Hello folks, I do have a question relevant to this topic.
First, a bit of background. My dear girlfriend of 11 years now (getting married is quite optional in our beautiful Canadian province of Quebec) and I have been on the same expenses sharing system since we moved in together 10 years ago: all day to day and jointly beneficial expenses are shared 50/50 (food, gas, utilities, etc.). As we are co-owners of both a rental property and a piece of land (farm), all expenses related to these properties are also shared 50/50 (mortgage payment, repairs, etc.). We have a joint account in which we each deposit the same amount to cover all these. A joint credit card is also used, which I pay at the end of each month and for which my GF repays me her share of the common expenses and the total of her personal expenses. In summary, we split common expenses and each pay for our own personal expenses so that nobody is tied by the spending habits of the other. We are both professionals with similar paychecks. I get to put more money on the side for FIRE as I am a bit more frugal than she is, although she's quite frugal by extension as well, especially when compared to our colleagues. One of her main expense center is horseback riding: she owns a horse and will most likely own multiple at some point. The plan behind the piece of land (farm) mentioned earlier is that we will one day move there and enjoy a nice little early retirement, while having the horse(s) at home.
The farm already has a barn, but that's about it. In order to have horses there, we will need to invest a bit of money (and DIY time) in order to fix the barn, install some fences and other horseback riding equipment. Nothing big, but still enough to require certain capital investments.
Second, and sorry for the long background, here's my question to you guys: I don't know what to do with these expenses - it's not something I have an interest in and would normally fall into her personal expenses, but at the same time, if ever we would sell the farm, there would most likely be some added value tied to these "investments" (if I may use that term). Of course, my GF would want these expenses to be split 50/50, but I'm having a hard time agreeing as it would somewhat push back my FIRE date. OTOH, if I agree to share these expenses 50/50, I don't want to be the one always trying to cut costs in things that solely pertain to her passion. And as we're talking about important expenses, I understand that she would want me to cut in... So I feel kind of stuck there, I don't know how to approach this situation.
What would you guys do with this?
Side info: we plan to spend our life together, no kids at the moment but it's in the plans.