Dear Abby advises someone who is trying to help their friend navigate a struggling marriage with a cheap husband during the holidays.
My friend is married to a penny-pincher. He hates spending money. They are retired and have sizable assets. He never buys her anything for her birthday or takes her out to dinner. He doesn’t buy her a card on Valentine’s Day, either.
They each own their own homes and commute back and forth between them. When he comes to her house, she has her refrigerator stocked. When she goes to his, he has no food. She must go to the market and buy food for both of them. Then he gets angry in the market about spending money on food. He hates restaurants because they cost money.
Because he’s so cheap, he goes to the local hospital and buys his dinner from the cafeteria there. They keep their finances separate, but she feels he should do something for her for holidays and special occasions.
She always does nice things for him, like treating him to sporting events, dinners, etc. If they go out with a group of people, he gets annoyed with splitting the bill.
