My hard wearin'' man...

[Independent Gal]

Does anyone else''s DH go through shirts, socks...even dish towels like a rabid, cloth tearing, stain-making beast? I never lived with someone before, so I have no idea if this is normal. First, when we were dating, he basically destroyed all my throw-pillows. Not by doing anything specific, just that suddenly they seemed to be all worn, stained, buttons off, torn.... I bought him new dish towels for his place cause his were literally in SHREDS. A year later, the ones I bought him are in shreds. And the ones I have from five years ago are still pristine... HUH?! Then we he moved in, I made him throw out all his clothes that had holes or were worn through. Now, a mere 8 months later, all his NEW clothes are worn out too. And this was quality stuff I bought him. I can wear socks for, like, 10 years. His have holes within, like, 10 weeks. My shoes last forever. His shoes last for a day and half.

Seriously, is this normal with men? I can''t figure out what he''s doing that I don''t do, but everything he touches seems to fall apart or get permanently stained. It''s, frankly, quite amazing!

Tell me about your hard wearin'' men and what you do about it (if there''s anything to be done).

And OK, I confess I find it kind of endearing.

 

[Dandi]

My DH goes through boxer shorts (and yes, he LOVES the Mitch Dowd type that are about $30 a pair!!), socks and shoes like used tissues!! He wears workboots during the day and the skin on his heels gets really hard, like concrete! (I know, eww). That''s how I figure the sock wearing issue, but the others?! Got me stumped. His boxers he just wears down to threads, and new shoes fall apart in a matter of months. He costs more to maintain than I do!! And his t-shirts all seem to fray around the collar really quickly. Maybe he''s actually made of sandpaper?

 

[pavelover]

IG I just got married in Nov and we moved in in july before that- it is such a change, isn''t it? My dh doesn''t go through stuff like your husband does- in fact he is the opposite. He has such a supply of socks, underwear, shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, etc. and he wears only about 1/2 or 1/4 of them. He makes soooo much laundry and loves to replenish the stock frequently. When I put away laundry, there is barely room because he has so much stuff he never gets around to wearing!! I have to admit I am guilty a little bit of the same, but this man is to the extreme!!

It is so funny, though, how different the two sexes are...How have the first few weeks of being married been? Has it been much of an adjustment for you? I was really scared afterwards cause we were doing alot of disagreeing. Finally 4 or 5 months into it, we are settling in well. Thank god. I was a bit worried, he,he.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I think it depends on the guy. My dad does that, but then he is the most athletic person I know. My brother does it too, although not as much, I am not quite sure how though, since he never moves from his computer.

My FI is like me and really doesn''t have this problem except for his socks. The only explination I have for that is that he has HUGE feet and that it streches the socks more.

 

[crystalheart1]

Indy - What is he doing to his things?? I have two sons, and my FI - they all have clothes and undies that are in pretty good shape.

The only one that wears anything out is the Football playing one... And those are his work out / football gear and his sox. So ... no, I guess I am lucky.

My FI takes very good care of his things... in fact he watches over me to make sure I am doing the same

Now... the bedrooms of my boys is another story. The older boy ( 21 ) who is on the computer all the time can start is own "collection"
of dishes and empty water bottles...

that gather around his area

 

[Dreamer_D]

I don''t know if it''s "normal" but I can say my DH is the same. Not sure how it happens, I am thinking there is something in their sweat that wears fabric down.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Sounds like my DH too. His work tshirts constantly get holes in the pits and he always wears through jeans, underwear and socks really fast too. I don''t get it either - especially the tshirts. I still have tshirts that are a few years old that are in perfectly good condition to wear. Every Christmas I get my hubby some tshirts, socks, underwear and jeans to put under the tree and then have him go through the really grungy stuff and get rid of it.

Jess

 

[Independent Gal]

Boys.

Can''t clothe ''em, can''t leave ''em unclothed.

 

[alli_esq]

Date: 5/3/2008 4:48:05 PM
Author: DivaDiamond007
Sounds like my DH too. His work tshirts constantly get holes in the pits and he always wears through jeans, underwear and socks really fast too. I don''t get it either - especially the tshirts. I still have tshirts that are a few years old that are in perfectly good condition to wear. Every Christmas I get my hubby some tshirts, socks, underwear and jeans to put under the tree and then have him go through the really grungy stuff and get rid of it.


Jess

That''s the part I can''t get my FI to do. Does he have some sort of emotional attachment to these insanely torn up clothes?

Yes, I do believe sandpaper-skin is the culprit. Gah.

 

[Octavia]

Agh, don''t get me started. I think my FI has bought a pair of shorts and four shirts since we''ve been together (2.5 years). Not because he doesn''t need new clothes -- especially underwear and undershirts -- but because he hates to shop and hates for me to buy him clothing. Lately, he keeps asking why he doesn''t have any underwear...and my (completely truthful) answer is that they''ve been dissolving in the washing machine, and I''m not about to fold shredded scraps of hardened elastic and what was formerly cotton cloth. Yet, has he gone out to replenish? Absolutely not. I''m keeping tabs to see how long it takes.

 

[Independent Gal]

I think one of DH''s fave things about being married is that I buy his clothes for him. He HATES shopping. But is happy to have nice new things. For the 3 minutes they last, anyway.

 

[Octavia]

Oh, IG, you''re so lucky. FI thinks that clothing is an awful gift (and has said so), so I''m always hesitant to buy him things. After we get married, it''ll feel "wifey" and not like a gift, but for now I''m still letting him take care of himself, more or less.

 

[AmberWaves]

IG, my husband is about 350 pounds and a P.E. coach and teacher for kindergarten to 8th grade. His socks, shirts and everything is stained, torn, or broken. It''s insane. Like Dandi Andi, my husband tears his shoes up, and his sunscreen turns his white shirts yellow. It''s insane! Every few months we need to get a new batch of most of his clothes. I''ve learned to not accept it, ya know? I don''t understand it... but it gives me a chance to get new stuff too! "You''re getting new shoes? Can I?"

 

[anchor31]

FI is pretty good with his clothes. When we started dating he was a carpenter and it was a nightmare of thorn and stained clothes, but now that he has a desk job as an industrial designer, no more holes and stains! I wear out my socks faster than he does... It drives him insane! He does need a new wardrobe though (well, so do I, but we can''t exactly afford it right now!).

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I''m so with you on this, girl.

Paul goes through things that are supposed to be lasting commodities so quickly! It seems like we''re buying new socks and undershirts for him all the time.

He also has this really good ability to flatten all throw pillows with reckless speed. I don''t get it. I''ve had some of them for YEARS, looking great. Now, after almost a year and and half of "I do," they look a hot mess and I''m making new ones for our new house. They''ll look trashy by November, I''m guessing.

I think some men are just harder on wear they put on items. I don''t know, but my mom swears my dad is the same way....

 

[Independent Gal]

Yeah, what is with the throw pillows? I had such nice ones, but they look like crud now, and need to be replaced.

All I can say is, it''s a good thing he''s so damn cute!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Haha... too funny. I don''t know what it is about them. Paul rolls them up into ball like things and then plops them under his head, or he sits on them and flattens them out. I don''t know why he does this at our house; he acts normal and leaves them alone everywhere else.

Good thing indeed we love those boys of ours!!

 

[oobiecoo]

FI gets stains on nearly every shirt he owns.... I''ve tried shouting them but they just won''t come out!

 

[AmberWaves]

A few years ago, Paul (my husband) was working at some summer beach volleyball tournaments. He ripped his cargo shorts bending down and all that... I called it "Hulking out of them" in reference to the Hulk coming. Anyway, he''s at this thing with a ton of celebrities, so he DUCT-TAPED his khaki shorts closed with BLACK duct tape. The shorts ripped in several places! One of my favorite celebs, Hal Sparks, walked by, and recognizing him, Paul called out Hal''s name. Hal told him he had no spare change.

My husband laughed and was like, "Dude, I''m working here, but I tore my shorts. Can I get an autograph?" So Hal signed a magazine my husband had, and wrote "Buy your husband bigger shorts!"

Too funny. I hope it never happens again!

 

[ksinger]

Date: 5/4/2008 9:33:55 AM
Author: Independent Gal
Yeah, what is with the throw pillows? I had such nice ones, but they look like crud now, and need to be replaced.

All I can say is, it''s a good thing he''s so damn cute!

This thread has me literally LMAO! Whew!

Yes, he goes through clothes like a rabid weasel. He can ruin a good pair of new Dockers in a matter of months, although I give him points for taking them to a tailor and having them sewn up when he rips them. I''m sure he''d do it himself, but right now all 5 of the sewing machines are who knows where. (He used to be a sail maker, to explain that comment) He also just destroys my kitchen towels. From this thread I''m probably not the ONLY one, but one of the few who has a SPECIAL drawer in the kitchen where I put the raggy-est of the kitchen towels, and HE puts a cannister of GOOP for cleaining his hands when he comes in from working on the little, leaky British cars that he loves. He showers the bathroom in fuzz, and simply is incapable of cooking anything on less that "conflagration" or "Vesuvius", and though he truly is a good kitchen-keeper, cleaning the stove that he has thus liberally dowsed with grease splatters is NOT his forte, so I get to do it. And EVERY pair of his size 11 shoes ends up in the living room under the coffee table and the chairs. Not a horrible thing until one remembers how big size 11 really IS. Five pairs is straining the real estate....

Yeah, ditto on the cute part. Keeps us from stranglin'' em!

 

[pennquaker09]

Okay, so I really do get where you ladies are coming from. Since I handle all aspects of laundry in our house, Nate''s clothes seem to last much longer. Nate likes nice clothes but he doesn''t like taking care of them. He goes through dress socks pretty regularly. And no matter what I say, when he takes them off, they always end up on the floor, never in the hamper. Never. When we lived in New Orleans, his clothes REEKED. Like a week wouldn''t go by when he didn''t have a shirt or tie that wasn''t puked on (he''s a pediatrician). Now that he''s in cards, he''s relatively puke free.

Another thing is that he wears suits, particularly the pants 6 out of 7 days of the week. So, when Brooks Brothers had their sale, I practically dragged him in there to get some stuff because I get tired of going to the cleaners ALL the time.

When I switched him from boxers to boxer briefs, they last longer. One thing about socks and underwear is that the more one has, the longer they last. It''s something I buy on a pretty regular basis. Nate really likes the 2xist brand. They''re of a pretty good quality. His socks come from either J. Crew, Paul Stuart, Banana Republic, or Gap. Gap and BR always have a buy 3 or 4 and get them for like $3.00 deal going on and I''ll pick up about 9 or so pair.

I don''t know what it is, but I still have clothing from my high school days (5 years on the 26th of this month). And I personal have a thing for socks. Nothing beats a fresh pair of socks.

 

[diamondfan]

What is the man DOING to this stuff?!

Hubby is fairly fastidious. He has things on hangers, all facing the same way, same distance apart on the rod. Can you say anal retentive? He is neat. However, til we tried mulitiple deodorants, he did have stains in the armpit area issues, some of them in very expensive custom made white dress shirts. Even when I told cleaners to use fresh solution, it was awful. He is much better now. I am the one who is more sloppy, but I try hard now to put stuff back and be organized. Otherwise my closet looks like a tornado hit.

 

[Independent Gal]

DH has become WAAAAAY less sloppy. In fact, he''s generally pretty easy to live with these days! So now if we could just do something about him being made of sandpaper and wearing through his clothes and everything he touches.

ACtually, if he''s made of sandpaper, do you think that entitles me to make HIM refinish the bathroom cabinet? You know, because he just has to, like, rub his back against it?

Just seems more efficient.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 5/6/2008 8:12:45 AM
Author: Independent Gal
DH has become WAAAAAY less sloppy. In fact, he''s generally pretty easy to live with these days! So now if we could just do something about him being made of sandpaper and wearing through his clothes and everything he touches.

ACtually, if he''s made of sandpaper, do you think that entitles me to make HIM refinish the bathroom cabinet? You know, because he just has to, like, rub his back against it?

Just seems more efficient.

Could be, actually. HEY! Just think of all you could save on facial exfoliant! He goes a day without shaving, and you get affectionate, voila! sanded skin!! Oh wait....I think he''s 80 grit. Nix on that one...

My guy is pretty easy to be with too, really. But like you I do get exasperated at times. He''s good for the big stuff, but seeing the "trails" he''s leaving is not in the cards for him. And don''t get me started about crumbs on the counters. And now that we have speckly granite counters it''s harder to see the crumbs....FOR HIM. I still see them!! Grrrrr!!!