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Financial independence is sexy

When T got his tax refund last year, he told me he thought about going out and buying something straight away.

But he didn’t. He could get something better later on if he saved that cash, he said.

Hearing that? Best present ever. Bugger jewellery and don’t even think about buying me flowers. Having your finances in check? That’s hot.

Our joint finances have taken an interesting journey of twists and turns. He didn’t have his own bank account when we first moved in together, but hastily starting a new job meant he needed to put down an account number for payroll, so mine it was. Wholly merged finances eventually evolved into a separate account for him, but all the money still flowing to me to handle. Then he started independently dealing to his own spending funds out of his account before taking over full control, giving me a set amount for household expenses every week.

Now, we’re back to him handling his own fun money, with me taking care of the rest. And this is how it’s going to stay. He’s not one to micromanage, and doesn’t really like to think about money at all. Me, I’m happy to spend a few hours a month running numbers and shifting funds around. And let’s be honest: me pulling the purse strings can only be a good thing on the savings front.

How long did it take you to settle into a joint financial groove (whether you have merged, separate or in-between)? Was it painful?

4 thoughts on “Financial independence is sexy

  • Reply Amber from Girl with the Red Hair January 14, 2012 at 18:33

    Ya that’s how we work it. Eric gives me a set amount every month and I handle the flow of it. Sometimes I think it would be nice to merge all our finances but then I figure it’s working pretty darn good the way it is so why fix something that isn’t broken?

  • Reply addvodka January 15, 2012 at 05:18

    To be honest, the boy and I aren’t even really in a groove yet. He’s not a bad saver – in fact, he’s a great saver and never spends money on much except for fast food and tools which he needs for his company. But the lack of synergy between our finances stresses me out sometimes.

  • Reply Serendipity January 16, 2012 at 15:30

    I’ll admit it. I get super turned on when Rambo starts talking about budgets. I love budgets and I love it more when couples grove financially!

  • Reply nicoleandmaggie January 21, 2012 at 15:52

    It took us a little while to figure out the adult allowance thing, so that he would be happy with his spending, but pretty much right away I was in charge of the accounts, bills, and big picture. We had one bank account, but separate credit cards.

    I had a melt-down trying to do taxes the first year so he took that over. And that’s how he ended up getting an annual snapshot of our finances (which he reports to me) to understand the really big picture.

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