'The screen was not working...It would cost about $250': Woman breaks husbands' computer monitor while trying to clean his private room, husband takes wifes' "fun money" to pay for it

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 23, 2023 3:00 PM EST

This couple has been disagreeing over how to spend their fun money. 

One of the best parts of adult life is having fun money left over at the end of the month to spend however you wish. After you've paid off the rent or mortgage, car payment, and bought all your groceries, having an extra 30 bucks to use on something special feels like the perfect treat. Some of us buy new shoes or clothes, while others head to the movies or plan out a weekend trip. Others love to upgrade to the newest technology, like getting a great new phone or laptop. 

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  • For u/TemporaryWalrus7461, though, there was an exception to the fun money plan. It wasn't their fault: their wife was cleaning the OP's special room, and she wasn't supposed to be in there. The OP writes that in their home office, they keep their electronics and some collectibles, and their wife has her own hobby room for the same purpose. They've agreed to not go in each other's rooms, yet the OP's wife did that anyway. She broke the OP's laptop, and was upset that the OP wanted her to pay to replace it. 

    This was one of those posts that commenters couldn't agree on. Some people chastised the OP for the way they spoke about their wife in a rather child-like manner. Others declared that the OP was right: their wife should've respected their wishes that she not tidy up in that room. Others said there was no issue here, and that no one was really at fault. So check out the entire story for yourself down below! 

    Next up, these gamers were playing with friends and left their mics on… and their friends got an earful of some embarrassing and hilarious conversations. 

  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 9841660928
    via Hardingferrent on Unsplash
  • 02
    AITA for taking money from my wife's fun account to pay for my computer she broke? My wife is a stay at home mom. She works hard taking care of our kids and maintaining our home. I do what we have agreed is a fair portion of the housework and all of the yardwork. She has full access to all of our accounts except for my personal spending
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 03
    account. I put the exact same amount into her personal spending account but I can only deposit not withdraw. I have a home office but I do not work from home it is just a place I can go to sit and catch up on anything I might need to from work and also play video games or play with my toys.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 04
    My wife also has a room that is dedicated to her and her hobbies. I have asked her multiple times to please leave my room alone. I clean it myself. I take my dishes to the kitchen and either wash
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 05
    them or place them in the dishwasher. I take out my own trash. When I play with my kids in my office I clean up after all of us. When my wife joins me in my office for video games I clean up afterwards. There is quite literally no reason for her to do anything in there when I am not in it. I do not have a lock on my door but I do have my laptop password protected.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 06
    I like to line up some of my collection of Lego Minifigs by my screen on my laptop. I like to imagine that Batman and Spider- man are watching me work. I know it is silly but I like it.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 07
    For some reason my wife decided to go clean my office. I guess she needed to move my laptop so she closed it. Not all the way because my Minifigs were in the way.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 08
    When I came home she told me what happened. The screen was not working at all. I had to get my old monitor out and hook it up so I could check and see if anything else was busted.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 09
    It was just the screen. I checked and it would cost about $250 for parts and labor to replace my screen. So I decided to replace the laptop and use the old one with my old monitor for the kids. It was fine other than the non working screen.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 10
    The cost to replace my laptop was only $600, Yay Black Friday. So I took $350 from my account and I took $250 from the money I was going to deposit into her personal account for December and I got my new computer.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 11
    This will in no way affect our budget for anything other than our own personal side projects and hobbies. I was looking forward to getting myself a new Lego set to work on with my kids over the holidays but now I will have to rebuild one of my old ones with them. Which is also fun
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 12
    Well now she is I at me because she has to cut back on her fun stuff for December. She likes to have a spa day with her mom for example. I said that I wasn't responsible for my computer being broken and that she 100% was. She said it was an accident and that I should forgive her. I said I wasn't upset, but that if she felt I should forgive her then I fully forgive her but she still has to help me pay for a new laptop.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 13
    AITA? EDIT I did not just take her money. We talked about it first. She is still upset that I expect her to take responsibility. I did not make a dictatorial decision. We do not work that way.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 14
    SecretJealous4342 NTA You are right, she broke it she needs to take responsibility. The only thing I can say is did you talk to her before you took the money?
    via u/SecretJealous4342
  • 15
    60 TemporaryWalrus7461 OP Yes I did. I would not arbitrarily deny her money that she is counting on. She knew she messed up, she just didn't want to pay for messing up.
    via u/TemporaryWalrus7461
  • 16
    Huge-Ad-1761 Is anyone else cringing while reading this? ↑ 2.1k 2.1k Share limedifficult Reads like a parent disciplining a teenager and not his wife.
    via u/Huge-Ad-1761
  • 17
    He Who_Is_Right_ How is what your wife did an accident in any way, shape, or form? You are very clear that she is not to go into your office without you. Rather than adhere to that very simple (and reasonable) restriction, she decided to trespass right over your
    via u/He_Who_Is_Right_
  • 18
    boundary and mess with your stuff. You have every right to be livid given the facts as you've described them. Your wife appears to be doing nothing less disgusting than snooping. You are to be commended for the grace you showed her in light of that (mis)conduct.
    via u/He_Who_Is_Right_
  • 19
    With respect to your decision to take the money out of her fun money, it's perfectly reasonable. The funds have to come from somewhere. They shouldn't come out of the household budget, and they shouldn't come from your fun money. They should come from the person who committed the infraction; they should
    via u/He_Who_Is_Right_
  • 20
    come from your wife's fun money. The maxim "you break it, you buy it" applies. NTA.
    via u/He_Who_Is_Right_
  • 21
    This_Grab_452 It feels a bit icky. The entire vibe of the post is weird. The dynamic between you and your wife doesn't feel like two adult partners. More like parent-child. "She knows not to go in there, she broke my laptop, she needs to be held accountable."
    via u/This_Grab_452
  • 22
    I get that there is an agreement, fair enough. However, you don't specify how she broke it (did she drop it? drop something on it?) and you don't even say why she went to clean up in the first place. Perhaps she thought she was doing something nice for you?
    via u/This_Grab_452
  • 23
    Bottom line is, it doesn't seem like you're struggling financially and there was no malicious intent from her part. Taking her share of money, which she has no way of earning herself, just seems like you're trying to teach teenager a lesson and not solve a problem between you and your wife. For the sake of rules: NAH
    via u/This_Grab_452
  • 24
    tenpercentofnothing. Respectfully (gently?), ESH. She shouldn't have messed with things on your desk at all, but I feel like you're taking from her fun money to punish her. People in a committed partnership should be able to give each other some grace. She made a mistake and that warrants an apology
    via u/tenpercentofnothing
  • 25
    from her and a conversation about boundaries. The transgression was cleaning your desk- not accidentally breaking the laptop. You're setting a poor precedent here, too, putting you and your wife on opposing teams.
    via u/tenpercentofnothing
  • 26
    My husband cost us a thousand dollars this year. He needed to sign some paperwork in his name by a certain date. I reminded him several times and the deadline passed. Luckily, we're financially comfortable so this was upsetting, but not really terrible. The next time I want to buy something expensive, I could remind him that his
    via u/tenpercentofnothing
  • 27
    inaction cost us money and now I get to spend $1000 any way that I want-but I don't want to be in a relationship where we nickel and dime each other or keep a running tally of transgressions. Your partner isn't a stranger who rear-ended you; this is someone you chose to build a life with. She did a thing by messing with your desk so talk to her
    via u/tenpercentofnothing
  • 28
    about that and give her grace about paying towards the laptop. She'll be much more likely to give you grace the next time that you make a mistake.
    via u/tenpercentofnothing

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