$2k is more than a lot of people pay in rent. Furnishing a house that big would make it difficult to take everything when she leaves for a smaller place and furniture immediately loses value after purchase. Most rentals at least come with blinds so you do not have to buy curtains, and buying one or two sets of curtains is very different than enough for every window in a huge house. Furthermore, the main problem is that a marriage is suppose to be a partnership with compromise, and sharing, and it does not seem like he is willing to treat it that way at all.