Selling the initial investment.....

be sure to fix a curtain rod or maybe her car. Make a doo-hickey to hold something she really likes. Perhaps a small item in the shadow box would work. drill a tiny hole in something that she wants on a chain. you can also apply this to one of the kids or her best friend. I am not saying lie, but if you fix the faucet, regardless of whether the mill or lathe or any other power tool was involved, point out you saved a plumber visit. Make sure the gate that goes where ever works, all the time.
 
We both have always been frugal and hard working. We built our house ourselves and almost everything is still a DIY type of deal. So now when we are older and all the money we saved by our labors has been invested wisely that conversation never arises. When I bought my 14" shaper she was happy to help get it on the trailer. When she needed (wanted) a new stable for her horses I helped her design it.
Like it was said above mutual support is the key................Bob
 
When I bought my mill my wife asked me what I was going to make with it. I answered, "Anything I want to."
 
The wife and I have a system that avoids (most) problems in that vein.

We have "our" money which is my retirement, my SS and her SS. That is strictly budgeted and pays all the usual bills, insurance, utilities, groceries etc. plus funding some savings, emergency cash and the IRA.

She has "her" money which comes from the room and board that her brother pays us, selling eggs and other "pin money" sources.

I have "my" money which comes from the odd jobs I pick up working with my tractor, repairing small engines and yard equipment and small welding/fabrication jobs.

Anything I buy with "my" money doesn't require permission or explanations. "Because I wanted it" is entirely adequate. That's why there was a several month lag between deciding I wanted a mill and actually getting it: I had to save up enough odd-job money to cover it.

Major purchases that will require loan payments are thoroughly discussed and approved in advance like any partnership.
 
When I was growing up, my Dad fished and hunted and my Mom grew a garden. Back then, my Dad was making $2.50 an hour as a cabinet maker and my Mom was a stay-at-home mom raising four kids. The fish, game, and produce ensured that we always had food on the table.

2018: My wife has a quarter acre garden, working most days through the summer. Although she provide produce for our table and donates over a thousand pounds of produce to local food pantries, there is no way that she can justify all the expenses entailed from an economic stance. I like to go fishing and provide enough fish for at least a meal each week throughout the year with some excess going to neighbors. But no way can I justify the hobby from an economic standpoint.

I had a fairly large collection of tools and machines purchased when I had my own business and when a company that I was partner in was sold, I bought myself my Tormach and a seat of SolidWorks. A few years later, when I retired, I bought a G0602 lathe. If I looked at the investments that I have made in my shop, I would find it hard to justify them on an economic basis.

The point of all of these is that while it isn't justifiable economically, there is a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction, and of general well being that is priceless.
 
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I got married relatively late in life by today's standards. My hobby was already going when I met my wife. She was very impressed and wanted to support it. So far the amount of money I have spent on this hobby is probably less than one semi expensive sports car. Plenty of people have blown cash on that!
Robert
 
If she ever asks how often will you use that?

The correct response is every time I need it, not once every 5 years.
 
The point of all of these is that while it isn't justifiable economically, there is a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction, and of general well being that is priceless.

No, it's not.

But, as others have pointed out, there IS (or at least can be...) some payback. My lathe cost less than a decent set of golf clubs. The only thing I can make with golf clubs is divots.

I 'm only partly joking when I tell folks, it keeps me out of the bars and off the streets...
 
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