Buried our heads in the sand for too long!

anna_1977

Basically pay off whatever is charging the highest interest first. I would personally take charge of the accounts and as mentioned give her spending mony.

I was advise against any sort of joint account or anything at the moment as her debts will show up against you.

Why not as you said transfer to a 0% credit card and then she use her wages to (with you in charge) pay off in lump sums every month?

Happier_Me

Hi OP

In your position I would do the following, assuming your partner is on board:

• Take over all household finances, including all money in and bill payments out
• Shift the debt to 0% only deals
• Work out a household budget which includes debt repayment
• Work out a monthly spend allowance for each of you. Personally I think this should be the same for both
• Monitor each month to ensure you spend within your budget

You are a team and having child would be consideed a game changer for many couples and yes. It is in your best interest to avoid interest payments and charges, to clear this debt and avoid further debt to accumulate. And it's not unusual for one person in a couple to manage money. I do it for my family because I am financially minded and this works out well for us. If I were to pass this responsibility onto my husband, who is a natural spender, I expect we would all be living in the back of our car within 12 months!

Well done for facing up to it.