For a home phone I just found something called BasicTalk which is a device you can buy for around $10 and then $10 a month. The reviews are very good. I have found that Internet alone is expensive, so adding basic cable and just bundling those two services is cheaper.
As far as what your h thinks, who cares. It's your choice whether you want a home phone or not. This will be your home and you can run it the way you want to. Show yourself and your h that you can figure things out and make sound decisions. He doesn't need to be involved.
