My Husband Wouldn’t Spend $6 on Menstrual Pads—What It Taught Us About Money, Marriage, and Respect
That morning, my cramps were so intense it felt as though a tight band had been wrapped around my lower back. Walking through the supermarket took more effort than usual, and all I wanted was to get home, change into comfortable clothes, and rest with a heating pad.
When we reached the checkout, I suddenly realized my wallet was still sitting on the kitchen counter.
Trying to keep things simple, I picked up the six-dollar pack of menstrual pads and turned to my husband, Ashton.
“Can you cover these for me? I’ll pay you back as soon as we get home.”
Without looking up from his phone for long, he glanced at the package and replied loudly enough for others nearby to hear that he wasn’t paying for my “little wants.” He added that I was a grown woman and should take care of my own “personal stuff.”
The cashier paused. Someone waiting behind us looked over in surprise.
Embarrassed, I quietly asked for the pads to be removed from the purchase.
What hurt most was not the money. It was realizing how differently we viewed care within our marriage.