A Good Man

 

So I have to take a minute and brag a bit. 

But just a *bit*, I promise.

A couple months ago there was some SERIOUS tractor-buying pressure going on around here.  We surely needed a bigger tractor than the one Matt had, if we are going to be fixing barns and hauling logs for lumber/firewood out of the woods.   The only question was- new or used?

Both sides have their obvious advantages, of course~ a new tractor is super reliable for a very long time, you know exactly what you are getting, and, oh yeah- it is SUPER shiny.  But the biggest pull is that there is 0% financing for 4 years.  (Free money!)  We could buy the tractor and make payments and KEEP our savings intact while not accruing a cent of interest fees for four years!  An older tractor, on the other hand, you pay MUCH less money for and are able to pay it off without adding any payments to your long-term plans....and some new paint could make it shiny, to boot.

Well- as Matt was pondering these choices he was having some SERIOUS pressure from both sides of the fence (I won't name names but I bet you can guess what side of that fence I was on....) and for a very long time- MONTHS even, I did not know how it was going to turn out.  In fact, I didn't know the ending of the story until the day before a brand-spanking new tractor could have been delivered to our door.

It was this weird place between wanting to inwardly scream and choke the man and knowing I had to respectfully voice my opinion and then wait to see.  I knew very well I couldn't play "woman games" like guilt-trips or over-pressuring---but in my mind the seriousness of the decision could almost warrant the sin. :-)

Well, I am happy to report, the man pulled through.  At the very last second, he had this wisdom epiphany and bought the used tractor with the cash we had been saving for that express purpose.  That day as he called me to let me know what his decision was, he kept going on and on about what had made his decisions clear and they were remarkably the same as all the things I had been quietly bringing up for months--but I didn't care at all-the relief was so great I could barely focus on anything else. 



So he bought his new-TO-HIM tractor.
And then, with the little bit extra, he also bought a woodsplitter.

 

 Then, a week later, he posted his old tractor on Craigslist and sold it.  And do you know what the man did then?  He gave me (ME!) half, to finish off the amount needed for a new camera.  (No-I didn't ask him and even fought against it-but he refused.)  The rest of the money he will most likely use, says he,  on a brushhog. 

 

For the cost of the downpayment of a spankin' new tractor, Matt bought:

 a tractor,
a wood splitter,
a new camera for his wifey
and a brushhog. 

And the best part?  No monthly payments making monthly budgets BEYOND tight for years to come...no monthly payments stealing money away from our double mortgage payments...no monthly payments leaving extra cash non-existent for emergencies like replacing tires (we've had two flats in the last month!) or pregnancies (hey, it could happen!) or trips to the doctors (I have one on Friday.) No monthly payments making our lives so much more stressful.

He makes me proud, this man of mine.  Never, in 10 years of marriage, has he made me prouder.  I know how much a nice shiny tractor would have been for him and how hard a decision it was for him. 

And getting a new camera out of the deal wasn't all that bad, either. (thank you, Mattie!) 

Any future photos in blogposts are thanks to Matt~ so you guys can say thank you too!  ;-)

He's a Keeper.