<prompt> Human: So, after 4 years Im getting ready to pop the question to my live in girlfriend. Over the last week Ive taken her shopping for engagement rings to get an idea of what she wants probably a mistake. The ring and band combo she wants will cost me about 6500 which to me is a bunch of money I would rather spend on more important things saving for a house etc.. For any other girl I would turn and run but I really love this one.Currently, Im in a unique financial situation. We both live together in her moms garage apartment 600 sq. ft in a very expensivenice Houston neighborhood. Her mom only asks for 100 rent a month from me to cover utility bills. I have a car payment of 373 a month and car insurance of 146 a month. This is the last year of me on my parents health care and they still pay my cell phone bill so I have no other recurring bills. My current take home pay is 2300 a month. Other than my car note, I have no debt.Im 25 and my girlfriend is 26. Shes an accountant for a big four firm downtown and makes quite a bit of money 60k. Shes aggressively paying her student loans she pays 2000 a month on them and should have them paid off in another year at which point we will probably buy a house with her paying the majority of the house note. Needless to say, she makes about double what I make now and is on a path to make alot of money throughout her life. Her circle of friends and her moms circle of friends are all quite affluent so to them a 6500 ring isnt a very big deal even though it is to me.Ive tried talking to her about a cheaper 3000 ring to no avail. She has her heart set on the 6500 one which is beautiful btw and from my research it is very fairly priced.rpersonalfinance Is it stupid to buy the ring on credit? The jeweler said I could put 20 down and take the ring and make interest free payments on it for up to a year. I estimate it will take me 8 months to pay it off. Im trying to rationalize to myself that this is just the cost of marrying an affluent girl and in the long run 6500 isnt much money for something she is going to wear for the rest of her life. UPDATE She had a training exercise and got home early. We had a long heart to heart about the future and finances. I explained to her how I want my financial future to be and how buying this ring will delay us from buying a house for a little while. Honestly, Im ok with that. The place I live right now is super nice only real reason I want a house is to feel independent and live the american dream. If thats delayed a little bit I can deal.Were on the same page. She told me she understands that she makes more money than me and that I will not have the same purchasing power as her in the next few years and that most likely she will have to come up with the majority of the money for a house and other items. Ive decided to buy the ring for her. I still dont like the idea of spending this much on a ring but I know that its important to her. Its a status symbol for her to show off. She also introduced the idea of having a smaller wedding to make up for it which Im happy about. To all the people saying if she truly loves you the ring doesnt matter I think you are a bit naiveidealistic. Life isnt black and white sometimes their are customs and politics that need to be accounted for.Thanks rpersonalfinance for all the advice.  <response>: Buy a ring in your price range. Get married and merge your finances and get on the same page with money. Buy her a badass ring with cash for your 10 year anniversary. 