She calls me a cheapskate!

My girlfriend recently got into an argument with me about our dating habits, and said that we always go on cheap dates instead of fancy restaurants or nicer places. I pointed out that this was a joint decision based on our income, but she accused me of being cheap. She earns half of what I do, and I make sure I pick places that won’t affect our budgets in a drastic manner. We can pick better restaurants, but I avoid them because I know this will lead to an unnecessary waste of money. Her attitude bothers me because it’s as if she looks at everything from a perspective of how it should be in a fairy tale, without understanding or accepting that we live in a world where money is a real issue. How do I resolve this? It affects me to such an extent that I am wondering if she is right for me.
This isn’t something either of you should take lightly, because financial issues can’t be brushed under a carpet forever. It’s serious enough for her to keep pointing it out, and also important enough for you to reconsider your relationship, which is a sign that neither of you has seriously addressed it yet. Why not lay your cards on the table, ask her what her expectations are and explain why you make the choices you do. If you can’t arrive at a compromise that works for you both, this will only get harder in the future. It is a difficult conversation to have, but also an unavoidable one, so the sooner you have it, the better.

I want to have a more open and honest relationship with my husband, but he insists on keeping some things from me, saying that I don’t need to know everything. It sounds almost as if he doesn’t have any faith in me. How do I get him to change?
You can remind him that it is 2023, not 1923, and that a relationship cannot survive without mutual respect.