36-year-old wife buys expensive stroller behind husband’s back despite them trying to save money, he finds out anyway, causing marital tension

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Aug 20, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Money is easy to fight about. It doesn't matter if it's between friends, coworkers, family, spouses, or a random barista in a cafe. Money gets to a sensitive area of our soul, and everyone reacts to it differently. A husband and wife argue about money, despite having different financial accounts. The husband thinks they should be more frugal, and the wife doesn't. She wants to buy a top tier stroller for their 1-year-old, while he thinks they should be saving more money. She ends up buying it behind his back, causing tension in their relationship. 

I find that sometimes the more wealthy a person has grown up, the greedier they are. In Dante's Inferno, the circle for the sinners of greed are eternally punished by having to roll enormous, heavy stones and all crash into each other. The pointlessness of their folly echoes the pointlessness of hoarding onto an ephemeral and earthly delight, like money and material objects. 

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  • 01

    AITAH for wanting a used stroller

    Couple with baby in stroller
    via Syda Productions / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    TLDR: disagreed with my wife on which stroller to buy, she bought the more expensive one without
    via u/the_amazing_red

  • Money will be a point of contention forever, and there's no getting around it. At least in this story, the husband and wife seem to have a healthy enough relationship that they were able to come to a middle ground without too much fighting. 

  • 03
    telling me, when I asked she said she won't ask me to pay for half so it's none of my business.
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 04
    Hi all, so my wife(36F) and I (36M) have a 1yo daughter.
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 05
    For context: we recently bought our first house and we are facing a steep increase in our interest rate on top of the usual 10-15k it
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 06
    already cost to move into the house. We would like to travel while airfare is still free for my
    via u/the_amazing_red
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    daughter. I'm typically more conservative about money, sometimes to a fault.
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 08
    So my wife has been talking about buying a third stroller for travelling, one that airlines typically allow in the overhead compartment (we
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 09
    have a regular stroller and a running stroller). My typical approach to spending is to ask
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 10
    myself if an expense can be avoided, delayed or reduced. While I agree that this expense can't be
    via u/the_amazing_red
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    avoided (or delayed by more than a few months), I told my wife we could reduce this expense by
    via u/the_amazing_red
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    buying a cheaper brand travel stroller (for instance CAD280 vs CAD730) and/or buying used.
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 13
    Yesterday I got a notification on our shared Amazon account that there had been a purchase of the model my wife wanted. I asked my
    via u/the_amazing_red
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    wife about it and she said she bought it without asking me. She also said she paid for it with her
    via u/the_amazing_red
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    own money and won't be asking me to pay for half. I still think she should have asked me
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 16
    Why I think I might be TA: Who am I to tell my wife what to do with her own money
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 17
    Why I think I might not be: I was not consulted, and with our ongoing higher than usual expenses, I think we should be more thrifty at the moment
    via u/the_amazing_red
  • 18
    Baby stroller
    via alexlmx / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 19
    PropQues If you guys have separate finances, then she is free to do what she wants, as long as
    via u/PropQues
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    you do not actually dislike the stroller she bought.
    via u/PropQues
  • 21
    But very concerning that her approach to making financial decisions is like that.
    via u/PropQues
  • 22
    [deleted] If you have separate finances she can buy the stroller she wants... this type situation will
    via Reddit
  • 23
    probably keep coming up though so you guys should probably communicate about it.
    via Reddit
  • 24
    Woman pushing baby stroller
    via morfin21 from Daniel morfin / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 25
    [deleted] If your wife wants to spend her own money on something that makes her day to day life easier, especially in order to
    via Reddit
  • 26
    maintain a lifestyle that includes a lot of travel, which you seem keen on, then what's the problem? If you
    via Reddit
  • 27
    were paying for half and she didn't compromise, I could. see the problem. But YTA for trying to control her portion
    via Reddit
  • 28
    of the separate finances. This isn't about the stroller. You're obviously uncomfortable with your current financial situation
    via Reddit
  • 29
    so either you need to get over the urge to control her money or have a discussion with your
    via Reddit
  • 30
    wife about amending the way your family approaches finances.
    via Reddit

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family drama marriage baby drama wife family feud married life relationships husband lol love stroller family reddit thread Reddit funny money dating
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