by Donna Marie Gray

Created on: March 31, 2010

I believe that husbands spend more than wives because the items they splurge on are usually not a necessity. Contrary to popular belief, men are far more gullible than women when it comes to a sales pitch. The proof of this is, when you receive a phone call from a salesman who would like to set up an appointment to demonstrate his product. However, he will only set it up when both the husband and wife are available.

Why is that? It is because the wife will want to think about it, evaluate the necessity versus overall cost, and not make a hasty decision on the spot. The husband will want to take advantage of the immediate discounts available if the decision is made when the presentation is over. In fact, there will most likely be several ’discounts’ if the husband has any doubts. He then feels he got a really good deal.

In reality, the salesman had quoted a higher price initially knowing that the husband is going to try to talk him down. This is all part of the sales pitch. Some salesmen will even take a moment to call their manager and propose a deal you won’t be able to resist. All of this should tell you that you are being conned. The true value is no where near the price originally quoted. By phoning his manager, this allows him to encourage you to believe the manager (for some obscure reason) is going to give you a really special deal.

Husbands also cannot pass up a bargain they may come across accidentally. If a sign says ‘buy one, get one free’, well... there you go! You’ve got two of something you will never use. Husbands love the sales that say ‘only $1.00 ea. when you buy 10’. I don’t need ten jars of peanut butter, I don’t need ten quarts of ice cream, and I surely don’t need ten boxes of cookies. By the time you spend $10.00 to take advantage of three different items that are on sale, you have spent $30.00 and you have no groceries.

As the main shopper in our family, I will often take advantage of the buy one, get one free deal. But that is usually for items that we use a lot and having a backup is good. But I’m not one who will be pressured to buy anything I don’t need. Call it my New England ‘frugal’ bringing up. Times are tough right now, and I’ve never been one to spend for the fun of it. Husbands don’t seem to understand the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’. They think they need everything they want.

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