the 3 razors I currently have (I had them out for honing them anyway), then disclosed the 3 which are on order or in the mail right now (TI SRP, Maestro, Robert Williams).

It all went very well, and I feel much better not having to hide anything. We've agreed that small purchases are fine and we don't need to ask/tell each other, but anything big then we'll discuss it - out of respect for each other even though it's our own money (we're not at the 'joint account' stage yet).

I also got the green light to order the new strop from Tony I've been thinking of recently, bonus!

Originally Posted by Steelforge

Anyway, she comes into the study and sits on my lap while I'm waiting for Outlook to load up. All is well, until the conversation stops dead in it's tracks and I notice she's staring at the screen with an angry look starting to appear on her face.

Oh So Busted!

I'm sure a lot of us can relate to this story, thanks for sharing it.

At my house it makes some difference for domestic tranquility who gets to the mailbox first. I've been fortunate to be able to fund my RAD by selling other stuff off, but I need to thin the herd a bit at this point too. I stopped counting razors somewhere between 30 and 40 but strangely my wife seems to know exactly how many I have.

I wonder at why some of us feel guilty about these things. I'm the same - even though my wife had never said anything, I felt guilty about my first post-initial razor purchase. Probably because I originally convinced her that I needed a straight to "save money" compared to the Gillettes.

What I do now is use "equity", and I'm guilt free. Every six weeks my wife goes to the hair salon. It costs her around 150AUD to 180AUD each time. So every 6 weeks I'm allowed to spend $150 on whatever I want (I usually don't, but I can if I want...[whipcracking sound effect] Yes Dear...). No arguments allowed (cough, cough...)

James.