Wednesday, December 19, 2007

recent musings

You know how you do things a certain way, and that's normal to you? And then you realize, either one day or as the result of a series of little reactions from others over time, that the way you do things is weird to a lot of people?

I don't have this experience often, but every once in awhile, I do. Here are a couple of recent ones:

* Is it really so weird for an adult to order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for oneself? In this case, in a crowded Potbelly's Sandwich Works in downtown D.C.? I realize that it's a bit stupid, in the sense that it costs Potbelly's about 45 cents for the ingredients, but sometimes, you just want what you want. I am rarely in the mood for a sandwich with four kinds of meat in it, a la their "Wreck." And yet I am the odd one for my order of PB&J.

* Is it really so strange/alarming for a married couple to maintain separate monetary systems? Bank accounts and the like? I have heard a lot of scoffing (not really directed at me, but as it happens, that's how we do things) from people about this. Especially marriage "experts." I clicked on a story discussing marital finances in regards to this matter at msn.com yesterday, and I thought for a few seconds that I had found sweet vindication. Until I saw that it was financial "experts" who suggested separate accounts. For purposes of simplification if a divorce happened. Whoops. But seriously, it works for us. We are open with each other about finances, we share all expenses fairly equally, and geez, we were 29 and 35 when we got married. We're used to what we're used to. So what's the big?

2 comments:

  1. We've been eating a lot of PB & J around the Fee household lately. It's so good, but even more important, the ingredients have a shelf-life of, I don't know, forever?

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  2. Anonymous1:47 PM EST

    I think letting "experts" determine how you manage your finances--or do most other things--in your married life instead of the ways that you are both comfortable with is probably a lot more likely to lead to divorce than having separate bank accounts.

    My parents have been married for just shy of 40 years and Mom deliberately doesn't want to know what Dad spends on all his golfing crap.

    As for the PB&J, I feel the same way about getting a grilled cheese sandwich at Bourbon...but they're sooo good.

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