One of the age-old disagreements in marriage involves whether you squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube or from the end. My husband and I have owned our own toothpaste bottles for years just to avoid such a disagreement. But I’ve learned over the last few years that there are other arguments that can actually create more stress in the marriage than the one you have over where to squeeze the toothpaste.
Mild or Spicy?
Grocery shopping costs being what they are, when your mate prefers crunchy peanut butter to your creamy and hot sauce to your mild and dark meat to your preference for white meat – a difference in food opinions can create stress and tension between you and your spouse. But I actually think a difference in food opinions can be easier to cope with than if you both enjoy the exact same things.
For example, if you both love Lucky Charms, then whoever eats the last bowl can be a bone of contention. If you both like Fritos, the last handful could be a challenge to whomever gets to the pantry first and don’t get me started on soda and other soft drinks. Chances are, however, that there are foods that you both like and foods that are pretty specific to the individual. This can make it easier on you to maintain your own stashes of snack foods without struggling over who gets what from the store.
Sweet & Sour
In our household, my husband likes chocolate chip ice cream and I like mint chocolate chip. He prefers mayonnaise on his sandwiches and I like butter. He likes diet coke with lime and I like root beer. I love coffee and he can’t stand the stuff – so it works out for the most part. We are able to balance our purchases because while we both enjoy the same types of entrees, it’s all our supplements that are a bit different.
If there is no more coffee, it’s never his fault and if we run out of diet coke, I didn’t do it. Still, it requires some balancing in our purchases of the necessities versus our more impulsive items. We’ve had more than a decade to find a balance that works for both of our budget and our personal desires.
How do you and your spouse cope with the differences in taste and choice?
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