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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Op, we have a mid-seven figures HHI, all brought in by my DH and I am constantly giving him a hard time about watching our budget.

The thing is, DH and I sit down together at the beginning of the year and set savings goals for ourselves. We also set a general budget. It’s generous (we spend about $30k per month including our mortgage, not including income taxes or private school tuition) and then I expect us to stick to it.

We can afford to spend more than our budget, but what’s the point in making a budget if we aren’t going to follow it? I don’t mind if we overspend by $1-2K during a month, but there is no reason we should regularly be overspending that much each month. [/quote]

This doesn’t sound like a monthly spending issue (maybe the sports events?) but rather large-ish purchases. However, the OP and her spouse could try to amortize the grill and gym equipment purchase over the next 8 years and the sporting events (if something like season tickets) over the course of a year. [/quote]

Is he paying for these things from your checking account or a credit card?  If he's good about not putting things on a credit card, the easy solution is to set up automatic investments in retirement accounts, college savings, and a brokerage account, and the rest is available to spend, provided there is money in the account.  If needed, you could add automatic investments into sub savings accounts for upcoming expenses like vacations, cars, home repairs, etc.  I find it's the best way to rein in an overspender because you're not telling them "no," just that they can only spend it if there's enough cash in the checking account.  However, if he finances these things on credit cards, you can do very little to rein him in within your marriage, short of working it out through good communication and possibly third-party help.  [/quote]

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