Ashley and Manuel continue to bicker about minute little things on 90 Day Fiance Season 10, Episode 8.
But this is much more than that.
Manuel is critiquing everything that Ashley buys .;.. but he has expensive plans for her money. And it’s amounting to a monthly bill.
Ashley Michelle and Manuel
As their segment of the episode begins, they are of course bickering. Though we know that editing can skew things, it often seems that there are only two times when they are not bickering. One time is when they are having wild, passionate makeup sex. The other is when they are not even in the same place because Manuel has stormed off to “walk home” in a huff. Is this a good dynamic? No. Anyway, today’s hot topic is … coffee.
He thinks that he’s helping her save money
Manuel complains because Ashley regularly drinks coffee. It’s only a few cups a day, which is pretty normal for many coffee drinkers. However, he quickly reveals that his concerns are financial. He doesn’t like that Ashley is spending this money on coffee. His insistence that they brew some at home leads to bringing (and spilling) literal jars of coffee in the car.
Girl math? Not necessarily
Ashley explains to Manuel that abstaining from a small daily convenience does not amount to substantial savings, and she’s right. He’s essentially making the “avocado toast” argument. It’s not just that, when it comes to something like buying a house, you’d need to save $8 on coffee 60,000 different times in order to buy one. It’s also that there are other expenses in life. Ashley would just be like “oh, that’s $8 more gas money.” She’s not mismanaging her funds — she’s living in the reality of a world where life is unbearably expensive. Little treats are cheap, and big things are often out of reach. It’s an economic hellscape and it’s been an increasingly unpleasant aspect of our grim reality for over a decade.
Time to vent? But not the best time
In the car, Ashley calls a friend to vent about Manuel. Manuel is right there in the car. And she talks about how he’s on her last nerve, between the amount that he wants her to send on his behalf (he promised without consulting her) to his family and the coffee argument. Meanwhile, Manuel resents that she’s speaking about him in English, which he cannot understand. It’s not a healthy situation for either of them.
He wants to send HOW much each month?
The two meet up for a scented oil mixing session with a couple of Ashley’s friends. Eventually, the money topic comes up. Ashley admits that she has sent some money to his family, but never understood the scope of how many of them he’s supporting. Part of it is cultural, and part of it’s that she’s not a parent. Manuel bristles at the topic, and seems angry that her friends care about her enough to ask about this. Then he says that he expects them (for now, that means Ashley) to send $300 a month to his family back home.
Time for Manuel’s tantrum, right on schedule
Manuel becomes angrier and angrier, eventually storming off. He says that if it’s such a concern, he’ll pay her back. Then he complains about Ashley’s vet bills (as if she sets the prices), and complains that she doesn’t mind spending that money but isn’t eager to support his family. Well, Ashley has pets intentionally, so maybe that’s why? Anyway, Manuel storms off and declares that he’s walking home. Again.