...manage to conceal your hobby related expenses from your wives? One of my close friends is considering jumping into the hobby but is afraid that his wife will find out. Any tips?

My wife and I have separate checking accounts, and have requested no bank statements to be mailed or e-mailed to me.

Get 20 or 40 bucks extra cash every time you pay for groceries, gas etc.

Do you ever deposit checks by hand at the bank?
Take half as cash.

Have you ever considered a 2nd job? even part time could get you a few hundred bucks a month.

-- Modified on 3/25/2010 8:38:19 AM

We have 1 joint acct together that part of our payroll check gets deposited in to & then each have our own personal account for "play money". ; )

separate acounts as noted above and cash those expense reimbursement checks. I am lucky I get reimbursed for business mileage so I use that money to hobby.

When you get cash at the machine you put $20 - $40 aside. If you get an expense check, rebate, refund, etc you deposit most but keep some for the hobby.   It adds up if you work on it over time.

NO EASY ANSWER.  No risk tolerance; no hobby.  One step, of course, is it have separate checking accounts.  The better (and supporting answer) is to be on the same page with your spouse or SO.  There must be a level of trust that she knows who you're coming home to ... that is, who is the end all of the relationship.  The second part is having the spouse or SO have the trust and confidence that you can do with your funds whatever you want to do and yet to be comfortable that 100% of you is coming home at the end of the day.  That's what works here.  We have no long conversations; just otherwise responsibility to each other.

My buddy is off to fuck his very first date. A respectable agency in DC area agreed to see him at a short notice... I let him borrow $$$ for donation. In return he is supposed to provide me his freelance services till they add up to $$$. A good deal for both of us.

Thanks a lot everyone. Those were good tips...

Prepaid/Add'l mobile phone is a must!

i usually save lunch money up--takes a month to save enough for a visit.

Sounds strange but if he starts to pretend drink and has her believing he has a drinking problem, she will have all her attention concentrated on that. The money would be considered drink money.  Then when you get to the edge where she is really pissed.  Quick drinking.  LOL. devilish but it works.. You end up looking like a hero.  Its twisted enough to work.

I have my own checking and Visa. Did have to request NO online view of my Visa history. I would like to know more about the pay upfront cell phone. Cash is King.

Get Divorced like me