If you are married and collect comics.......

[Brian48]

My wife does not complain about storage space since even with all my books in one place, my collection still does not occupy as much space as all her mess. Also, she doesn't complain (to much any way) about my spending since I bring in almost 80% of the income and I put up with the clothes, shoes and bags she spends her cash on. At least with my mess, whether it be my comics, guns, or sports memorabilia, I can always resell it and possibly even make a profit.

 

[Hamlet]

My comic spending has always been low enough that it really isn't significant to our finances. My wife isn't thrilled with the space they take up in our bedroom though.

 

We're moving to a bigger house this summer, so that issue will be resolved with a comic book room. Unfortunately, the house is expensive enough that comic purchases will probably be pretty minimal until the kids are out of daycare.

 

On the plus side, with a comic room, I can entertain myself with dollar box purchases without worrying about where I will put them. Honestly, I enjoy buying a stack of dollar box books that I think are worth $3/each as much or more than buying something expensive.

 

I keep meaning to have a sales thread, but inertia is powerful.

 

 

[MusterMark]

I had to put off buying comics for the 20 years I had a wife, except for a few cover price moderns here and there. With her the rules were she could spend whatever she wanted - on herself, and I could do the same - spend whatever I wanted, as long as it was on her. I and our kids got lucky when she found her new love and fled to Australia to marry him. The judge told me I could have pursued child support from her, even in Australia, but I told him the she never did care for them while she was here, and she would not while she was gone, so I did not seek it. I just got lucky I was able to keep what I had.

 

I enjoy the single life, and if I ever decide I want a relationship again, it will be with a nerdy comic girl, er woman I guess, who likes to go to cons, someone I can share my love of comics with, instead of someone who makes me put them out of sight and out of mind.

 

I am just having too much fun, re-connecting with my old friends and getting into the hobbies I had to put aside, then to try to get into a relationship again.

 

 

 

[Lucky Baru]

While my wife has no interest in comics, or original art she is supportive about my interest. She's glad that I have a hobby that brings me joy.

[ttfitz]

My wife really has no clue, but knows I dump a lot of money into comics.

 

That being said, if we ever were to divorce (ain't going to happen), she deserves at least half, if not more.

 

We have been together 34 years, have three kids, etc. I would never attempt to cut her out of what she deserves.

 

I never understood the concept of hiding anything from your spouse.

 

My ex used to sneak in shopping stuff and I couldn't give a hoot as I spent multiples of that on on comics.

 

When we separated I opted to pay more for child support than I was supposed to, and then bought a house down the street and still have a great relationship with my kids.

 

My current wife knows everything about me including most of the log in passwords (yes, including my cell phone and my main email). And she definitely deserves at least half of everything for putting up with me, should something go south.

 

And I don't know if I'd be posting about hiding anything on the internet anyway.

 

 

 

Same here. I can't imagine being with someone who wasn't supportive of my hobby, much less try to keep that from her.

 

Now hookers and blow, that's a different story.

[COI]

My wife really has no clue, but knows I dump a lot of money into comics.

 

That being said, if we ever were to divorce (ain't going to happen), she deserves at least half, if not more.

 

We have been together 34 years, have three kids, etc. I would never attempt to cut her out of what she deserves.

 

I never understood the concept of hiding anything from your spouse.

 

My ex used to sneak in shopping stuff and I couldn't give a hoot as I spent multiples of that on on comics.

 

When we separated I opted to pay more for child support than I was supposed to, and then bought a house down the street and still have a great relationship with my kids.

 

My current wife knows everything about me including most of the log in passwords (yes, including my cell phone and my main email). And she definitely deserves at least half of everything for putting up with me, should something go south.

 

And I don't know if I'd be posting about hiding anything on the internet anyway.

 

 

 

Again, tell her I'm sorry about the dong shots. Those were intended for your eyes only.

[revat]

My wife really has no clue, but knows I dump a lot of money into comics.

 

That being said, if we ever were to divorce (ain't going to happen), she deserves at least half, if not more.

 

We have been together 34 years, have three kids, etc. I would never attempt to cut her out of what she deserves.

 

I never understood the concept of hiding anything from your spouse.

 

My ex used to sneak in shopping stuff and I couldn't give a hoot as I spent multiples of that on on comics.

 

When we separated I opted to pay more for child support than I was supposed to, and then bought a house down the street and still have a great relationship with my kids.

 

My current wife knows everything about me including most of the log in passwords (yes, including my cell phone and my main email). And she definitely deserves at least half of everything for putting up with me, should something go south.

 

And I don't know if I'd be posting about hiding anything on the internet anyway.

 

 

 

Same here. I can't imagine being with someone who wasn't supportive of my hobby, much less try to keep that from her.

 

Now hookers and blow, that's a different story.

 

I agree, always keep your comics away from your hookers and blow.

[crassus]

Great thread. Its like "The Game of Life...Collectors Edition".

 

I am married and I once had 2 "safe houses" for my comic art.

 

For years pages came in to either "J's" or "V's"' apartment and sometimes I would go and share a few drinks and visit my art.

 

The change came when I decided to try and make comics and art pay for the comics and art. I had my paycheques direct deposited into a joint account from which my wife manages all the family finances. I never touch a cent of my professional income.

 

With that change I kind of came out of the closet. Win or lose the cost or benefit is measured in my own collection, up or down.

 

Its one of the reasons I always get a bit sore when people person_without_enough_empathy about "flippers". Flipping is good. Flipping is what allows me to grow a collection (or at least try to) without having to sneak around.

 

 

[VintageComics]

My wife really has no clue, but knows I dump a lot of money into comics.

 

That being said, if we ever were to divorce (ain't going to happen), she deserves at least half, if not more.

 

We have been together 34 years, have three kids, etc. I would never attempt to cut her out of what she deserves.

 

I never understood the concept of hiding anything from your spouse.

 

My ex used to sneak in shopping stuff and I couldn't give a hoot as I spent multiples of that on on comics.

 

When we separated I opted to pay more for child support than I was supposed to, and then bought a house down the street and still have a great relationship with my kids.

 

My current wife knows everything about me including most of the log in passwords (yes, including my cell phone and my main email). And she definitely deserves at least half of everything for putting up with me, should something go south.

 

And I don't know if I'd be posting about hiding anything on the internet anyway.

 

 

 

While I agree with you in principle, I do have to (for work purposes) maintain some privacy from my girlfriend. She is not allowed access to my main laptop (backups and desktops are fair game, as are all tablets) or my phone as they contain sensitive information. That doesn't bother her, what does somewhat is my reluctance to discuss work. She wants me to talk about how my day was and when I answer monosyllabicly she wants details. I can't go into details.

 

That's a tough one but totally understandable.

 

Just find other things to talk about. Expression through discussion is very important to some (most) women.

[rapid08]

My wife fully knows about my habit. She's not too judgemental and sometimes even chips in to buy keys. I've contemplated selling off my entire collection but she always says no.

[fantastic_four]

I had to put off buying comics for the 20 years I had a wife, except for a few cover price moderns here and there. With her the rules were she could spend whatever she wanted - on herself, and I could do the same - spend whatever I wanted, as long as it was on her.

 

Is that an exaggeration? If not, why'd you agree to such an inequitable relationship for two decades? Was she making up for it in another way, perhaps?

[Mark 1]

My wife and I have a completely honest relationship and are open about money.

 

I've been in relationships where you hide stuff from each other and it only ends in breaking up.

 

My wife knows all about my comics hobby, my guitar hobby, my my statue hobby and my love of all things music.

 

I support her interests and she supports mine.

 

That's a marriage.

[entalmighty1]

I may be the luckiest human on the planet, as my wife has exactly zero vices that cost money. She is also 99% accepting of me buying comics, provided we agree on large purchases before they happen. I also collect firearms of different eras/countries of origin. The only rule in place is I can't do both at the same time, as they're both expensive hobbies.

 

The first few bigger books I bought kind of worried her, but if I'm able to show her some sales prices a few months after I buy, it alleviates her fears for the most part.

[CheeseFrog]

I think my wife has learned to just stop asking

 

I know I don't need to outright *hide* the purchases from her, but I'm a bit self conscious about it, so it isn't really spoken of. Separate bank account, credit cards, etc... for the hobbies.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

My wife is great. Most of my early ASM books she purchased. I usually send her a bunch of eBay listings that are a decent deal and she picks what she wants. Last year, she went a bit rogue, but got me some nice books.

 

She gives me a hard time sometimes, but she doesn't really mind. Heck we've got a few comics hanging in our living room.

 

When we were dating, she got me a nice raw copy of ASM 300 which would later become a 9.4.

 

I couldn't imagine keeping secrets from her. I'm not sure that is healthy.

[wombat]

 

I couldn't imagine keeping secrets from her. I'm not sure that is healthy.

 

Same here. She would beat the carp out of me if she found out I was hiding stuff from her.

[ThreeSeas]

I had to put off buying comics for the 20 years I had a wife, except for a few cover price moderns here and there. With her the rules were she could spend whatever she wanted - on herself, and I could do the same - spend whatever I wanted, as long as it was on her.

 

Is that an exaggeration? If not, why'd you agree to such an inequitable relationship for two decades? Was she making up for it in another way, perhaps?

 

I hope you got a cup of coffee, as this is a long one. For those of you who do not want too much information about this comic loving guy, please skip this, and I meant that, if you do not want to know about my life, then skip this.

 

I wish it were an exaggeration. I guess she made up for it by not going all the way insane and killing me. She was okay most of time, as long as things gone her way. But there never was any violence in our family, no one ever hit another or anything like that. She used to tell me that she loved me and I her almost on a daily basis. The last words she said to me as she left was that she loved me, I had really thought that she was going through a mid-life thing and would be home the next day, and not the #@$%#$ all the way over to a new man in Aussie land.

 

I guess I was just desperate for the married life. The first couple of years she did everything with me. She'd help around the farm, plant flowers while I did the garden, ect.. Then she gradually changed while the years went on, to the point where she did not want to work at anything, her life changed to be all about Facebook.

 

When first married we had an agreement. She did not want to work outside of the home and I said as long as she did the housework then I would bring home the paycheck. That gradually changed as time went on.

 

One day she decided she would no longer make the bed or do much of any housework, no big deal, I would do it. She told me that she quit doing it because I did not say thank you on a daily basis. I am not kidding, she actually wanted me to say thanks to her every day for everything she did. I asked her why she did not thank me for bringing home a paycheck or doing any of the work that helped improve both of our lives. She got angry with me about that.

 

When she grew up she never had much of anything because her parents were too busy with the vices, drinking, etc.. So she made sure she bought everything under the sun, or it felt like it anyways. Kids toys, the kids had no interest in - I think I have close to 15 or 20 storage totes of toys and games, from the mid 90's, all stored out in one of my barns.

 

My ex was a bit bipolar and if she saw something at the store and I told her she did not really need it, then she would be unbearable to live with for two or three days. This applied to everything that she wanted to buy, whether it was for the us or the kids. Sometimes when company was over she would say "Scott won't let me get ....blah blah blah", would make me out to be the bad guy. After a while of her pouting and other anger directed at the kids and I, I just gave up and let her have her way. Big mistake but I really tried hard to keep her happy.

 

The last few years at home the kids and I walked on eggshells around her, we knew better than to set her off. One time someone on FB posted something negative and she was angry for almost a week.

 

When she left it was just one less person for me to feed I guess. She quit doing my laundry years ago, or much of anything else for that matter. I would get home from work, she would help me decide what to have for supper, but 75% of the time I would be the one cooking it. When supper was over she would go to her computer and I and the kids would take care of the dishes. She had us trained well. But dang she would talk and convince you how what she was doing was the right thing and if you thought anything else then you were plain wrong. Her way to win arguments was to just yell loader. I don't like yelling or fighting in general.

 

When she met the Australian and left us for him it was like a Godsend. This enormous weight was lifted from our family. My kids were in their mid to late teens and were glad to see her go. Actually after she left I had to really convince my kids that she was still their mother and they should still communicate with her. My daughter did not speak to her for a long time and all the time the ex was telling her friends that I brainwashed the kids against her, while in the meantime I did the opposite.

 

I made it a point to never talk bad about her in front of the kids, as they were borne of her and carry her genes. I felt if I ever said anything bad it may effect the kids so I did and do not. We did have conversations about what it was like to be bipolar and what mental illness was.

 

My ex was a bit loopy, to put it mildly, one day she decided to speak in different accents, she had three, a southern lady, a Chinese woman, and another I cannot remember. It was quite embarrassing when she decided to do this at her sisters on Thanksgiving day. Oh, and she also talked to and heard from the dead on a regular basis.

 

For the past two years I have been sorting through boxes of stuff she had left behind, she was a borderline hoarder. As part of the divorce I had to give her, well actually I volunteered to give her all of her papers that had to do with her failed business attempt. There were six boxes full, boxes that those reams of paper from Staples comes in, and that was just her loose papers.

 

Last summer I was finally able to bring my comics in for proper storage, they were in a closed off porch for 15 or so years, but they did pretty good even though the area was not really climate controlled.

 

Oh, and now I am back to being social with my old friends. None of them or their spouses liked my ex and would rarely visit. When first married we would go over to dinners at their houses but the ex would never want to reciprocate. My ex was a bit of a bully too, she always wanted to be in control. After she left I really got to find out what my friends thought of her.

 

I really got an eye opener from her sister, who disowned the ex and is still good friends with me and my kids. She told me how growing up the ex never would do any work and that the sister could not believe how different my ex was when married to me as she, the sister, thought my ex was putting on an act by showing interest in my life and the farm, etc.. 20 years putting on an act? oh man was I stupid, but being close to someone can do that to you heh heh.

 

The sister told me that my ex just gradually went back into being who she always was. The kids and I still have our holiday time with the now ex-sister-in-law and her husband. I wondered how that would work out, but the sister in law will not talk to her sister, my ex, due mainly to how she was treated growing up by the ex.

 

Oh, back to the comment "Was she making up for it in another way, perhaps?". She made sure the good nights were good is all I will say. I think about this now, with her, and I about want to throw up, but back then we were quite intimate, even to the morning when she was leaving, that's why I could not believe she was leaving for good. I was too close to see how nuts she really was. I just wonder what it will be like to be with a normal person, if I ever decide I want a relationship again.

 

Some time maybe or maybe not, I will tell the story of how my ex tried to get her friends to dump their husbands. It worked with her best friend, who split with her husband in 2011 and who me and the ex rented a room in the house to. She still rents a room in the house, but mainly lives with her boyfriend in another town. She just comes home a day or two a month and gives me a rent check, then goes to the boyfriends. (Never was or will be anything between her and I if you wondered). So yep, the ex left me, our kids, and her best friend too. The friend knew ahead of time about my ex leaving - I was told just a couple of days beforehand - but I do not hold it against the friend as she was my ex's friend.

 

I think I need to write a book about all of this. And maybe I'll add a chapter about how I got my ex's old dead boyfriends coffin out in my barn, true, but not what you think.

[wombat]

Sorry to hear all that, but sounds like things are much better now.

[drbanner]

I guess she made up for it by not going all the way insane and killing me.

Now there's a glass half-full for ya!

 

Glad it's all now in your rear view...

[ThothAmon]

My wife of 19 years puts up with my hobby but she has no idea how much I spend. A few months before we got married we pooled our resources and bought 6 pages of Hulk 4 for the then rich price of $700 a page.