What do you tell your wife/husband when you come home with that new cymbal?

[Atomic]

OK, cymbals are an addiction. Each one sounds different. I have bought 4 in the past 6 months. What do you tell your significant other when you come home with another? I have to hide money in my Bass drum case to fund additional ones. Oh what we have to do! Now there is this Zildjian Z custom I tried today, sounded so good... might have to go back tomorrow and buy it. Where will I hide it?

[Mark Schlipper]

i show her and play it for her.   i wouldnt be involved with someone who didnt understand and wasnt supportive  ;D    i actually have a harder time justifying gear purchases to myself than the missus.  

[Gregg Rivers]

Yup I agree with 563! And I would add that anytime you tell the truth you'll come out better than telling a lie! My wife sometimes gets a little miffed about me making BIG purchases without talking to here about it FIRST, and she should!  ;) But she understands that playing is important to me and she supports that 100%. lol She just try's to get me to do it without putting us in the poor house! lol Tell your spouse the truth! They desrve that!  

[DrumGun]

My wife is pretty rocking about stuff like that, but I'm also in the position to point out that drums bought our house, so she's pre-disposed to taking it easy on me.  I will say though, that "They were only $3,600 with my deal, it would've been 8" - does NOT help.  It's smoother when you let her pick the colors, as well.

[Mightydog]

Yup--another vote for Tell The Wife.

We have a Line Of Credit account with the bank that usually has a little room to roam. If I really need something, we discuss it and get it 99% of the time. It's not unusual when we go by the music store for something to catch my eye (of course). Most of the time, my wife suggests that I get whatever it is.

Sometimes, if it's near a Father's Day, Birthday, Christmas or other such occaision, I'll buy it. Then, she'll wrap it up and give it to me. We all win--I get what I want and the wife and kids are able to buy for the most impossible person to shop for.

[random]

i don't have a wife (or a husband!!!), not even a girlfriend (not sure if that's good or bad...)

i also don't have the money to buy drum stuff...

i guess i'd probably be honest about it if i had to answer to anybody about my purchases though!

[ChinaCymbol]

I'm addicted to spending money on my drums, i spend $1500 on cymbols in 3 months... I think i need a gf to straighten me out lol

[nudrum]

I'm like 563, I guess, in that I will not buy something that I want cause I don't feel it's justified. But if I asked my wife she  would tell me to get it. I use to put my drum income, as little as it is, into the "family" account. She suggested that I put it in my own account and spend it on drum stuff. That allowed me to rationalize the purchase of my new set. I also used it to buy those Bosphorus cymbals when we took our trip to the Mediterranean. :D

[kingjohn39]

I just tell her the poor little thing followed me home from the store.  ;)

Really though, we usually end up discussing it and then she talks me into it. Like 563 said, I have a harder time spending the money than she does (just lucky I guess).
Now she's trying to talk me into the Iron Cobra pedal I've had my eye on.

John

[JeepnDrummer]

I tell her that she'd better keep her trap shut or I'll blacken the other eye!  ;D   Just kidding, really.....I swear!  ;)

I'm envious of some of you whose wife or gf encourages your drum equipment purchases.  Mine has close to zero interest in my drumming and mostly gives me grief over my cymbal purchases.  That reminds me.....I need a new 16" crash.   :)

Tom

[Carn]

usually I am already babbling about a certain piece of gear months before i can actually buy it, so my girlfriend is happy when i get so i keep my mout shut about it :)

[Tkitna]

My wife usually goes with me when I hit the music store. I get hooked up with some decent deals since i'm friends with the drum pro and when i'm salivating over a certain piece, she has it on the counter with her purse open before I know it. I wouldnt lie to her about anything like that. Its not like she isnt going to know I bought something because she sits down at my set and plays too.  I'm about due for something soon since I let her go to Las Vegas with her family members last month. Paybacks are a wife ,,,,,, er you know what I mean.

[MOUSE]

You did what!!!!
I guess i'm a lucky sod or was it i got it sorted right in the first place.My wife is an ex muso and understands that what i earn at gigs is mine. I hoard it and buy tasty drum goodies with it and so have a nice kit. Many muso mates of mine still play on crap gear but are happy stoned out and broke.
Occasionally when i rarely have excess gear loot i'll surprise her and buy her something nice. A bit of respect both ways goes a long way. ;)

[Louis Russell]

She never complained about music equipment but one time she did pitch a fit over an airplane I bought.  So I just looked her right in the eyes and said "you crazy old woman, how would you like it if I knocked all your teeth out?  Airplanes are what makes us money you goofy, complaining ole witch"  Of course I was saying all this to myself because if she heard me  I would have been the one with no teeth.  It always pays to tell the truth because "the truth will set you free"  of course sometimes it hurts a little.

[MVanDoren1]

uhmmm... same thing she tells you when she comes home with that new dress?
"But honey- I got it for 40%off!"

I had to instantly reply to this as soon as I read the question.  I've since gone back and read all your responses and an encouraged as to the number of guys who would discuss things with their wives first- and the number of wives out there who would encourage the purchases.  Kristi and I have too many divorced friends, usually wives who had the spauns of Satan for husbands (their words not mine).  People who don't respect their spouses or significant others are headed for whirlwinds of grief and trouble.  Its great to see a healthy number of you who have seemingly healthy relationships.  I know Kristi has been very supportive of my purchases and I hers.  We don't always agree but thats an impossible combination anyway- no two people are exactly alike.  

So hats off to all of you who discuss major purchases BEFORE you make them- whether you feel like you have your own money or not.  And on a seconday note- take the change from those couple hundred dollars you just spent, buy a variety of chocolates and serve them to your wive/gf atop that new brass platter.  If she's a chocoholic, she may not even notice the cymbal ;)

[Bart Elliott]

I have enough crap now that my wife would know if it were new or not. She would just figure that it was something she hadn't seen yet.

It's different for me since I make my living in music. I have a business account from which I pay myself a salary ... which goes to run the household. The rest is there to be used for whatever I need ... like gear. The catch to all of this, however, is that from that same business account I have to take care of all other business expenses. This would mean all maintenance on my cargo van, computer, insurance, cell phone, etc. So when the idiot broke into my van and stole my stick bag ... I had to pay for the broke window and replace all the stuff stolen ... all out of the business account.

So it has it's rewards ... but it also has it's punishment.  ;)

[BigBillInBoston]

We both work. We both have certain bill-paying responsibilities and a certain amount of "mad-money". If I want to use mine for cymbals, drums, etc., I do. If she wants to use hers for decorating, expensive shoes, etc., she does. Bigger stuff we talk about.

Now, negotiating to turn the basement recreation room into a combination "drum-room" and band rehearsal space after our daughter left for college, that took a little more work ;).

BigBill

[Tony]

New cymbals?  What's that?

Seriously, any gear purchases I make are usually the result of $$ I made on a gig, so my wife could care less.  Of course, I try to be fair and split my gig $$.  If I buy a piece of gear one week, the next time I use the money for something around the house I know my wife wants.  I'm in no position to complain, since she knew I had been eyeballing my DW kit for about a year before I bought it.  One day we were in the music store buying some sticks, etc and out of the blue she said, "Why don't you ask John (the owner and a friend) what he'll take for that kit you want so bad.  It's been on the floor for over a year, I'm sure he'll make you a deal."  I replied it wasn't worth it, since I wasn't going to buy it.  She replied, "No, but I'll buy it for you if the price is right."  Well, I went home that day with a new DW kit with cases!!!

[MVanDoren1]

We recently had the opportunity to make available for other purposes, a bedroom in our house.  I believe within about one hours discussion time it became "My drum room with Kristi's stamping stuff"  while to her its "Kristi's stamp room  with my drums in it"  For those of you who are wondering, this stamping stuff consists of endless boxes of rubber stamps, inks, papers, etc for gift card making, wall art, etc.  I own one corner of the room, she has all the rest but I'm about to refigure my kit so that it will require more room.  I'm moving the 13' tom to the left of the snare, getting the post out of the bass drum and a few other things.

[Mister Acrolite]

She replied, "No, but I'll buy it for you if the price is right."  Well, I went home that day with a new DW kit with cases!!!

Tony, THAT is what we call a "keeper."

Wow.

Does she have a sister?   ;)

(Kidding - I'm very happily engaged to another musician/computer geek whose own eBay addiction keeps her from complaining about my purchases. )  ;D