Jada asked:


In your experience, what works and what doesn’t work when trying to devise a plan to share the bills and manage money in the household?
What do most people think about both spouses contributing an equal % of their salaries into a joint account, used for household bills and groceries etc. and keeping the remainder in a personal account for personal expenditures such as clothing etc?
Those who’ve been married for years please tell me what works best!

Aaron J asked:


I have been blessed to be raised in a family of savers and bug-deters that has allowed me not only to save much but to manage what I do get even if it is a dollar or 1,000 dollars. I’m currently about to get married/move in with my future wife and know that there is a lot of BIG misconceptions about two incomes becoming one big one. Please hear me out ladies and men I’m in no way trying to control, dictate, or force where and how the money is spent. With out giving to much info out I make the majority out of the two incomes now, but I will treat it as if we were both making the same amount. As for my future wife she never grew up in a family that expressed good methods of savings or budgeting at least to my knowledge and I can be wrong. We haven’t sat down and had a real conversation on it but from my time with her I feel that she is going to be defensive about it due to the worlds view that the husband is the one with the bacon and he tell you how to spend. She knows that’s not me but at the same time I know it is going to be hard to tell her that both of our incomes are going to be one and even though I’m not telling her to ask for permission there does need to be communication. My question to you is how, FROM PERSONAL OPINIONS ONLY PLEASE, to not come off confrontational but at the same time allow her to know that our income is one and communication and agreement must play a part in our COMBINED INCOME. Once again please people who have been through this and please don’t mistake me for the stereotype male dictator. Thanks for your time and have a nice day.