SAHM's: how do the finances work in your household?

[Hollywood]

Do you get given a set amount each pay period, like "houeskeeping" or similar? Or do you just have access to a joint bank account and share the funds? Or something different?

I'm just curious to see what most of you do. Until now DH has just been giving me cash as I need it, but I'm going to do it different from now on and have discussed with him the idea of an allowance based on what our bills, food and general living expenses cost.

I am only interested in hearing from SAHM's like me, that don't work, to get an idea of what the norm is out there. I do work 5 hours a week but I don't count that, it's not much money at all, only just enough to pay for my mobile phone/internet, so essentially I'm a full time SAHM.

Thanks! :)

[BitterSweet]

Our money is in a joint account to spend as we both see freely providing we don't go over board and bills are paid first.

[Lemonhead]

Well DP got me put on his account as a signatory so I have my own card to access the wages. I control the money, I spend whatever needs to be spent and I dont have an 'allowance' as such, just whatever I feel like buying, I buy.

He asks for money once in a blue moon to go golfing or buy some beer.

[MamaBeatts]

I have access to DH's account, so essentially its a joint account. We also get FTB which helps. I have an account which that goes into. I have a visa debit account to pay bills online, as well as a joint account that we both have to sign for.
Pretty much the same though, as long as the bills are paid (and DH gets his smokes and beer) we spend the rest!! :p

[Sunnygal]

We have a joint account, first bills and mortage are paid for then money is left in for groceries, but we also buy ourselves stuff as wanted/needed :)

[3'llhavetodo]

We have a joint offset account attatched to our mortgage account. All our money goes into... and goes out of :(:laughing: ...there. DH has a credit card that he does all his stuff on, mainly because he's too lazy to activate his cuecard :laughing: I'm the one who deals with the bills, knows all the numbers and 'stuff' in general.

Like the old saying goes he'd be SOL if I ever died:laughing:

[Annabella]

Our accountant controls all our money and basically all his pay goes into some account we never see, possibly our mortgage? I don't know, anyway, a set mount goes into mine each week for food, clothes, petrol, own spending, whatever we need, and my husband gets a set amount for his petrol and spending money. Bills are all direct debit/credit card. When I need extra for a trip away or pay off the credit card (which we only use for bills), I ring and they transfer money over.

Before the accountant, I did everything but we argued about money all the time coz my husband is a spender (on crap) and I'm a saver. This way is easier coz he doesn't argue with them :yelclap:

[Lillynix]

I handle all the money. I'm the one that does the budget, pays the bills, does the groceries and buys anything else that we may need, childrens clothes etc...

We have separate bank accounts. DH's pay goes into his bank account, which I have access to via internet banking which is how I pay the bills. If I need cash, then I transfer money from his account to mine. DH also does the same with my account, if it's my 'pay' week (so FTB), he can access the money if he needs to via internet banking and transferring the money to his account. We both have accounts with the same credit union so the transfer is instant.

We always let each other know how much we have spent and on what, if it's something that isn't in the budget, just so we both know how much spendable income we still have left to avoid over spending.

[Mathermy]

He works, I don't. Joint account, I handle the money, bills etc :)

[Areca]

DH makes the money and I spend it. That's how it works here...every now and then he hands me a new credit card :D

[Corlz]

He works, I don't. Joint account, I handle the money, bills etc :)


Me too. Am not a SAHM yet, am a SAH-pregnant chick :laughing: We have always had a joint account, DF is hopeless with money and i have had full control over all bills and money since we met, nothing has changed since i stopped working

[bada]

He works, I don't. Joint account, I handle the money, bills etc :)
ditto.

[loving6]

We have a joint account and a bill-paying acc (which I love only having to think about bills once a year is great as long as we don't go over the planned amount). What left in acc is food petrol and extras. I must admit i spend most of it.

[Refresh]

We just have the one main account. I spend most of it....I transfer some to his credit card (Visa debit actually( every week.

[Leisa21]

A week after we were married we got joint accounts and then moved out. We have joint Credit card and joint savings. Everything is automatically debited at the end of the fortnight we put whatever is left into savings. We don't really stick to a budget but we're sensible enough to spend wisely. We consult on big purchases but if I'm out and see a dress I like I'll buy it, if I want something for DS I'll buy it, heck if I want lobster for lunch I'll buy it. All joint and IMO that's how it should be.

[halloweenmum]

DH's wage goes into his own account, which I dont have access to. I have to ask for money all the time, even just $2 to go buy some milk. And i have to justify what I want money for, eg: food, petrol, nappies, etc, problem is I never ever buy luxury items and so that upsets me a lot because prior to becoming a SAHM 1 year ago, I earned a high wage and made all the financial decisions. NAd i have never been a luxury item spender EVER!! Now, I have no say and no access to money at all which is just stupid. But DH gets to blow money on whatever he wants because its "his" money....

I had a feeling my situation wasnt the norm, make sure this doesnt happen to you :)

[HunterzMummy]

Our look on things is what mine is his and what is his is mine. We share everything and everything is openly dealt with. ALthough i handle all the money ie pay the bills, do the groceries and set the budgets, everything is written in the diary for DH to look at if he wants. He has never been good with money so he ased for me to do all our finances. Im a bit of a organizing nazi :p doesn't make sense in our realationship to have seperate accounts and double fees etc when we 'own' everything togeather.

[florence]

He goes to work, I handle the money.
Each of us are free to spend as we like once I have taken care of all other expenses.

[RedPanda]

I don't work (in the paid workforce) at all, and haven't since DS2 was born (nearly two years now). We have a joint bank account and I use it as I please. We discuss major purchases obviously, but I am free to spend what I need to.
I had a pretty good job before I had kids so I found it really difficult to adjust to being financially reliant on DH, but he's never acted like a pompous "breadwinner" so it's been somewhat easier for me. I now completely see his earnings as our money as he does. We have no separate accounts or individual credit cards at all, which some people may be aghast about!

[bbyrmsy]

we have a bills account that a set amount of money goes into each 'pay period'. I have an excel spreadsheet that correlates with this account and I keep 'balance' of - this spreadsheet is formulated with all of our bills up to 3 months in advance.

any money left after the bills money is for groceries, fuel and spending for both of us - we both have access to this account and are completely open about what we spend on everything so both of us always know how much money there is and if we want it we buy it :)!

[Betty Boop]

I handle paying bills and transferring $$$ ect -we put money aside for ALL of our expenses, save a good chunk then withdraw $100 to have fun with/do family things ect for the week, so I guess thats shared between all of us:D

[cookie087]

I stay home, he goes to work. We have seperate bank accounts, if he doesnt know how much money i have saved, he can't try spend it!! He doesn't really know how to save!

Anyway every week he transfers a set amount of money into my account. I pay for everything including bills, food, kids stuff. Anything left in his bank is his free to do with as he pleases.

[Angelark]

DH's wage goes into his own account, which I dont have access to. I have to ask for money all the time, even just $2 to go buy some milk. And i have to justify what I want money for, eg: food, petrol, nappies, etc, problem is I never ever buy luxury items and so that upsets me a lot because prior to becoming a SAHM 1 year ago, I earned a high wage and made all the financial decisions. NAd i have never been a luxury item spender EVER!! Now, I have no say and no access to money at all which is just stupid. But DH gets to blow money on whatever he wants because its "his" money....

Similar but we have joint accounts I buy the neccessities and pay the bills but he buys luxury items disguised as "for the family" like an orbital sander or a welder. Then when there's no money left for the essentials or bills guess who gets asked where the money went.

[Corlz]

DH's wage goes into his own account, which I dont have access to. I have to ask for money all the time, even just $2 to go buy some milk. And i have to justify what I want money for, eg: food, petrol, nappies, etc, problem is I never ever buy luxury items and so that upsets me a lot because prior to becoming a SAHM 1 year ago, I earned a high wage and made all the financial decisions. NAd i have never been a luxury item spender EVER!! Now, I have no say and no access to money at all which is just stupid. But DH gets to blow money on whatever he wants because its "his" money....

I had a feeling my situation wasnt the norm, make sure this doesnt happen to you :)

I think that is appauling :no: i wouldnt be taking that crap. You're doing the most important, unpaid, job in the world. :hugs:

[nugglyboysmum]

I dont earn money, all DH pay goes into his account, he pays all the bills then puts cash in my purse for me to buy groceries, petrol and whatever else DS and I need/want. It worls really well for us, we have had a few different set ups over the years, but this works best.

[Hollywood]

Thanks for all the replies so far, it's interesting to see how everyone handles the money :)


I dont earn money, all DH pay goes into his account, he pays all the bills then puts cash in my purse for me to buy groceries, petrol and whatever else DS and I need/want. It worls really well for us, we have had a few different set ups over the years, but this works best.

yeah, that's sort of what we do, though DH waits for me to ask for the money most of the time. Sometimes he will just leave a couple of hundred on the bench before he goes to work.

I'm going to work out a budget and ask for bigger amounts from now on, DH is a bit of a spender so sometimes we fall short for bills until his next pay goes in. I'd like to have a bit more control over the bills :yes:

[CrankyAndTired]

Most of our income goes into our family trust, and when we are running low on cash (say under 1000 in that account) we transfer a chunk to our account (we have separate accounts for tax reasons).

We both pay bills as we come across them but try to get as many direct debited as possible just so we dont sit down and pay them manually.. (much easier just to charge them to the credit card and then pay the credit card off in one go at the end of the month).

[jenpeterock]

we have a joint account which all our money goes into, first we pay bills, then we put some on the credit, ill do the food shop and then we just share what ever is left, we dont physically split it, but we just keep in mind how much there is.but sometimes its not equal. eg. dh bought $200 motorcycle boots this week (claims tho they are for safety so therefore were needed) or ill get a hair cut and dye once every couple of months. we do however have to make a effort to save for the bigger bills. (im dreading our next electricity:hair:)

we also have separate accounts which if we want to save for something we can put money there. we do it all through online banking.

my view is that yeah my partners goes out and will work 40-60hrs a week and occasionally has to answer his work phone at 2am (like 1 a fortnight), but i am caring for Evie 24/7 (sure he will hold her for an hr but im normally then doing something like cooking or cleaning up), he gets lunch breaks and 8hrs of undisturbed sleep, and a beer or two each evening. i give him space and peace at night when he needs it and intern i get access to money to keep me sane and give me one less thing to worry about
or in man speak HAPPY WIFE HAPPY LIFE:thumbsup:

[~isis~]

well up until recently we had seperate accounts. but were constantly just pulling all the money out and paying bills/sharing money. so we now have a joint account. it makes it easier that way.
also his pay has changed form monthly to weekly so that has made it even easier, except for the fact we had 3 weeks with no work so our bills are piled up... but give it a few more weeks and we should be caught up. then will be able to save and have spending money.
at the moment he looks after all the bills, just because he dose it online and i dont understand online banking. so its easier for him to do it then it is for me to learn. we both go grocery shopping and get what we need and a few wants while there(junk foods not much tho) and then what is left over he mostly spends as i dont really go out anywhere, and when i do i just cant justify spending money on cloths or something cause id feel bad if something happend and that $30 was needed and we didnt have it...
our issue is he tells me to spend, cause i just dont.. what a weired argument to have but still. i just cant justify spending money on me.

[ChelsLuke]

All our money, his wage and my centrelink go into a joint account. We both have access too. I pay the bills online. Do the food shop and we get $50 a ft each for whatever usualy household stuff extra petrol milk etc. And if we want something if the moneys there we buy it. If it costs more then $50 we check with the other one first to make sure that the money wasnt set aside for something.

[nugglyboysmum]

I told DH that he needs to make sure he gives at least $500 each pay to cover food and petrol, he usually gives me a few hundred extra lately though, depends on how much overtime he gets. If I run out of cash and need to ask for more he doesnt ask questions or make me feel bad he just coughs up

[madjedjjlill]

DH's wage goes into his own account, which I dont have access to. I have to ask for money all the time, even just $2 to go buy some milk. And i have to justify what I want money for, eg: food, petrol, nappies, etc, problem is I never ever buy luxury items and so that upsets me a lot because prior to becoming a SAHM 1 year ago, I earned a high wage and made all the financial decisions. NAd i have never been a luxury item spender EVER!! Now, I have no say and no access to money at all which is just stupid. But DH gets to blow money on whatever he wants because its "his" money....

I had a feeling my situation wasnt the norm, make sure this doesnt happen to you :)

My Ex husband was just like this that's one of the reasons he is now my EX...

[melissa.r]

Great thread, really interesting to read how others manage their money.
I have been a SAHM for almost 7 years now.
All money coming into the home (i.e. wages, FTB) is considered joint money and we both have access to this money. We sit down weekly and do a budget (funds are extremely tight as we are the 'working poor') and work out together what payments are a priority etc and there is pretty much nothing left as disposible money. Prior to having children I earned considerable more than my dh and our income more than halved when I finished work.
For us, this arrangement places equal value on our roles and doesn't differentiate between our paid/unpaid roles which would, in my opinion, devalue my contribution as a SAHM!

[Bubs'n'Roses]

We have a joint account. I have a card to it and atm DP doesn't lol. I do up the budget, pay all the bills and he will ask for what he wants/needs and I'll see if we can work it in.

[MrsTiggyWinkle]

Halloweenmum, have you considered going back to work? Just a thought... I don't think your DH is being fair. It costs money to live, it shouldn't have to be justified.

Whatever money we have is ours, we put everything on the credit card and pay it off in full end of every month. Though I do all the spending, DH is the one who manages the finances, but whatever is in our account is ours, no question of "his or mine". We always consult before a big purchase (anything say over $100) and plan ahead for the really big things (furniture, renos, holidays etc).

Women's Libbers stop reading here lol! I would actually prefer to have an allowance like you talk about Tysonsmum. I'm hopeless with money and we are getting nowhere with our money and its my fault I know. I would be interested in knowing how you worked out the allowance amount TMum, what you include in it, does he give you cash or a separate account etc?

[Lil Bugs Mummy]

Our look on things is what mine is his and what is his is mine. We share everything and everything is openly dealt with. ALthough i handle all the money ie pay the bills, do the groceries and set the budgets, everything is written in the diary for DH to look at if he wants. He has never been good with money so he ased for me to do all our finances. Im a bit of a organizing nazi :p doesn't make sense in our realationship to have seperate accounts and double fees etc when we 'own' everything togeather.


He goes to work, I handle the money.
Each of us are free to spend as we like once I have taken care of all other expenses.


We also run a small business so i really handle all the money DP wants to spend he asks me everyday what we have as it changes and i check the bank a couple of times a day, if he wants to buy me presents he has to be sneaky cos i know where every cent it going LOL

[delirium]

There are no 'mine and his'. We are a partnership and it's all our money.

I do the budgets, I pay the bills, I do the shopping. Both of us have access to each other's ATM cards as we need them.

I just wouldn't tolerate getting an allowance like I am a child :no: But if the woman is happy with that arrangement then I guess that's her business, not mine.

[JosieJo]

Joint account, he earns I spend lol.
I fully manage the money and budgets, spend what needs to be spent first, small purchases we each just do, large purchases we discuss. What he earns is not his, it's ours.

[The Fox]

Joint bank account here, his pay goes into the joint account and the mortgage and bills come out of that and i just spend what i need for groceries and other stuff, i handle all the money though

[waterlily]

I handle all the money. I'm the one that does the budget, pays the bills, does the groceries and buys anything else that we may need, childrens clothes etc...


Same in my household. I am queen of the cash. Haha

[embryonichappyperson]

DP has his account that his pay goes in to and the food, bills and everything else gets taken out of that. I have access to his account as I pay the bills etc and I just tell him I'm taking the card to buy this and do that. He has never refused me access to the account. I have my own account too which he deposits $150 in to each week for me to buy other things like clothes, money for going out, all that kind of stuff. I also get my tax benefit paid in to my account. We have done it this way for years and suits me fine. I have his card in my purse most of the time anyways. I only give it back when he needs to get petrol or he wants to go buy something haha.

[mum2mischief]

We have joint everything. I work about 6 hrs a week but that doesn't go far. We're both really conscious of spending, not overboard but not frivolous either.
I pay all the bills and wonder what DH would do if I wasn't around. I don't think he even knows how much money we have or how much he makes.
He couldn't remember his netbank password recently and I couldn't help but laugh as he needed to check the answers to all his security questions with me. :laughing: Very secure I know, but I guess we both trust each other completely.

[MoOaNdLiTtLePoPpEt]

Our money is in a joint account to spend as we both see freely providing we don't go over board and bills are paid first.

yep we are the same :) we both have access to it...to how we see fit :)

[mum2bubba]

We have a joint account. I got $530 a fortnight from Centerlink, he gets $1500 a f/n from work. We get payed different weeks so we are not without money (though obviously my week/fornight is less). I don't have to ask for any money. I'd hate to have to ask for an allowence. I'm not 10 years old. I am looking for a part time or casual job.

[mum2bubba]

DH's wage goes into his own account, which I dont have access to. I have to ask for money all the time, even just $2 to go buy some milk. And i have to justify what I want money for, eg: food, petrol, nappies, etc, problem is I never ever buy luxury items and so that upsets me a lot because prior to becoming a SAHM 1 year ago, I earned a high wage and made all the financial decisions. NAd i have never been a luxury item spender EVER!! Now, I have no say and no access to money at all which is just stupid. But DH gets to blow money on whatever he wants because its "his" money....

I had a feeling my situation wasnt the norm, make sure this doesnt happen to you :)

:( Sorry, but I think he sounds like a control freak. You have to ask for money off him like some little kid and then have to justify what you need it for? Do you get any money off Centrelink at all? If you do then I'd be opening up a separate account just for yourself.

[Bunnyhugs]

We have a joint account which all our money goes in to (DH's wages and centrelink). We both have access to it and buy what we want, but on payday, the bills that are due are paid and groceries are bought before anything else.

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

I am astounded that some men restrict access to money.:( I am not suprised though.

It is abusive, it is in fact financial abuse.

I would be having a talk to my DH about control issues and respect if he tried to restrict my access to money.

[MamaMetcalfe]

My DH & I added his name to my account around the time we were married - so joint account. I get $180 centrelink f/n & DH pay is between $1200 - $1900 f/n.

We have mortgage, life insurance, HBF, gas & daycare direct debited. DH gets $100 for him & $50 petrol a f/n, I always round off what we need to pay so there's little bits adding up :thumbsup:

If he gets alot of overtime I always keep $100 or so in the account for savings which he doesn't know about :D

Some fortnights I am left with nothing which sucks but other f/n I could have $200. If I see something I want/need I know whether we can afford it so I get it!!

Halloween Mum - If your happy with the arrangement then don't worry about this comment but when I HAD to leave work @ 32 weeks I felt like the money was DH & hated asking but he reassured me as long as bills were getting paid & we had food he wouldnt care if I flushed the money down the loo. Maybe a chat would help your situation.

[trishalishous]

If he gets alot of overtime I always keep $100 or so in the account for savings which he doesn't know about :D
{snip} when I HAD to leave work @ 32 weeks I felt like the money was DH & hated asking but he reassured me as long as bills were getting paid & we had food he wouldnt care if I flushed the money down the loo.
I also have a separate savings account, but the only reason that DH cant access it, is that I opened it when he was working away, and never had his signature. Now he's happy for me to keep 'spare' money in there for savings, so he's not tempted to spend it :)

We get our health cover direct debited too, and pay for fuel/food/bills on the CC (paid off each month) and I always round up, so we end up ahead and never in debt :)
Now Im not working its weird.
We always had a joint account, (we were engaged 3 weeks after dating, and married after 4 months) but I had pay packets, and we'd use the cash, and just save 100% of DHs wage.

[JJJRain-crew]

seperate accounts here, FTB, FTB is groccery money, DP never sees it and his wages, basically I had to tie him down and fource him to give me his internet bank account details because he was not managing the money at all and getting us into all sorts of trouble...
AS soon as his pay goes in I jump online, pay bills and transfer everything (minus 150) to my account... (after bills and rent its only about $250) for savings and petrol, money for DD, I put the savings money i seperate account (money for a second car, )... he knows that there is an account for this money but he cant know the bank details because its to tempting for him,
he is a gambler, and I really didnt want it to come to this but for us at the moment its the only way it will work, I don't trust him with money... hopefully over time he will get better and I will be able to release the reigns a little
hehe...

[danielle13]

We just have a joint account and both use what we need to use.
All of the bills are on direct debit so we don't need to worry about those, I do all the shopping and get everything for DD.
If either of us need anything, as long as it doens't cut into bill money we just get it.

We're not well off, debts and bills mean we're basically living pay to pay but we're both careful with what we spend so there's no issue.

I wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of an 'allowance', what's his is mine and what's mine is his.

[bookwormmum]

I wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of an 'allowance', what's his is mine and what's mine is his.

Same with us. We have a joint bank account. We both contribute to the household, so we both deal with bills, shopping etc. I could never imagine him giving me an 'allowance'.

[Hooves]

In our household, we have had a few systems, and at different stages in our life, they have worked, well.

But as things change so did our financial plan.

We now have a separate bank account each.

I have a card to his, he doens't have a card to mine.

We used to work it so that, I had full control of our bills and spending, but it really left us with not much money, to do anything, and he started to feel like HE had to ask me for money.

Which HE kind of did, but HE didn't have to ask, and get my permission, he just didn't actually have his own access, to it. IF that makes sense.

Now we have separate accounts.

He is still paid, the old fashioned way with cash in a pay packet.:laughing: So his account doesn't actually get money, unless we put it in there ourselves.

We use his account to save money.

He pays our house payment, and our fuel, and then he uses what is left for him. Which is not much.

I get centrelink, and I use that to buy food, pay phone/int, electric, water and any other expenses that we may have.

Of that, there is not much left either. BUT sometimes I have a bit.

I sometimes transfer money to his account, as savings, sometimes, I let it build up in my own.

This works for us.

We both know what the other does with money, but we both don't feel like a child asking a parent for money.

IT was a big issue for me, NOT to have to ask. AND until a few years back, I didn't realise it bothered him so much.

As our set up, was HIS idea. No one likes to have to ask, or go without money, because their partner controls it.

So this works for us. And finally our money, doesn't cause fights or arguments. We discuss it properly. AND it only took us 17 years to find a system we both think is fair.:laughing:

WE discuss any purchases, over our agreed spending. So no nasty surprises. My hubby likes to collect project cars and boats. They can get expensive. LOL

[brogeybear]

We have joint a/c with several accounts all for different bills. We each have a card to both the credit a/c and the debit a/c but DH asks if he wants to buy anything other than petrol or lunch, etc. He has no idea how much the bills are even though every 3 months I make him sit down and go over our budget with me - i think he just zones out...needless to say, I look after our finances and whenever DH gets his grubby hands on it it ends badly, he just doesn't think. Oh well, i guess I can just add another role to my 24/7 job - accountant!

[Mum2Mimi]

i handle all the money as dp is away in mines

we dont have a joint account but he has given me his internet account password and i go on that and transfer money for food,bills, petrol to my account and then i transfer the rent from his account to the realestate every week

i dont see it as an allowance....

i transfer some spending money within reason aswell but if its a lil more then usual cause there something big i want to purchase then i will talk to dp off a night over phone before going ahead with the transfer but besides that i just transfer money when ever i feel like or if i run out and need more cash

[shabbychook]

We have a seperate accounts which are all linked together, everything goes in his wages and my FTB, he gets paid weekly so we have a big week every 2nd week.
You learn to really budget when your a SAHM and your budget is tight like ours is.

I write a food list from what I need and shop every fght and top up F&V every week, look around and check out the cataloges, you can save money by making a few things and trying not to waste too much, it's amazing what you can freeze (the internet is very helpful when you find the right webpage!:geek: there are Aussie websites which can help you save and give you ideas they where helpful 9 mths ago when I stopped work because I had no choice as we where chasing tails, as it stand now with FTB we are only $120 short per fgth but we save $95 pfgth on petrol and childcare so we are only down $30 pfgth and I save than now in other ways.

I put aside 115 p/w for bills into a bill account, and pay them when they come in, it was hard for the first month but it works, just look what they are over a 6 mth period and divide (this includes one vehicle,insurance, ambulance cover, childcare, electricity, phone and water, not inc PP mobile):yes: and it works.

You can save on your power bills by turning off the appliance at the wall if your not using it(do it on things like washing machine, dryer, hair dryer etc, because if its plugged in and still turned on its still using power even if your not using it) I did 4 years ago and watched our bill drop by 280 p/yr and we did the exact same thing.

Oh forgot to say we had 2 house and 2 mortgages before I fell pregnant and sold one and then sold the other when our son was 8 mths old, we up graded a few things (inc car and motorbikes, and furniture), got rid of all our debt,had a fantastic holiday (babymoon(its pre baby honeymoon, just like ya honeymoon but ya pregnant:yelclap::D:smiliedance:)) and have never looked back, sometimes we want our own house but when you look at other things we have a fantastic 2-4 weeks away ever year in our timeshare and Love it.

Some weeks is harder than others, but we make sure on the tight weeks we have petrol, milk, and veggies and use what we have in the cupboard and it works, you learn to make things and bake a little bit more but it all adds up.

This thread is fantastic to see how everyone does things different, when it come to how we budget and spend/hold money/bill/live financially when it come from 2 incomes down to 1.

[Hooves]

Shabbychook.

I couldn't agree more with you. IT certainly does make a huge difference.

We have similar plans, by the sound of it.

:)

[Pina Colada]

I am a SAHM and we don't receive any FTB or anything.

DH wage goes into one account, and we both have credit cards that we buy everything on and the balance is paid out of our account every month. The 4 mortgage repayments also come out of that account.

I budget, handle all bill payments etc, and DH asks me if it is ok to make an unusual purchase. I can't even remember the last time DH looked at our bank statements.

The only thing that is a bit different is that for some reason my card isn't linked to the account and I can't get cash out, so I always have to ask him to get it out for me if I need some, which drives him crazy and he is always at me to fix my card so I can get my own cash out.

I would not be married to him if I had to ask permission to buy nappies, groceries and to borrow $2 to buy some milk.

[mummyturtle]

at the moment we have seperate bank accounts. my FTB (which just about halved cause of dh's new income... grr!) goes into my account and his wage into his. he handles all bills etc, and will automatically transfer money into my account for household stuff like groceries, petrol. so i guess it is an "allowance" of sorts, but i never have to ask him for money. he also transfers money into a savings account every pay. although i dont have access to his accounts, he still considers the money as "ours" not just "his".

he will check the accounts everyday cause he loves to know exactly what he spends. im hopeless with that, and if i am ever short and he asks me where the money went, i can never remember and he gets p*ssed off. not that i ever buy anything for myself excpet maybe a coffee here and there. he knows that too but i hate feeling like i have to justify when i only buying things that we need!

[Californication]

We have a joint everyday account and a joint savings account. All our money goes into the everyday account and what is not required for bills/food/etc goes into the savings.

We talk about any big ticket items (like the new dryer and washer we've just had to buy), and we have a weekly budget for groceries, fuel and such. But neither of us ask the other for $10 for lunch or a bottle of wine or anything, and neither of us is stupid with money.

He used to pay all the bills, but lately we've been doing it together. I was finding I'd gone and done what I said I would never do and didn't have much of an idea of what our finances were like! So we changed things, and now I do :)

[oscargrouch]

Hi everyone, I have been a SAHM for over 2 years now, my DD turned 2 in Jan. Basically, all our money (DH wage and family assitance) goes into one account. about 60-70% of his wage goes onto the mortgage automatically. I look after all of the finances. Hubbies doesnt have the need to carry cash as his work also pays for his fuel and he takes lunch from home. He has a credit card that he can use if he needs to (if he needs to grab something from the shops, buy a prescription, etc) He doesnt have a pin number to draw out funds, simply because he is too lazy to set it all up, and doesnt really see the need to. I think having one person with access to the moeny is easier and prevents overdrawing the account! I then just pay off his CC at the end of each month!

[bellangel3]

Every week we take my hubby's pay out from his account and we live off that. I have my own account which he doesn't have access to as he is HOPELESS with money and our centrelink payments and any bonuses etc go into that and we try not to touch it. We are both happy with this situation as he has no temptation to spend money. So basically I now control the finances, he earns it and I decide how to spend it as his past record has ended us up in trouble!

[One of THOSE mums!]

i would go absolutely crazy if i was given an "allowance"!

I give him the allowance. cos like alot of people my other half loves to spend money on crap, and forgets about bills.

plus im the one who does the budget, pays the bills, does the shopping, gets the cars serviced, calls the plumber when he blocks the toilet in the morning and fails to tell me before he leaves for work.

It is hard going from full time work to full time mothering, because you lose some control.

by managing the finances, i still feel like i am an equal part of the relationship...not just a housewife.

SAHM and proud of it!!!

[Thermolicious]

DF goes to work and I stay at home, both 'our' wages and FTB goes into a joint pay account, I pay the bills and make sure that there is enough money in the direct debit account, I also do all the food/family and household purchases, I always leave around $200 in the pay account each week to cover DF's taxi rides and any misc purchases and the rest goes into savings.

[HELPihavea2yrold!]

Im a SAHM to my 6 month old. Also a single mum now. When I was with DS father, he was on about $70000 a year while I was getting $520 f/t- baby bonus and FTB. Ex was paying $250 a week rent and wasting the rest of his pay and I was paying for food, bubs stuff, petrol for HIS car, Foxtel, etc and then what little was left, he would take. Hence why this man is my ex! I have learned now to keep my own money and not to loan DPs money, as I have been left bankrupt cos I took out a loan for him in my name, since he had bad credit from when he was younger and needed a car for work. Expensive and stressful lesson to learn.:thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

[Emmi]

We have a joint bank account. Most of our bills are automatically direct debited. DH has a credit card but I don't. He doesn't trust me. I just buy things when i know we need them. At least once a week I will buy DD something that she might need or something that I like, but it's not overboard. I hardly ever buy myself anything because I can't justify it. I'm in desperate need of clothes (lost 30kgs last year). Ohwell.

[TaylasWorld]

My dh goes pays rent and hands over the rest:laughing:. From there I arrange the bills to be paid and then we save some and splurge a little on luxuries over the weekend

[kellie2113]

We have a joint account - I pay all bills, put money into saving (acct in my name only) then whatevers left over we spend as we need.

DP is hopeless with money hence why the savings account is in my name only :)