Am I allowed to ask this? (poll)

[Ereeg]

I thought this would be interesting and made it a private poll! I know it’s totally personal, And please don’t share if you don’t want to. I thought it would be kind of fun

Talking gross (pre-tax or take home income).

 

[Johnbt]

I voted one month for the first ring, but that was when I was in college in 1972 and wasn't making much. (I wish I had the specs of that itty bitty diamond chip now that I've been educated.)

When I became engaged last year - 6 years into retirement - I spent quite a bit because I'd just sold a bunch of stock and I felt like spending some of it.

 

[mrs-b]

I voted one month for the first ring, but that was when I was in college in 1972 and wasn't making much. (I wish I had the specs of that itty bitty diamond chip now that I've been educated.)

When I became engaged last year - 6 years into retirement - I spent quite a bit because I'd just sold a bunch of stock and I felt like spending some of it.

Same here. My DH and I were both college students when we got engaged. My father gave me my recently deceased mother's engagement diamond, and we paid for the setting. It was equal to about 1 weeks salary, by average standards, but for us, it was the equivalent of 2 months scholarship money.

 

[Sparkles88]

My DH and I were high school sweethearts and we dated throughout university before getting engaged. We didn’t have a lot of money because we decided to buy a house together first. My first engagement ring was very modest but I loved it, the original diamond is now set in a bracelet.

 

[Austina]

Nothing, I didn’t have one

 

[lovedogs]

We were both PhD students making barely enough money for food/rent, so we split the cost. I think it was about 1.5-2 months salary at the time?

 

[tinydiamond]

No engagement ring because it wasn't important to me at the time. We had matching wedding bands. 25 years later, I managed to convince OH to let me buy a small AVR after discovering them on this forum.

 

[Gussie]

We were in grad school so not a lot of money. My mother gave me a diamond and DH paid for the setting, a 3 stone with side sapphires. I have no idea the cost. Since he got out easy, he happily got me an upgrade (well, 3).

 

[Wewechew]

DH and I had just purchased a house so we lucked out when my mom offered us my grandmother's ring. DH had to take it to get sized and the wedding band taken apart from the engagement band, but that was less than a week's salary.

Before we were offered the family ring, DH was looking at spending two month's salary on an engagement ring (I was only thinking he would spend one month's).

 

[MamaBee]

My husband paid $400 for my first engagement ring in 1974. It was VERY highly included and .60 ctw. I wore it for ten years..There’s a statue erected in my honor in the State of New York for patience.

 

[MamaBee]

Nothing, I didn’t have one

You were waiting for your OTRTA!

 

[tkyasx78]

He wasn't employed when we marrried and got engaged ( student at college) . So I don't know how to answer it, but it was a modest .50 carat with a simple yellow gold setting

 

[meely]

You forgot to include the option for less than a weeks pay!

 

[strawrose]

Less than one paycheck. I’m surprised that there aren’t more in the “2 month salary” range, because fiancés are pushed by sales people to do this.

 

[autumngems]

He was a LCpl in the Marines so he didn't have a lot to spend, he paid $200 for a .25 TCWT yellow gold solitaire in a pawn shop. I am ok with that and it sparkled like mad, very clean and white.

 

[cmd2014]

I was in school and DH was very early in his career, so I think he spent about one pre-tax paycheck on mine. It was a lot of money to us at the time. He did offer to spend more, as his good friend had spent about 5x that amount (so a little more than 2 months' salary), but I was horrified at the thought of spending more than what I had paid for my (very old, used) car or what would have made for a nice start on a downpayment on a house, so I talked him out of it. Little did I know at the time that he would be so sentimental and that I would be wearing my original e-ring still 20 years later (we could afford an upgrade or two; he just gets all puppy dog eyed about it and I cave in). I still don't think going into debt for a ring is wise. But upgrades would be nice...

 

[Austina]

I think that honour should be mine @Mamabean I only waited 40 years

 

[MeowMeow]

Less than one paycheck. DH is enlisted military and there was no way he could have afforded that crazy talk lol. We used an heirloom diamond my family had for this very reason.

 

[MamaBee]

I think that honour should be mine @Mamabean I only waited 40 years

Yes! You definitely win!

 

[bludiva]

Less than one paycheck. I’m surprised that there aren’t more in the “2 month salary” range, because fiancés are pushed by sales people to do this.

i don't think that line works on most people. makes me upset when people feel social pressure to spend so much, especially for folks who can't easily afford to part with it.

 

[missy]

You were waiting for your OTRTA!

And @Austina hopefully feels she now has her ORTRTA!

 

[missy]

First ER was about a month's gross income.

 

[alene]

Pretty much exactly a month of his gross salary at the time. I was still in grad school and didn’t make much at all.

 

[cmd2014]

i don't think that line works on most people. makes me upset when people feel social pressure to spend so much, especially for folks who can't easily afford to part with it.

Two months' salary seems like a lot for most people. It's one thing if you have the money saved. It's a whole other thing if you have to put it on a credit card and pay 19% interest...that should honestly be criminal (to pressure someone into doing this that is, not for someone to do it if they really, really want to).

 

[WinkHPD]

I was a young Marine stationed at the Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. I made somewhere around $600 per month back then and I spent about $350 for my wife's engagement ring. Of course, gold was officially $35 per ounce back then and frankly, I could not afford to spend what I did, but hey, I loved her then, and after nearly 46 years of marriage to my wonderful wife, I am happy to say I still do!

Wink

 

[Dcrafty1]

I was in school and DH was very early in his career, so I think he spent about one pre-tax paycheck on mine. It was a lot of money to us at the time. He did offer to spend more, as his good friend had spent about 5x that amount (so a little more than 2 months' salary), but I was horrified at the thought of spending more than what I had paid for my (very old, used) car or what would have made for a nice start on a downpayment on a house, so I talked him out of it. Little did I know at the time that he would be so sentimental and that I would be wearing my original e-ring still 20 years later (we could afford an upgrade or two; he just gets all puppy dog eyed about it and I cave in). I still don't think going into debt for a ring is wise. But upgrades would be nice...

This will be me. I even started a post about it yesterday. I have a nice ring now but I know I will want to upgrade to 2.0. He says maybe for our 10 year anniversary. He’s very sentimental. I really thought I would be too.

 

[strawrose]

i don't think that line works on most people. makes me upset when people feel social pressure to spend so much, especially for folks who can't easily afford to part with it.

It worked on my brother, who gloated about it. My penny pincher parents scolded him. (Of course, I’m not saying other people who spent that much are like him.)

I agree it is a shame people feel peer pressure to do this.

 

[bludiva]

It worked on my brother, who gloated about it. My penny pincher parents scolded him. (Of course, I’m not saying other people who spent that much are like that.)

i kinda feel bad for him all proud of himself getting his balloon deflated by your parents

 

[diamondseeker2006]

We were also in college, and he had one more semester. He borrowed the money from his parents and paid them back the year after graduation. At that time, I'd say it was over one months salary but not quite two. I wore that 1 ct ring for close to 30 years when I came here to research upgrades!! I told him I wanted to reset into platinum and maybe add side stones, but he was sentimental and said to keep my ring as it was and just choose a new one! I liked that deal!

 

[JT123]

My DH is from UK and after he proposed he told me to pick out a ring. No set budget . I already owned a house, no debt & we both had really good salaries in high-tech (this was in 2000). Although we could have afforded to spend more I was nervous spending a lot on a diamond. I wasn't into diamonds at all back then.
At that time I thought it was insane spending 4k on .79 diamond lol. We bought from a B&M that was supposedly a family friend however we got ripped off.
I wasn't excited about diamonds like I am NOW ! Fast forward 20 years and here I am obsessed with diamonds & just purchased my 1.32 from WhiteFlash for our 20 year anniversary. I can't wait.