I am highly displeased.

Each week I gather all the bills, balance the checkbook, and pay everything that has a due date falling within the following two weeks. In this way, I ensure nothing is ever paid late. Sometimes if we're short on cash flow, it slides a little bit, but, in general, it's a good system that works. I know it's anal, but keeping track of the money is important to me. I like to know where we stand.

All I ask of my wife is that she puts the bills that come to her in the box from which I pull and pay. She often takes a while to open her mail, then when she does, she makes small piles that she doesn't look at again for a few more days. Then, every so often, she goes through her stacks and gives me the bills.

Many times I have to turn around and get the bill paid in one or two days to avoid it being late, yet I hold my tongue, for this is sometimes what one must do in a marriage, as we all have our bad habits that infuriate the other person, and it's important to remember this when attempting to foster marital harmony and bliss, or at least to avoid bitterness and contempt.

But this time she's gone too far. She left a credit card bill in one of those stacks and I didn't get it until 9 days after it was due! Nine days! I spend my working hours writing about personal finance and smart credit card use, and my wife.... oh, I can't even express my displeasure.

So I paid the bill and even threw in an extra two hundred dollars to try to get a jump on paying off the finance charges that are accruing even as I write this, but of course she's still been using the card even with the way late payment so those finance charges aren't going to quit until the thing is completely paid off. It's driving me crazy! We're already at about $50 in fees on this; I'm guessing at least another $20 or $25 will show up before it's all over.

She's a good wife, but she's got some groveling ahead of her.