Russia girls are amazing!

[visaveteran1 33]

I think "theoretically" two people can live almost as cheap as one. Some costs are fixed regardless of the number of people like rent, utilities, etc.

And i think many Russian women are frugal and/or clever shoppers and bargain hunters. BUT there are two areas where the Russian ladies seem to like to spend money...clothes and beauty items. I look at it this way...if their going to spent money to look great, I'm on board for the most part...but i do think sometimes you have to set some limits.

[Neonred 3,673]

If you're sending your girl $600/month in Russia, then you're paying for everything. (And probably for her "friend's" stuff too.)

Don't worry, once she gets here, she'll ask for a raise. Even if she has a job making over $1,000/month, she'll still tell you it's not enough. Even if you pay all the bills, it's still not enough.

It's never enough.

No matter how much money you have, you still should have more. Or, she should still have more. anyway.

No kidding. My wife is making over 2k a month and manages to spend it all without contributing to the household expenses.

[Ban Hammer 13,659]

If you're sending your girl $600/month in Russia, then you're paying for everything. (And probably for her "friend's" stuff too.)

Don't worry, once she gets here, she'll ask for a raise. Even if she has a job making over $1,000/month, she'll still tell you it's not enough. Even if you pay all the bills, it's still not enough.

It's never enough.

No matter how much money you have, you still should have more. Or, she should still have more. anyway.

You can find a woman in the US that will spend all your money and complain it is never enough.

[slim 1,533]

I think "theoretically" two people can live almost as cheap as one. Some costs are fixed regardless of the number of people like rent, utilities, etc.

Although it seems true, it's really not. Almost is correct. Rent goes up with an increased number of people. You can't live in a one bedroom (in the U.S.) with four kids. You can't save money on electric and gas when your wife is always cold and/or holding the refrigerator door open to look for more vegeatables. And even if you get to the point where she's trained to open and close the door quickly, wear a sweater and tapochki, and to be aware of how much a trip in the car costs (using 3 gallons of gas to buy $2 in vegetables is outrageous.) at some point, she's still going to want to "upgrade" from your crappy apartment (or house) to a nicer one in a nicer part of town.

That said, as much as they b!tch about never having enough money, they do seem to find a way to get what they want, usually by foregoing something "necessary" (like $100 facial cream) in order to get something more "necessary." (like going out for a nice dinner on the weekend with that same $100 justifying it by saying that it's good for her spirit.)

And i think many Russian women are frugal and/or clever shoppers and bargain hunters. BUT there are two areas where the Russian ladies seem to like to spend money...clothes and beauty items. I look at it this way...if their going to spent money to look great, I'm on board for the most part...but i do think sometimes you have to set some limits.

There should be limits set. If you were to compare health/beauty items and clothing expenditures in relation to household income, you could probably ballpark it to what a small country's military spending would be in relation to it's GDP. It's amazing to consider that whole percentages of your household income will be spent on tubes of cream and the like. However, my wife has convinced me that it is necessary for both her short term happiness and her long term "maintenance."

"If you want that I be beautiful after 20 years, I must use this cream now. It is necessary. You don't understand?"

I think it's very hard for us dudes to empathize with the ladies in this aspect. 20 years on, we're worried about where we're going to fish or play golf, and they're worried about how many wrinkles theyr'e going to have. One thing that's helped me to not be so irritated over the money spent on beauty stuff is to look at it like an investment similar to what I would be doing to retire somewhere nice or have something nice when I'm older. I work my @$$ off at my job so someday I can have the kind of salary where I can live comfortably when I'm retired and do what I want to do. That's the sacrifice I make. She works her @$$ off at her job so when she's retired her @$$ is still as fantastic as it is now. That's her sacrifice.

I don't try to compare them. It's apples and oranges and you'll go cross-eyed if you try to.

If you're sending your girl $600/month in Russia, then you're paying for everything. (And probably for her "friend's" stuff too.)

Don't worry, once she gets here, she'll ask for a raise. Even if she has a job making over $1,000/month, she'll still tell you it's not enough. Even if you pay all the bills, it's still not enough.

It's never enough.

No matter how much money you have, you still should have more. Or, she should still have more. anyway.

No kidding. My wife is making over 2k a month and manages to spend it all without contributing to the household expenses.

And this is the problem.

The money we (the dudes importing the women) make is for bills and expenses. The money she makes is for her personal expenses.

My money is "our" money and her money is "her" money. It seems budgeting and paying bills is understood, just not adhered to and overridden by the need for "her" stuff (at that time.) The way it's been explained to me here is that it's the husband's job to support the wife no matter what. He should pay for everything. EVERYTHING. That's his job. It's hard enough for her to stay as fashionable and beautiful as she is already without breaking her back to pay the bills. That's your job!

(The antidote that I've found for this is to place a large portion of both of our paychecks onto one of the credit/debit cards and to use it to pay all the bills and expenses. Then, when it's time to make a major shopping trip, "Sorry, there's only $23 left on the card. Can you find something you want for only $23? No? Didn't think so. That's too bad. How about next month, after we pay the rent, gas, electric, phone, cellphones, insurance, both car payments, and buy groceries, then we'll go shopping! How about that?" Then you're going to get in trouble because you're not doing husband job of paying all bills and why she must work like papa karlo cinderella blat and not have money for her stuff blat. The argument will always come down to you not doing husband job after you shut her up with the explanation that 50% of monthly expenses is still more than what she brings in. You still can't win. Logic does not apply. See above. Apples and oranges and you're going to go cross-eyed. Just think of her nice bum in 20 years. All that cream will work, right?)

[eekee 182]

Yep, I'd rather buy a 70$ anti-aging cream now than plastic surgery later. Preventative care is where it's at.

There should be limits set. If you were to compare health/beauty items and clothing expenditures in relation to household income, you could probably ballpark it to what a small country's military spending would be in relation to it's GDP. It's amazing to consider that whole percentages of your household income will be spent on tubes of cream and the like. However, my wife has convinced me that it is necessary for both her short term happiness and her long term "maintenance."

"If you want that I be beautiful after 20 years, I must use this cream now. It is necessary. You don't understand?"

I think it's very hard for us dudes to empathize with the ladies in this aspect. 20 years on, we're worried about where we're going to fish or play golf, and they're worried about how many wrinkles theyr'e going to have. One thing that's helped me to not be so irritated over the money spent on beauty stuff is to look at it like an investment similar to what I would be doing to retire somewhere nice or have something nice when I'm older. I work my @$$ off at my job so someday I can have the kind of salary where I can live comfortably when I'm retired and do what I want to do. That's the sacrifice I make. She works her @$$ off at her job so when she's retired her @$$ is still as fantastic as it is now. That's her sacrifice.

I don't try to compare them. It's apples and oranges and you'll go cross-eyed if you try to.

[slim 1,533]

Yep, I'd rather buy a 70$ anti-aging cream now than plastic surgery later. Preventative care is where it's at.

And that's the part that's hard for us guys to get. Why do you need $70 anti-aging cream when Walgreens has it for $4.99?

I understand now. It took a while for the wife to sell me on this point, but the difference is Sofia Loren and Joan Rivers.

[eekee 182]

the walgreens one is made for women in their forties and fifties and would burn my face off, and i'd rather have wrinkles later than look like Two Face now. my chanel cream was specifically engineered for women in their 20s and is made with flowers from madagascar or something.

Yep, I'd rather buy a 70$ anti-aging cream now than plastic surgery later. Preventative care is where it's at.

And that's the part that's hard for us guys to get. Why do you need $70 anti-aging cream when Walgreens has it for $4.99?

I understand now. It took a while for the wife to sell me on this point, but the difference is Sofia Loren and Joan Rivers.

Edited April 25, 2008 by eekee

[slim 1,533]

my chanel cream was specifically engineered for women in their 20s and is made with flowers from madagascar or something.

Or so they say!

We have a few French cosmetics here that are also AUX PLANTES, and they don't look or smell any different then the MADE WITH REAL ALOE $1 bottle of "hand lotion" that I bought at CVS, the one I use to keep my typing fingers all nimble and junk. That's the real reason there's a big bottle of lotion by my computer. Yeah. I actually had to tell that story one time... anyway, different story for a different day. Although it just further corroborates the posted topic. The $1 bottle of "hand lotion" is far inferior to the $8 bottle of name-brand "moisturizer" so I'm in total agreement here. I guess that's probably about the best "guy perspective" on cosmetics that I can bring to the table.

[LvivLovers 39]

my chanel cream was specifically engineered for women in their 20s and is made with flowers from madagascar or something.

Or so they say!

We have a few French cosmetics here that are also AUX PLANTES, and they don't look or smell any different then the MADE WITH REAL ALOE $1 bottle of "hand lotion" that I bought at CVS, the one I use to keep my typing fingers all nimble and junk. That's the real reason there's a big bottle of lotion by my computer. Yeah. I actually had to tell that story one time... anyway, different story for a different day. Although it just further corroborates the posted topic. The $1 bottle of "hand lotion" is far inferior to the $8 bottle of name-brand "moisturizer" so I'm in total agreement here. I guess that's probably about the best "guy perspective" on cosmetics that I can bring to the table.

[eekee 182]

well, one makes my face turn totally red and burn, and the other doesn't, so i'll stick with AUX PLANTES for now

my chanel cream was specifically engineered for women in their 20s and is made with flowers from madagascar or something.

Or so they say!

We have a few French cosmetics here that are also AUX PLANTES, and they don't look or smell any different then the MADE WITH REAL ALOE $1 bottle of "hand lotion" that I bought at CVS, the one I use to keep my typing fingers all nimble and junk. That's the real reason there's a big bottle of lotion by my computer. Yeah. I actually had to tell that story one time... anyway, different story for a different day. Although it just further corroborates the posted topic. The $1 bottle of "hand lotion" is far inferior to the $8 bottle of name-brand "moisturizer" so I'm in total agreement here. I guess that's probably about the best "guy perspective" on cosmetics that I can bring to the table.

[akdiver 3]

Hey everyone just wanted to say russian girls are amazing! I just remember dating American girls and then meeting the love of my life who changed me alot! After meeting her I would never date an American Girl again! And in a couple months we will be married! So does anyone here want to talk about how amazing russian girls are?

What's REALLY amazing are stereotypes.

[slim 1,533]

So you won't agree that stereotypes are rooted in reality?

Or are we back on the stereotypes vs. generalizations debate?

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I am with Slim on this. Although stereotypes are clearly not PC, they hold a lot of truth. e.g., in the year I lived in Kazan', well over 90% of all the Russian men I met fit the stereotype.

So you won't agree that stereotypes are rooted in reality?

Or are we back on the stereotypes vs. generalizations debate?

[visaveteran1 33]

I am with Slim on this. Although stereotypes are clearly not PC, they hold a lot of truth. e.g., in the year I lived in Kazan', well over 90% of all the Russian men I met fit the stereotype.

So you won't agree that stereotypes are rooted in reality?

Or are we back on the stereotypes vs. generalizations debate?

Ditto.

[akdiver 3]

So you won't agree that stereotypes are rooted in reality? Or are we back on the stereotypes vs. generalizations debate?

Of course I do. But I also think that statements like the one in the OP and all they imply are foolish and ridiculous, and at the end of the day, really do not SAY anything. I mean, really - "Russian girls are amazing". Really? One could just as well say:

American girls are amazing.

British girls are amazing.

Polish girls are amazing.

Czech girls are amazing.

Chinese girls are amazing.

They're all fairly empty statements.

Edited April 28, 2008 by akdiver