I pout :-) but I'm the wife. If I had the tables turned, I'd give him a "task" like figuring out a creative way to "get"/save for a saddle? That should channel his energies. If he gets an allowance or is in charge of some expense (food/cooking is good) that can be cut back or maybe he can start saving household change (I use to get at least $15-$20 a month and use it to buy a pizza or, a couple times, decided I'd buy a savings bond every month for 5 years then give the stack to my husband as a "present" :-) I was always coming up with "schemes" to get what I wanted; I buy a lot of books so I'd "trade" my husband no book buying for a couple months if I could have an equivalent-amount item I wanted more at that moment.

Treat him like a kid you're teaching economics to :-) How would you teach a kid about the value of money and how to get what he wanted and to make money decisions? Tell him sure, he can have the saddle if he gives up eating for a month :-) Are there any "trade" magazines with used saddles for sale, etc? Maybe he can have a yard/garage sale or trade the store some sales/cleanup/some other kind of work time for a saddle in lieu of salary?