DH and I disagree. He grew up poor and now would never openly say, ‘I can’t afford it,’ or give the impression that he doesn’t have much money. He says it’s because he doesn’t want to be pitied and wants to feel like he belongs socially.
I have no problem being open if I’m not opting in to something because it’s too much. I would absolutely never talk about all the money I do have, but I’m not embarrassed to say if something is too much or if I’m stressed about money. If I do this, it makes DH cringe massively.
DH got laid off in December, which was stressful as we are mid-construction project and have a lot of outgoings. He has since started a new job thankfully, but it did bring up this difference between us.
How open are you if you can’t afford something? Is it bad to say that?