After months and months of tough negotiations, my wife and I have finally reached a compromise to deal with our spending and debt problems.

For years we've been living almost within our means.  I say "almost" because while we could have lived comfortably off the $100K we make each year, my wife always put an extra $1,000-$2,000 more than we were taking in on the credit card.  That's what I get for letting her be in charge of our finances.

Things changed in 2008.  Our salaries remained the same, but my wife decided that the way to prosperity was for us to go on a spending binge.  Whatever we wanted to buy, we did -- vacations, expensive dinners out, the best clothing, etc.  We were finally living the life of our dreams.

Then the bills came due -- over a $100K of credit card debt in one year alone.  While I was worried, I decided to ignore it, and in 2009, we did the same thing.  By 2010, I had become extremely concerned for our future, and by November 2010, I had wrestled partial control of our finances from the wife.

We started 2011 with the tough negotiations needed to reduce our spending and gain control of our debt.  We still earn $100K a year, but for the past three years, we've been spending $200K a year.  Our debt is piling up, and I'm afraid we're headed for bankruptcy.  We needed to find a compromise.

My wife wants to spend $300K in 2011, but I told her that this is clearly not an option.  I countered by suggesting that we hold spending to the $200K levels, but she had a fit and made threats (yes, she played that card!).  She said we would be unable to pay the credit card interest or feed the children.

Yet after months of painful negotiations, I think we've finally come up with a compromise we can both live with.  We will be cutting spending by $10,000 over the next ten years, which clearly puts us on the path to getting our house back in order.  Luckily, the credit card company has agreed to raise our limit.

I wanted a better deal, but this is the best I could get in our divided house.  All the same, I feel so much better now.  Wouldn't you?

--- Satire ---