stimac@tymix.UUCP (11/17/83)
I'd like to offer an example of a 'non-shared' finances plan that has been working for my wife and myself. We each have our own checking account, and we each deposit our pay into our respective accounts. Expenses which are mutually beneficial, such as housing, water, trash collection, food, etc. are paid as follows: We each pay a proportion toward that item. Since I happen to have a higher salary than my wife, I pay 60% toward them and she pays 40% (mutually agreed upon figures). At the first of the month I write a mortgage check, while she gives me a check for 40% of that amount. As she does most of the food shopping (saving all reciepts), once a month she adds them up and I pay her my share of the food bill. If I buy food, I put my initials on the reciept and she credits me for it when adding up the months totals. And so on. Any money we have after common bills are paid is our own to spend as we please. If one of us wants an appliance badly enough to get it, they do. In practice we usually check out whether our spouse wants one also, or what kind, and so on. We often agree to jointly purchase something, such as a luxury lounge chair we got recently. We each have hobbies or collecting interests which involve spending money on things which no couple could ever hope to agree on buying. Coming from a prior marriage in which she had little money and even less discretionary power over what little she did have, my wife feels it is very important for her to have control over the money she earns. I also prefer having control over the money I earn. This works for us. I'll admit that it might not work well in a family with a great disparity in incomes (or maybe it would), or if the family could barely meet expenses anyway. Settling the proportion of the common expenses is a one time event; once accomplished, there is little opportunity to argue about how to spend money. (obviously the proportion should be adjusted if one of the spouses has a drastic change in income). Michael Stimac We have been together for aprroximately 8 years and this works well for us.
zz1cp@sdccsu3.UUCP (11/20/83)
Such elaborate procedures for finances have been submitted that I wonder whether these schemes are for first or subsequent marriages. Also, is a pre-nuptual contract commonly drawn up, or is an oral agreement reached? C. Paloma [...]!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!zz1cp