Posted by Come forward and answer the question. It is a simple one: in your relationship, who buys the phones?
Before you start hitting your head on the wall or calling for my head to be assigned to a guillotine, this is not one of those gender war articles. Or perhaps it is; do your worst. LOL.
Anyway, I was doing my rounds and saw one of those tiresome posts asking who pays the house rent. I had no idea we were still debating such a thing as we round up 2024. I mean! Anyway, seeing that question triggered the mischief maker in me and I thought it would be nice to trigger some of you with a similar post – just tweaked for purpose.
So, come and answer: in your relationship, who buys the phones? Is it the man or the woman, or does each person buy what they want when they want?
I will kick things off with my own answer. If I remember well, the only phone my wife has ever bought was her first one. That was in 2001. After that, the task of obtaining phones for her has fallen on her dear husband, yours truly, Mister Mobility. And that makes sense, considering what I do for a living and the perks that come with it. One of those perks is gift phones from brands.
So, when she needs a new phone, I either buy her one or hand over one of the gift smartphones that has come in. It is mostly the latter. And it makes sense; right? This is not a gender-gbas-gbos issue. It is our unique arrangement based on competence and speciality.
Also, this works well because Mrs. Mo is not a gadget enthusiast. She just wants a phone that works and she is satisfied. She has no interest in any special features and does not care about what is latest or in vogue. She’d often tell me: “This phone I’m currently using isn’t faulty; why should I replace it?”
If she had particular icks and wants in her phones, our arrangement will be a little different, I figure. The dynamics would be totally different. She might have to sometimes fork out the cash to buy what she wants.
Our arrangement works mostly because she makes no fuss about brands, status, and all of that. She’s as comfortable using a Samsung as she is a Huawei or a TECNO or a Redmi. She’s used all of these brands and her current phone is a Redmi.
Also, if our jobs were switched and she were the gadget reviewer, I imagine that I’d probably never have to buy a phone for myself either. I’d just be enjoying awoof smartphones upandan. Yaaaas, king! Who doesn’t want to relax and be taken care of?
So, that is the situation in our household. Whatever works for each relationship is fine, as long as nobody is being forced to do anything. Over to you: how does it work in your household or relationship? Who buys the phones – oga or madam? Is it a case of odogwu or that of cash madam? Share your story with us.
Author: Mister Mobility
Mister Mobility, a techie with a passion for storytelling. I have owned, used, and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001. I started Mobility Nigeria Tech Blog in 2008.
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I think this discussion can easily be broadened beyond gadget purchase.
(Affordability on my mind..)
If the family NEEDS a better car (because the current one is rickety, dilapidated and spends more time with Morufu the Mechanic than on the road), who brings out the money for the replacement ?
If any purchase is trivial to your financial status, it matters not who buys..
As a patriarchal society, if madam’s earning power is an order of magnitude above that of the Man Of The House, would the husband feel threatened or belittled if madam effortlessly forks up the funds to purchase that 5-year-old Lexus 350 LX to replace the rickety 20-year-old antediluvian Nissan Maxima that needs to be push_started every morning ?
Money is one of the leading causes of strife in marriage, and when the Man of the House isn’t measuring up financially, that’s when the issue of the madam operating at a higher financial orbit can exacerbate that (potential for) strife.. (depending on factors like the ego of the man, the humility / haughtiness of the woman…).
The word on the street is that, as a man, try hard to stay ahead of your wife financially. It makes you cohabitation so much easier, ceteris paribus.
If your wife has an income TWENTY times what you bring in, the likelihood of serious marital tension is very very high.
Of course there are exceptional exceptions, like the honest politician.
Who buys the phone? Well I do. Not even up for debate… Thankfully, there is a healthy chasm in what I bring in and what madam does.
If your wife can effortlessly afford that latest Samsung Galaxy costing 2 million – while you are managing that three-year old Tecno Spark 7p, thank your twinkling starts if there aren’t subliminal insults and open opprobrium in that household !
Do !
Would you stop her from buying for herself what she can afford (and you can’t)? Would you feel threatened, as a man?
…………………………………..
There is the politically correct answer. And there is the truth…..