Dear Blake,
My husband and I have been married for 17 years and live in an older house we are slowly trying to update and remodel. One of my major issues is that every Sunday he likes to go to flea markets, where he spends at least $100 for “art,” which I might describe as junk. It’s all over the house we are trying to fix. How do I get him to stop wasting money on this?
Signed, Cindy
From Seattle, Washington
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Dear Cindy,
It appears to me, that while you’re trying to fix your house up, your husband fixing it “down”. Luckily for you, there are some things you can do to suppress his attraction for garbage. Here are some ideas. As he buys junk, you should buy things at the same flea market, that are old and falling apart. As you display the items in your home and he hates them, tell him you’ll stop if he stops. Or, show him some reruns of “Sanford and Son” and maybe he’ll get the hint of how raggedy your house is starting to look. Or this idea. Every time he purchases some of his worthless items, return them as soon as you can, and act like you do not remember him buying the particular items, and after a while, he’ll start questioning his own sanity. And lastly, if you really want to shake his foundation, tell him that you can relate to his purchasing taste, because he wasn’t your first choice to marry, and you always considered him as being a “secondhand” husband. I hope this helps.
Blake