As a 37-year-old earning RM8k per month, I've only managed to save RM100k in my savings which i know is insufficient. To ramp up my savings, I've adopted a frugal lifestyle.

However, this has led to tension with my wife, who feels we should enjoy life more and want to take control over our finance.

As a housewife, she is good at taking care our childrens but not in managing finance. i'm hesitant to hand over our finance to her due to her limited experience.

Should i prioritize making my wife happy and risk compromising our financial stability or find alternative solutions to address her concerns?

I'm torn between securing our financial future and maintaining a happy marriage.

Any advice would be appreciated.




Edit : My main question is should i let my wife happy and control our finances, even if it compromises our financial stability?

This post has been edited by Lonelybird: Jan 21 2025, 09:13 PM

My spending habits tend to be conservative, opting for affordable items, cooking at home, and minimizing vacations.

In contrast, my wife values quality over price, enjoys dining out, and loves taking vacations, leading to differing priorities when it comes to our lifestyle.

we eating out 3-4 times every months with the kids.

I started being frugal 3 years ago when i realized i had no savings in the bank.

i used to live by the " you only live once" mindset, spending freely without care.

Until i realized i had no savings, i made a drastic change.

This post has been edited by Lonelybird: Jan 21 2025, 07:33 PM

Yes i should cut down my monthly savings to make my wife happy.

But that will slow down my retirement plan.

I've tried discussing our financial priorities with my wife several times, but our conversations have ended in frustration for both of us.

I've explained that saving for our retirement is crucial to avoid burdening our children in future. However, she insist that we can save without sacrificing our entertainment and lifestyle.

How to save without sacrificing our lifestyle?

This is how we ended up frustration.

This post has been edited by Lonelybird: Jan 21 2025, 08:56 PM

Can if we adjust lifestyle.

I can save 2k a month with 8k salary.

But now my wife not happy, i might reduce saving.

Few months ago, my wife and i had a disagreement about buying a new car.

She wanted a new model of X50, while i preferred a more affordable Proton Saga.

The discussion turned into a heated argument because she think that better car have better quality and last longer.

The X50 installment could eating up my entire monthly saving, and i eventually dropped the idea of buying a new car, opting to continue driving my old livina instead.

Some months i max out saving can reach 3k a month.

Don't forget Asb dividen gives 5%+ yearly interest.

I once reminded my wife to appreciate what we have, pointing out that we're fortunate to have a roof over our heads and food on the table.

I mentioned that many people struggle to survive with much less. However, my words fell flat, and she gave me the cold shoulder for days.

The tension at home affected not just me, but also our kids' happiness."

I will never tell her this anymore.

I've noticed a significant change in my wife's behavior over the years.

When we first got married, she was very supportive of my efforts to save money. In fact, she would encourage me to save as much as possible.

However, things started to shift when she realized I had built up some savings.

She began to desire a more luxurious lifestyle and started making more demands, which has been a challenge for me to balance.

It took me 3 years to save that amount of money.

I save about 2k per month and throw in my yearly bonus.