While reading another article on CNN this morning, this piece caught my eye:
I'm a secret spender - Hannah Shaner: Hides her shoes (1) - CNNMoney.com
Are you a secret spender? Are there things you buy that you hide from your spouse/others? If you're not a secret spender, do you think there are things you do financially that keep you from being a secret spender?
My mother was a big secret spender when I was a kid, and so when it came time to set up our finances for marriage (prior to being married, we'd kept everything separate), I deliberately went about it in a way to discourage secret spending. We have a joint checking account and are expected to contribute a certain percentage of our income towards joint expenses; this amount is determined by what percentage of the total household income either of us earn (i.e., if we made a total of $1000/mo, and my paycheck was 400 of that and his was 600, then I would contribute 40% of my paycheck, and he would contribute 60% of his). The rest of our paycheck we are free to keep in our own accounts and spend as we wish. As for the joint account, any expense over $50 has to be agreed upon by both parties, unless it's me going grocery shopping for the month.