Does your spouse know anything about your collection ?

[jason.1969]

My ex was not a supporter of spending on socks without holes, much less on old cardboard pictures of baseball guys. Rather than rock the boat, I simply spent $0.00 (on cards and on socks!) during the marriage.

These days, I have the freedom to try to finish the collection I tried to build in my 20s. I have a girlfriend who seems genuinely happy for me when I add a new card.

In general, having experienced a very difficult marriage and a fresh and agonizing divorce, I would recommend honesty and openness to any fellow collector. An honest relationship is more valuable and I suspect more gratifying than any card.

Though my ex never supported the idea, I always favored and would still recommend that each spouse get a play money acct...perhaps 5% each of combined gross income (with possible premiums from work bonuses, inheritance, lottery jackpots, etc.).

Such an approach keeps the collecting bug from cutting into financial well being while also allowing for full trust and guilt free spending.