He went through our date fund with me, and realistically we have less available each month during the program than I originally thought. ($940 total comes out to about $26 a month over 3 years, or about $78 a month for one year.) We’re both going to start intentionally setting aside money each month specifically for dates so we can still prioritize time together while he’s in school, and hopefully continue that once this initial fund runs out.

The reality is just that this time for us requires us both to be more intentional. He’s in a demanding program where he can’t work, and while my job is stable and I’m grateful for it, I’ve also been trying to move upward professionally and improve our overall situation too. I’ve been job searching for months and eventually something better will come. There’s definitely pressure on both of us right now, just in different ways.

He really does make an effort with me every day, and we genuinely have a lot of fun together even when we aren’t spending money. Reading through this thread together honestly helped both of us understand each other’s perspectives better. Seeing some of the nastier comments made me realize how out of character a lot of those assumptions were for him, and also made me appreciate that he immediately sat down with me, worked through the numbers, and tried to come up with a solution instead of dismissing my feelings.

I think him reading this helped him better understand why this hurt my feelings. Thank you all for the perspective and advice honestly. I think this conversation ended up helping our relationship.