Wife is on spending spree

Dear Amy: Years ago, my best friend and I read an article saying how much money we needed to save to be millionaires by the time we turned 60. After we both graduated from college, we opened a joint savings account. We are now in our 30s and have continued to put money into this account.

I am now married while my buddy is still single. My wife has known that “Jack” and I had this account long before we got married. She just had no idea how much money was in it. Somehow (I believe through a nosy friend of hers at the bank) she found out that we have over $300,000 in this account. Now all of a sudden she wants to spend, spend, spend, because she says “we can afford it.”

We have a nice home but now she wants to buy a bigger, nicer house. Then last week, without telling me, she bought a new luxury car — even though the one she had was less than two years old. The list goes on and on.

Finding out about this money has changed her. I’m about ready to get a divorce and say goodbye to her spending spree. Her name is not on the account, and we have an agreement stipulating that if anything should happen to either me or my friend, the other one becomes sole owner of the account.

What do I do about this runaway spending train?

Ready to Go

Dear Ready: You should have disclosed this information before you married. If you had, you would have at least been forewarned concerning your wife’s attitude toward money. You could also have taken steps to protect it through a prenuptial agreement — or chosen not to marry her.

You should also see a lawyer to make sure your investment club is legal. If Jack marries and his wife is as irresponsible as yours is, this could have a bad impact on your bottom line.

You and your wife should sit down with a professional mediator to establish basic guidelines on spending. You should research getting a postnuptial agreement.

That you are adding to this fund post-marriage means that some of the value might go to your wife if you divorced.

Dear Amy: We live in a suburb where any overflow trash that will not fit in your trash can must be put in a separate container and labeled with a sticker from the village, which is purchased for a nominal fee.

Every few months, my neighbors have been sneaking their overflow trash into our trash can.

I know this, because I place my trash can out at night, and in the morning, I add any remaining trash and see their trash inside.

I wouldn’t mind this as long as they would ask first.

It has gotten more frequent. I really like these neighbors — they are great people. Your thoughts on how to handle this?

Good Neighbor

Dear Neighbor: One solution would be for you to put your trash out on Wednesday mornings — since you’re already dashing out in the morning to add to your pile.

Otherwise your choices are to place a note on top of the can: “Whoever is placing their trash in our bin, please stop” or — if you are certain that it is your neighbors — say to them, “Do you guys need some extra garbage tags? When you add your trash to mine, it drives me a little bananas.”