Hiding your finances could spell doom for the marriage as well. Most couples fight more about money than anything else, and when you hide purchases – particularly major ones – from your spouse, you hurt the trust you've built and can harm your credit. The nagging wife is a cliche – but when either partner is hypercritical of the other one, it can wear on the criticized spouse's wellbeing, and ultimately, the relationship as a whole. If you're the nagger, then consider your motivation. Perhaps you think you're being helpful or legitimately pointing out flaws that truly do exist. If they're problems you can't live with, then that's another story entirely. But if you're sweating the small stuff and doing it frequently, then he or she is more likely to tune you out. Stick with the legitimate problems when you criticize or feel like nagging. Finally, examine your fighting style – a bad habit to fall into is either ignoring legitimate problems completely or having knock-down, drag-out fights about absolutely everything. Having a difference of opinion is inevitable, but instead of fighting one another, fight to solve the problem at hand. Leave the past in the past, and avoid personal attacks.