What It's Like to Make More Than Your Husband.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/bread-winning-wives

When my now-husband Chris and I first met, I was a poor grad student who waited tables to make ends meet. My rent was ridiculously cheap, and thank goodness, because I had negative dollars to my name.

I eventually got a full-time office job, but the salary was so bad I had to work at a coffee shop on weekends to pay my bills. While I was working my way up the ladder, Chris already had a successful career as a chef—and his salary reflected it. He wasn't rolling in it, but he was definitely making more money than me. He never made a big deal about it, he just chipped in a little more than me sometimes on things like rent and utilities.

For the most part, Chris could care less that I make more, and he's always been supportive of my career. But occasionally he'll say things like "my job is important, too" when we're discussing something like who has to take time off when our son is sick and has to stay home from daycare. It breaks my heart that he would even think he has to say that.

I'm not alone. I'd say about 35 to 40 percent of my female friends are in the same boat, which reflects the national average (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2012, 38 percent of wives earn more than their husbands). Like our husbands, we don’t really care that we make more. But sometimes…little gripes come out.

"I just once want to go out and spend a crap-load of money on something silly, like designer boots," one investment banker friend of mine said. "If my husband made the same salary, I could. But I can't. I live like I make less money to balance out his lower salary."

One friend confessed to me that she's dreamed about what kind of life she'd have if her husband made the same or more than she did.

  "I could be a stay-at-home mom—not that I want that, but it would be nice to at least have the option."

The reality is, Chris does a ton of stuff that I can't be bothered to do. He takes care of all of our bills, car maintenance, and issues that pop up around the house without thinking twice. If it was left to me…we'd be in trouble. That alone is worth a ton of money.