Merging money

never_again_2

My OH and I got married a couple of years ago. Although I wouldn't say I have complete control of the money - I'm the only one that knows what is going where and how much is left. I even have an income/expenditure spreadsheet that my OH doesn't understand. I pay all the bills (mainly because I work in Town) and OH asks when he needs cash because he knows that I know how much we have left for the month. I even do his mobile phone top-up. Not because he is not capable of managing on his own - but because we find it really useful to have one person keeping track of everything. Different things work for different people.

bluesindy_2

We have a joint account for household stuff, mortgage, insurance, tv, phone, council tax etc, and it works well both of us putting same amount in, OH is self employed so he works in cash, I'm the idiot whose gotten into debt, although he doesn't know about it!!! but thankfully and mostly due to this site I've got a grip just in time. Infact my debts of £13,000 will be paid off in 3.5 years to coincide with the mortgage being paid off!! light at the end of the tunnel and god does it feel good!
Having said that I think you should be comfortable with a joint acc, I guess I've been lucky in that my partner trusts me and although It's a large amount to owe I've always paid on time so far but I'm 43 now and have credit to some degree since i was 18! doesn't bare thinking about, where was Martin all those years ago

Good luck whatever you decide

xx

newleaf

pollyanna24 wrote:

but he's got a few debts which I want rid of and he's doing nowt

This is the only thing that would worry me. Are you certain you can trust his attitude to money?

pboae

We have our own current accounts that our wages go into, then we both transfer 1/2 into a joint account. OH has a second income from another job at the moment and that goes straight into the joint account. Everything related to the house comes out of joint, car bills are negotiable (genearally little things are paid for by each of us but MOT etc comes out of joint). I run the joint account, or nothing would ever get paid, and I mostly run our individual savings accounts, but our own current accounts are private.

seven-day-weekend

We have several joint current accounts but our savings are in separate names.

However, we both consider any money either of us have as 'ours' and also any bills that have to be paid are 'ours'. Neither of us would spend a large (ie more than £50) amount of money without consulting the other one.

We've always done this for £35 years; most of the time, but not always, my husband has earned more than me. I have always managed the finances.

This suits us, but don't do it if you don't feel happy with it.

Glass_Half_Empty??

I know a bloke who's wife looks after his money and gives him what we call "pocket money" each week to live on.
I find it absolutely ridiculous and any women that is so keen on doing so is a control freak :rolleyes: Please don't take offense as there is none intended but for the love of god there is keeping an eye on things and being obsessed and by the sounds of some of you lot your obsessed(unhealthily I might add!) but hey what goes on behind closed doors eh
Seriously if thats what you do then fine but I feel it is deadly weird and sinister as I know what women are like and they just like to be "in control" and "in the know" :rotfl:
Good luck to you all, I hope it doesn't end in tears :beer:

rog2

For fifteen years we had a joint account, although my wife maintained her own account, into which her wages were paid. It was easier for me to allow her access to my money through a joint account as I spent so much time away. However, we discussed it and agreed that it would be better to keep separate accounts due to the risk factor in my being self-employed.
Now that I am in financial trouble I am so glad we took this decision as there is no point in both of us going down.

bargainbetty

MY ex and I had our own accounts and a joint account for bills. Each month we put a set amount into it for bills, and kept our own money separate. We would put more in for savings for holidays etc, and pay all of our own stuff from our own accounts.

It worked well, right up to the divorce