Those two statements don't make 100% sense. If you don't need it according to your wife, why would she suddenly let you buy it at the reduced rate. Surely you have a small amount of fun money left over a each paycheck that is split between the two of you. Take your portion (after the bills are paid, etc), then save up until you can buy a new phone/PDA when a new one comes out.

If that takes more than a few months (we're only talking a few hundred, not several thousand dollars) then perhaps skill reassessment or a better job is in order. Or reevaluate where your money is going each month. This is a relatively small purchase.

I hate to have to be the one to point this out to you, but if a single $300-500 purchase is problematic, in this day and age, something is wrong. This isn't a $60K luxury automobile.

financial counselor, some common sense, and some compromise. You work, you bring home some money, you get to spend a little of (not all) any way you see fit. That's not a hard concept.