How much of a man's salary should he spend on an engagement ring?

Question

I hear anywhere from 3 to 6 mos. Have also heard 15%.

No there IS a guidleine! I am just trying to figure out which is accurate. I would never be so shallow to even ask how much nor to check whether the rule was followed.

I have no fiance. My friends and I were discussing the tradition, everyone thinks something different. thanks to the legitamate answers and LOL @ poor bastard! lmao

Sheesh! When I put the question under "philosphy" THEn give me the beauty pagaent answers "i believe love should outweigh..." Shut it! Its a QUESTION. Seems that only business professionals should answer.

Thanks in advance!

Never mind. Found better answerers. No offense to some of you!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AgjYwFwV6f9dQcrLIyoBZpgjzKIX?qid=1006042440006

Answer 1

A third of what he Makes in a year.. Nah is only 2 months of gross salary...Girl some are a tightwad.. They can spend 400 dollars on a Xbox 360 and 100 bucks on a ring... Don't expect anything good about a man picking up any kind of gift for a woman... They care more about themselves than others.

http://www.groomstand.com/gs-buying-ring.htm

Answer 2

In the olden days - by this i mean only about 50 years ago - the tradition men were told to spend one monts salary on the engagement ring. This is a good measure, because it means people dont go beyond what they can afford. I think 3 months is ridiculous, for most people that would be almost $10000. After all, the ring is only a symbol, it's the love that really matters.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Percentages, months, etc., are all a load of poop and tripe fed to everyone by the "Jewelry Industry". Not being cheap, here, just advising you and any possible suitors that you really should not give any mind to this load of garbage. Plenty of really nice engagement rings can be purchased via various sources, if you do a little hunting (even the Fingerhut company has nice rings!). If you or someone you know is measuring a ring's value by how much the man spent on it, well, that is sad, but if you are trying to find the right ring, please, just consider what I said, and urge you to look into other avenues. Plenty of things are costly these days, and an engagement ring is important, but it should not break you, either. Good Luck.

Answer 4

A man should spend zero dollars on an engagement ring. Diamond rings are a poor investment. Do you really need a symbol on someone's finger to prove you are in a relationship, or really love each other, or plan to get married? If the ring becomes lost or stolen, all that money is gone, unless you are stupid enough to spend even more money on insurance for the ring. If the ring ever needs to be sold, (if the relationship ends), you will never get back what you paid for it. What an appraiser tells you a ring is worth and what he will pay you for it are two different things (if he's a good business man). A much better way to show someone you love them would be to invest the money you would spend on a ring for your partner in some way which will appreciate in value. Like a Roth IRA or even Bank CDs. I know society dictates a ring is traditional, so if you want to allow society to dictate your life, then buy a less expensive diamond ring, and invest the rest. Trust me , in 20 years, she will be praising and thanking you for being so wise .

Answer 5

Why who cares how much a guy spends on an engagment ring unless the woman is just so petty and thats the only thing she cares about. My girlfriend and I talked about that and she has told me that she would rather have a great wedding and a great honeymoon. Now I didnt save 3-6 months I just used 4500 out of my monthly paycheck and bought her a ring of course I hadnt given it to her yet. But I wouldnt worry about 3-6 months or 15% that is just petty.

Answer 6

Sounds like your are trying to appraise your worth in money.
Do you actually care for the guy? How bout weighing the worth of the relationship differently, ya know, like how you two enjoy each others company. Wouldn't that be a novel idea?
I wouldn't waste any money on a girl who needs to know that question...

ahhh! you caught me assuming. I thought you were appraising yourself. Well my mistake. Offcourse I stand behind everything else (you excluded) I said earlier.

Answer 7

He should spend what he can afford. It is not an insult if he doesn't spend as much as you "want" him to. It's an engagement ring. It's a symbol of his love, not a measure of YOUR "worth".

Answer 8

$100 to $800. It's an engagement ring for Pete's sake. Save the money for the real ring, for your wedding, or for your honeymoon. Better yet, save the money for the bachelor party!

Answer 9

Whatever he can afford, although the "experts" suggest about 1 month's salary. It depends on how important the ring is to the couple.

Answer 10

It's just a ring...granted it shouldn't look like it came from a gum machine..but damn..he should spend what he can afford...and she should appreciate that he took time out of his day and money out of his wallet to purchase an icon of his love for her