It seems to me that most women who are wives in my area (including my own) believe in the "what is yours is mine" philosophy, or worse, tend to believe they own the monopoly on home sense in terms of what is appropriate to buy, or what is suitable design wise, for the home environment (I mean these in both the ergonomic and fiscal senses).
What this amounts to is the following: man sneaks around buying equipment he can hide somewhere (if he is fortunate enough to have his own space in the house to hide things). If wifey discovers hubby's goodies, wife must be compensated to what she feels are equivalent indulgence levels. Unfortunately women do not consider purses and shoes as comparable indulgences, nor the Broadway plays or dinners out with other couples, which she will likely instruct you to attend (though you might actually enjoy them as well sometimes).
The other, worse, situation is when the husband has no private space, and/or the wife believes she has the sole right to decide what works, interior design wise, in the house. In that case you are screwed. I know guys whose wives won't allow them to have comfortable reclining chairs because they won't fit in with their decor sensibilities! And, when you think about it, you can have a reclining chair custom upholstered to match any decor, so it isnt even about the chair itself, but about control.
All this is a good example of why I openly support gay marriage and look forward to the day when my libido disappears completely and I can find an agreeable, and wealthy, male friend with whom I can pool my money for the ultimate home theatre. J/K
