Hapy dance! Happy Dance!

[Nay-nay]

Oh - and I always find this line of reasoning works - I say to hubby:
"So when you have to put up a fence do you go out dig every hole by hand, cut the posts out of a tree with an axe, hand drill all the holes, thread each bit of wire through by hand? Noooo - technology has made your job easier - now let me have the same deal!!!"
I got my dishwasher 11 years ago by coming up with that! 

[CreamPuff63]

Nay Nay - you're clever! Thats way too much thinking for me, I think DH would just be overley flabbergasted with all that rationalisation and he would be utterly speechless (rendering him incapable of any further refusal) 

[the_vermins]

URgh.  Don't even get me started with the dishwasher.   
I ended up having to just go and buy it so I think this will be the same thing.  The thing that irks me the most is that we can spend $30k+ on a shed and tools for him, plus tyres for his car oh and don't forget a new outboard for the dinghy (his excuse for that one was that I'll be eating the crayfish!)... Yet I'm stil reap the rewards of any of the tools.  I do have an outdoor table from it but even that was like pulling teeth.

Sigh... I think I'm going to just have to put up with his wrath for a bit and win him back through his guts.
Thanks for the suggestions.  Feel free to post more.  More ammo would be great!

[faffa_70]

Remind him that it will save you money on your food bill and then once it has paid for it's self that way (approx within a year) it will then continue to make you money as you will STILL be saving on your food bill 

[cathy79]

I use the price of a new TV as a comparison.  What does a TV give you?  Nothing but something to entertain the mind.  Not necessary.  But most (including us) barely think twice about replacing the TV when it blows up.  It's entrenched in our culture.

What does a thermomix give you?  Fantastic food, faster, healthier, avoid all the additives and nasties.  Saves money on takeaway, as meals can be so quick.

It's definitely a psychological thing.  Us Aussies are just used to having a TV and can't imagine life without one.

[brazen20au]

did he see it in action? most men are begging to have it immediately after that lol

[cookie1]

Usually DH are impressed if they see the demo. Are there any other consultants up there? If not you could do well selling them.
Wait until he tastes sorbet after a hot day at work.
I know of one DH who was impressed that his wife could sit and chat with him when he got home from work as the meal was cooking in the TMX.
Good luck.

[bron]

He'll be fine...once he sees that you use it! My DHs main concern was that it was going to collect dust in the cupboard/shelf. He is NOT into cooking at all, so at first he really wasnt a happy bunny that all that money was going on a kitchen gadget, but hey almost a year later .......he realises how much it helps me, I work, have 3 kids that eat at home (only 1 has school lunches) and now we hardly ever eat out as the whole family prefers my THX cooking, so we have saved an absolute fortune over the year, plus another bonus he has lost 10 kilos (all his beer belly) and I have finally got my figure back too! The kids love helping and making things and we all now cook and bake and take dishes with us wherever we go! Home always smells of baking bread/biscuits/gourmet meals and we all look and feel healthier. Once he sees it in action, he will be fine!

[andiesenji]

It's been many, many years since I left my last husband but I was never hesitant about buying whatever I wanted for my kitchen.  I worked a regular job and was raising his kids so felt entitled to what I felt would make my life easier. 
He liked to "run up to Vegas" with his pals on some weekends (was on an allowance!) and every time he did, I would buy something for me!
The intervals between LV trips became longer and longer...eventually stopped!

One trip resulted in my purchase of a Garland commercial range - 8 burners, two oversized ovens and a large flat grill (griddle).
Another coincided with my purchase of my first Cuisinart/Robot chef.
Another with a second dishwasher because one was not enough.  (He was a building contractor so no problem in reconfiguring the kitchen and installing it.)
And one trip, four days prior to our anniversary, resulted in my purchase of the largest consumer side-by-side refrigerator ever manufactured in the U.S. - the Kelvinator  32 cubic foot Food-A-Rama. 
I think that was the last time he made the trip with his buddies.
I never cared for the place - my second husband spent a lot of time working there as he had clients there that required his presence fairly often.  In the beginning I traveled with him as I did not work full time then but it all got rather boring after a while.  I didn't gamble and there wasn't much else to do there once one had exhausted the sight-seeing in surrounding areas. 

Such things have to balance out.  Big boys with their big toys have to understand that their women should have equal access to fun stuff!

[CarolineW]

Personally, I wouldn't go ahead with it if DH was unhappy.  I'd wait until he came around (happens relatively often).  But - the average family recoups the money invested within 12 months.  The machines themselves last indefinitely, not uncommonly passing from mother to daughter.  If you become a demonstrator you'll recoup the money twice over (something I realised that I've done in the last 12 months - got the money back once in savings, and then again in sales).

And the food is more adventourous (sorry, having a brain block on the spelling), meaning that you're turning out more of better quality, which increases the quality of life for the family as a whole - eating like kings, but on a small budget.

Additives, etc, are also out of the door, and the nutritional value is much higher, meaning that the family health is better (something which has been very noticeable in our family over the last 10 months).

Personally, I've found that I also recoup grocery money, as many friends (at church, etc) want to buy jams, sweet chilli sauce, etc, etc from me once they've tasted what I've made.  That means that I can often make a batch which doesn't actually cost us anything, as the cost of the ingredients are covered.  I could probably make a profit if I wanted to, but I don't - I'm just thrilled to cover our costs so that these things were effectively free for us, and at the same time my friend was thrilled to have something much healthier and much tastier for the same price she would have bought something bog standard at the supermarket.

If I wanted to go into it as a business, I could, as both our chiropractor and health food shop have said they would like to stock and sell food made by me in the thermomix - but I don't want a business.  But it might be something that you'd like to do?

Hope these points help.

[gertbysea]

andiesenji you are my kind of gal

Gretchen

[judydawn]

I'm with you on that one Gretchen   My first husband was always buying new guitars and records (in the 70's) whilst I had to scrimp and save just to survive the week with the pittance he gave me for housekeeping.  Solution there was to get a job myself and buy whatever I wanted - only trouble is I was stupid enough to buy things for him too (never anything related to music though, more like electric tools so he could fix things around the house!).  Once you earn your own money, can't see why you can't spend it the way you want.  Current DH (and last) is totally the opposite - no problem with having anything I want and I knew when I went to the TMX demo that I didn't have to wait until I spoke to him before I could order one.
If you are happily married Vermins, I wouldn't upset the apple cart by going against his wishes but have another demo at night when he can attend and see for himself how great the machine is. Could you put it on your birthday/Christmas list for the next 10 years maybe - that's only $100 being spent on a birthday & Christmas present over a 10 year period, maybe that will appeal to him.

[the_vermins]

OK.  So we're not getting one yet.    I DID say YET.

Turns out that now DH knows I actually want something (I have to admit, I'm a woman easily satisfied and don't have all that many needs or wants), he'll get me one when we can afford it.  I hand it to him.  I'm over emotional at the moment (curses of being a woman hey?!) and the fact he said if we had $2k, he'd buy me one. <3

So while I'm not going to be a TMX owner just yet, hopefully he'll be able to do a cashie to get me one soon. 

[I Love Bimby!]

I know a few ladies (some now customers) who kept a diary of everything they cook each day (or purchase ready made) and mark against it if they could do it in the Thermomix to help justify their purchase.

You could ask your consultant for "A guide on savings" which shows some price comparisions on making things yourself vs purchasing. They say most homes save at least $40 a week, other families report $200 (but they ate alot of processed and takeaway foods).

Use the old saying "Happy Wife = Happy Life".

Go on strike

The interest free plan is amazing. If you can afford $220/month you can have it paid off with no interest!  As CarolneW suggested, you could sell some goodies too to put towards the price.

[cookie1]

I am glad to hear that 'the vermins'. I had been thinking about you and thought if money is tight it may be a good idea to wait awhile. Perhaps you could try and put aside a little money a week (could be hard at this time of the year) and then after 6-12 months show your DH what you have saved and have another discussion re the thermomix. Perhaps even involve him in the saving. A little each week will add up to quite a lot.
If you have a read of the discussion on Taste.com.au and look under ingredients and equipment in the thermomix thread you will see that quite a few people can't manage one straight up and are saving, little by little.
I'm pleased to read that you and your DH sorted it out. A happy marriage is a rarity these days, hang on to it.