Hey Married/future-married: One checking account or TWO?? Is the money Mine or Ours?

[Emulex]

Here's the question:

When you get married, will you have one single checking account? Two? Three?

Are all of your "bills" and "money" considered one ??

I'm curious to this dilemna.

 

[RossGr]

You will find there are two types of property in marrage, Ours and hers.

 

[gittyup]

I am married and we currently have one checking account. Ofcourse, my wife is not working now due to pregnanacy. But, when she does, it will be two checks into a single acocunt. We pay all the bills, account for savings, and then split the remainder that is left over.

 

[kingz]

LOL I would also like to know what people do. Im thinking a single account isnt that hard. But you also have to ask what situation they are in. One person working, or both?

 

[crzyc]

not married yet, but if i marry my current gf i bet it'd be ours and hers

 

[Helpless]

One account makes it tough, should you ever decide to seperate...it becomes a first come, first served deal ...not the mention the headache of starting a new account, getting your direct deposit routed to your new account, waiting for it to take affect, etc, etc...

 

[unxpurg8d]

One account - isn't it a partnership? All the marriages I've seen that maintained separate accounts had an underlying tension about money issues and seemed lacking in commitment. If you don't really trust the person you're marrying with your money why in the world would you trust 'em with your life and heart?!? :Q

 

[Helpless]

I, too, held those views when I first got married...

 

[cherrytwist]

Interesting, this is an issue we've struggled with from time to time.

We currently have our "own" money and are engaged to be married next spring. However, it is my suggestion that we share an account to pay bills from, and apart from that our money is separate.

Although we're totally committed to each other, I don't think it's wrong to have separate accounts. To me, it's not an issue of trust but one of independence. We are both, like-minded, independent people.

At first, she was a little put off by my stance (when we first moved in together for instance). Which is ironic, b/c her ex-husband bled her account dry. But anyhow, I like the idea of having my own money (and so does she). Honestly, I couldn't see it any other way.

 

[Emulex]

then again when your wife decides to go out and spend a couple hundred on "both of your" money on some new clothes, and you have been eye'ing that new cpu, whats up then?


I'm curious. girls tend to spend a lot of money on crap, well crap in "guys" eyes.

And vice-versa.

So if your wife makes half of what you do, you both divvy up whats left after the bills 50-50 to do as you wish???

 

[Helpless]

...and it makes it easier to balance the books; She goes to the ATM, then writes 4-5 checks while shopping; you write a few checks, then get some cash out of the ATM machine for the strip club, etc, etc...and one of you forgets to mention that you took a $100 out of the ATM...pain in the a$$, if you ask me.

 

[Dually]

<< I am married and we currently have one checking account. Ofcourse, my wife is not working now due to pregnanacy. But, when she does, it will be two checks into a single acocunt. We pay all the bills, account for savings, and then split the remainder that is left over. >>



LOL, you split the difference equally even though shes not working, hahaha. I will have my own account period and then a third for common stuff.

 

[Helpless]

>LOL, you split the difference equally even though shes not working, hahaha.<


I take you aren't married &quot;hahahahaha&quot;

 

[Stallion]

We only have one checking but we both have our own savings. And we only have one atm card that I carry. I just give her cash every few days or she will take the check book with her.

One checking account works for us plus she make quite a bit more money then I do.

 

[Spook]

Its an arrangemnet you have to make with your spouse/Girlfriend. Before I got married, our money was completely seperated. Afterwards, my wife had no problem just combining our money, and I provide her, and myself an allowance every couple of weeks.

 

[Emulex]

oh ok. spook. You saying you give your woman some $$ every few days to spend or let her take the checkbook every once in a while? Like allowance?

hmm..

I think my girl is too independent for that.

 

[Helpless]

Yea, I agree...like a payment for sex &quot;Here you go, dear, thanks. If you need some more, come let me know.&quot;

 

[Pliablemoose]

One account, learn to communiate &amp; budget. What we do is keep one checking account, one person (me) writes the monthly checks, and we give ourselves an allowance every payday $100 cash or so of &quot;runnin money&quot;. We consider the money ours.

Both of you need to be flexible enough so the other can step in &amp; take over the bill paying role, we've swapped a couple of times.

That's what's worked for us, sort of depends on your salaries &amp; personalities. I've done the 3 account thing with an ex &amp; it worked too, just a little more complicated to keep track of everything.

You mentioned her spending money on &quot;crap&quot;, and while this may be the case, companies gouge women unmercifully, look @ the prices of makeup, clothes, etc compared to men's crap, and budget for it, &amp; multiply by 50%

 

[mztykal]

Mine. Don't want a stupid person fvcking with my checking. What if she decided to go on a spending spree?

 

[jeremy806]

One account.

I got married at 24. If I were older when I got married, it could be different. As for any other younger people, why wouldn't you mix the money together, assuming that you both work?



jeremy806

 

[Netopia]

<< One account makes it tough, should you ever decide to seperate... >>


If both people are open and honest and divorce is even a possibility, they shouldn't even consider getting married. My wife and I wife and I had decided that we would work through whatever came our way (exept maybe infidelity) and that we did not believe in divorce the way it is used in this country today.

Two weeks after we decided to get married, we got a joint account and all of both of our money went in. We both started to get &quot;allowances&quot; and the rest went to bill paying and to savings for honeymoon and the future. The days of spending whatever was left over on whatever we each wanted were over..... time to grow up!

Now, fourteen years and four kids later, we still get an allowance.... but we both also have our own money too. She's a stay at home, homeschooling (LOTS of work) mom, but will occasionally watch kids for a day or two or even a couple of weeks (days only) and that money is purely hers. I work full time in the IT industry and what I make from work, bonuses and OT belongs to the house... what I make building 'puters on the side is mine.

Do we have as much dispendable income to blow on whatever we want now? NO.... but when you get married you're supposed to trade in that sort of thing for the brand new shiny family you are creating!

Joe

 

[Netopia]

<< Don't want a stupid person fvcking with my checking. What if she decided to go on a spending spree? >>



Why would you EVEN consider marrying someone you trusted so little?

Joe

 

[Stallion]

My wife usually has spending sprees but they are for things that are for the both of us, funiture, yard plants ,rugs. While my spending sprees are for car parts.

so I figure I'm coming out ahead. She just spent 5K on land scaping and plants and I spent 3K on aluminum heads for my car. The yard is something we both can share, while she has no use for my car so I see it as a win win for me.

 

[Emulex]

heh women get hormonal, and do crazy things, even after your married..

like spending $$ on another pair of shoes to site next to her 20 other pairs.

 

[Netopia]

Do any of your wive's go on serious spending sprees without discussing it with you before hand?

Joe