I posted this there, but I'm always confused by the people who bring home a pinball machine without their wife at least knowing their intentions.
I'm at the point of my life where the cost of a new stern is swingable, but only as a fairly major purchase. We also live in the heart of a big city, which means space is at a premium. We only have the room in our home for one pin comfortably (maybe two uncomfortably). Our current pinball machine takes up a fair bit of our living room.
We do have separate accounts for personal expenses, and we're not checking each other, but when we hit that high of amount of money, not to mention the space issue, we're talking about it. My wife knew I was out shopping for a pinball machine, just like she knew when I was out shopping for a nice Hawaiian made ukulele (another obsession of mine). The idea of keep it a secret never crossed my mind, nor just doing it and living with the consequences.
She has asked me to not make a purchase, usually because we have some expenses coming down the line that weren't taken into account, but I've done the same with her for her own really expensive purchases. It's not her "telling me no", but a part of the discussion and open communication I think spouses need to have with each other.
But maybe this is different for people who are better off financially than we are or have more available space, like a game room available.