1. How awesome the way you handled the budget! As long as his side of the budget is met, then you're right! Maybe try picking some small item you both want, and ask him to start contributing to saving for it? Ease him into it? If you have nagged in the past, you probably have exacerbated the behavior.
2. I think it is good to talk - if you like to talk every day, and he's ok with once a month, try meeting in the middle - do bi-weekly or something. Honestly, to beat a dead horse, communication is KEY! But that doesn't just mean communicating about the R, it means sports, news, furniture, etc.
