Share Your Spouse Enabler Moments.

Some comments triggered this thought.

My wife has been a wonderful enabler over the years. My two favorites.

1. 25 years ago we were house shopping for our current home. I found one In thought would work but my wife said the following

"No it won't work, you need a 3 car garage"

2. I was commenting that perhaps I really should sell the van and the Outback and just get a daily that can tow to which she said:

"The van costs next to nothing to operate and plus it gives you a nice place to be at the track"

My wife's philosophy with the stuff I like, "if you like it just get it." And if I don't get it but keep talking about it or looking then she ends up getting it for me lol. 

My wife has fully supported my search for a vintage hearse. She's mentioned that she hopes we can get one before the Girl-Spawn is out of school so she can pick her up from same in the hearse. 

On the flip side, after 20 or so FC RX-7s, she's banned me from ever getting another. I am allowed to get an FD, though.

I divorced her which enabled me to do whatever I wanted.

SWMBO really wanted a vintage stove, round corners, retro built-in gadgets. One came up on Faceballs. Near pristine 70 year old Roper. $500. She sheepishly hinted that she'd really like it, but she'd never get one, especially one that nice.

Without thinking again, I told her we'll get it. She deserves it.

Nowadays, I think she just rolls her eyes when I tell her I want to go to this track event or that.

I take that as a "yes" since she didn't say "no" LOL~

"We're getting married next year, you should buy a Z06 now."

7 years later I got a new job that was going to have me commuting 40mi one way. "Do you plan on riding (the motorcycle) to work? If so, I think you should get one with ABS and Traction Control." So I added an S1000rr to the group. "Are you going to sell the R1 now? I think you should keep it, it's the first bike I rode with you."

"If you don't build a large workshop soon, you're only going to look back and regret not doing it"

About a ~28x28 workshop build I've been hesitant to start/spend money on. Edit to add that was one example of many: she's always been very supportive of the hobby, while trusting that I won't let it (the hobby) put our family at risk financially. 

"I don't like the smells that come from the attached garage. We should build a shop in the backyard."

When house hunting, the her first pick to look at had a 1000sqft detached shop for me.

When we had a 3 month old and I was trying to figure out what direction to go with my racing hobby "What is it that you ultimately want to do?  A formula car?  How much?  Sell the project car you are feeling like you may never get done and go buy one!"

My ex- has 5 cars of her own, so she was the ultimate enabler.  When I first looked at my GT6 at Carlisle, she looked at it saw no rust and just said, "buy it."  When my 2006 JCW came up for sale, her first comment (even though we weren't together at that point) to say, "If you don't buy that, you're an idiot."   Similar comments about my Spitfire because of the price and extras, although she is not a fan of brown.  

Oh geez, I don't even know where to start.

First, I'll start with Stampie's comment and echo it.  I got divorced from my first wife.  That was step 1.  Then I married my current wife and she is amazing.  Not only does she support my automotive ADD, she helps me find cars.  She's always looking at FB market and car groups to find things either of us would like.  In addition, we now travel the country together working in motorsports.  Me as an instructor, and her as front of the house/event manager.  Can't get more enabling than that!!!

My fiancé (close enough, right?) has always been very supportive of my pursuit of my interests. Every time I bring up a hair-brained scheme for some dumb car I like, she doesn't shoot me down but indulges in my fantasies with me. Even though distance kept her from attending most of my autocross events, she always supported me and was proud whenever I finished well. When I bought my second race car, which didn't run, she was excited for me even though we had only been dating a few months at the time. When I want to buy new tools for the garage she encourages me. I love her :)

My ex wife enabled herself to spend more than we made and hide it from me.

About a month ago I was dreaming at cars on Faceballs marketplace, sent my wife a stupid cheap Golf.

That Saturday I was leaving for a couple of days,  She got the car to the house and sent me pictures when I was 600 miles from home.  

Otherwise it's usually a compromise.  I get a car, she gets a dog.  

My very pregnant wife and I were on our way home in my '87 C10 back in May of 2020. We stopped at a roadside stand at a farm not far from our house. There were a few derelict cars and trucks sitting around- as is common on farms- but what isn't common is seeing an FD RX-7 sitting under a tree and a thick layer of grime with flat tires and some tasteless modifications. The car had been there for years and was sort of a local legend, as the owner wouldn't sell but also didn't do anything with it. I didn't ask if it was for sale since we weren't in a position to buy anything -- especially not a neglected temperamental 2-seater with our kid on the way, but we talked for a good while about cars and trucks and chickens and all of the other things that we both knew about, and he asked me if I was interested in buying the FD, an R1 with under 80k miles on it. No. I wasn't. I was, but I wasn't. It was a bad idea. The car was missing half of its (very expensive and mostly NLA) interior trim. It hadn't run in who knows how long. Okay. How many miles are on it? What did it need when you parked it? What do you want for it? We discussed it for a good long while and I told him I'd get back to him the next morning, but wasn't optimistic I could make it happen.

Still in shock, I sat down in the old C10 and the first thing out of my wife's mouth was 'You know you have to buy that, right?' She knew it was a dream car of mine, and one that I thought was an unrealistic dream at that point in my life. I had recently sold my FZJ80 Land Cruiser and '84 Fleetwood Brougham, so we had a bit of space. Juggled some money around and sold another car and the rest is history.

As found:

We brought it home within two days of that initial conversation, and have kept in touch with the amazing previous owners. I always tell people its my wife's fault whenever they ask how I ended up with the car. That's completely true.

Not my wife but my college girlfriend while looking at cameras together at B&H a few years ago. I was debating between two different cameras. Her reply: “Why not both?”

My wife told me to get the chicken shish-kebab I really wanted rather than the Asian chicken salad from The Patio BBQ Restaurant two weeks ago. (Trying to watch my calorie intake)

Go ahead, get what you want, get the shish-kebab she says.  

Fiance encouraged me to order the BRZ and do all the mods I wanted, including dropping nearly $3k on a set of wheels. I paid for her last semester of her bachelors as she had ran out of financial aid, so she basically takes the stance of "You work hard, if you want it, get it."

Obviously, I do that within reason. I'm not running up the credit cards or skipping the water bill to do anything. 

My wife is a great enabler of fun and shenanigans.  Most recently, she bought me (us?) a minibike for Father's Day, but bought it early so it could be enjoyed ASAP.  I have been joking about buying a few since we bought our house ~5 years ago.

Other examples include musical instruments, bicycles, tools, a dog, etc.  Always things that I know I would really enjoy but can't bring myself to spend the money.

I had a 1972 Blazer until it rusted into oblivion. I wanted another but a young family and rising prices got in the way. One day on my way home I saw a 1972 Blazer with a for sale sign in the windshield. I pulled in and looked and it was a clean, straight and completely rust free CST (well optioned with AC) in my favorite hugger blue. It had a snowplow attached and was $12,000 CDN. I went home and told my wife and she said "oh you should buy it!" I will always love her for that and she was right. But we had three young kids, a new house and business and lots of bills. It was gone a day later. 

I forgot one of the recent ones:

We are having lunch on her Birthday. A friend called and offered me a 79 RaceInc BMX bike for a steal.

My wife sent her the money a minute later. 

I'd also like to say it looks like I'm not the only one who won the wife lotto.

Worked on my wife for years about me getting a motorcycle. I want want. She's deathly afraid I'll die. After many years one day out of the blue she said a moto might be okay. 

The next day we went for a walk. Turned onto a main road and some dude on a bike rolls past, pulls a wheelie and rides off into the distance. She turns to me says "that's a signal - and let's forget about the bike".

So for a MOMENT she was an enabler. I love her more than I need to ride a moto... so it remains a dream. 

Birdlady inherited a '61 Thunderbird and acknowledges that I won't touch it until the Z is done. She's now researching Z parts to get my car out of the way. 

It's a team effort now

bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) said:

I had a 1972 Blazer until it rusted into oblivion. I wanted another but a young family and rising prices got in the way. One day on my way home I saw a 1972 Blazer with a for sale sign in the windshield. I pulled in and looked and it was a clean, straight and completely rust free CST (well optioned with AC) in my favorite hugger blue. It had a snowplow attached and was $12,000 CDN. I went home and told my wife and she said "oh you should buy it!" I will always love her for that and she was right. But we had three young kids, a new house and business and lots of bills. It was gone a day later. 

It's a shame that you missed the blazer, but you've got her, and that's a much bigger win.