Spousal approved spending limit?

[Scarlet]

Do you and your husband/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner have a preagreed "I can spend this without running it past hubby/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner"?

[IdahoMom]

DH and I both get $100 WAM money each month. We can do whatever we want with it. If we want to spend more than that, if we want to get something that isn't in our monthly budget, then we talk about it.

[SouthernJen]

Do you and your husband/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner have a preagreed "I can spend this without running it past hubby/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner"?


I wish!!

[bRATmom]

Do you and your husband/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner have a preagreed "I can spend this without running it past hubby/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner"?


:howling:

what a concept.... having money to ask if it can be spent on something that isnt a bill........

If it ever happens.... I will let ya know, and be able to answer the question properly...... :howling:

[Keri]

after the bills are paid, money is put into savings and then whatever is left over is "fun money". Neither of us have a set amount. It is usually spent on family puchases. when we get our taxes back mark and I splurge on ourselves.

Of course he will buy a book at B&N or I will pick up a new DVD and we don't "ask" but the bigger purchases are always discussed.

[Scarlet]

Even when we were scraping the barrel when we were first married and buying our first house and car, we had an understanding that you didn't have to check with each other before buying a candy bar or so. We had about $2/week each fun money in those days. DH usually got a beer at lunchtime on friday with his, I usually bought a magazine or a soda with mine.

[mom2burgess]

Nope, unless it's a large purchase. If I am gonna pick up some groceries and decided to pick up a shirt or something to, i don't ask

[Val]

Every month we go over the budget and talk about what we need / want this month. We have some discretionary money built into various categories, like "entertainment". Under that might be a night at the movies, new ink for our computer, film for the camera, etc. Our budget is on the computer (gotta love QUicken!) and if we need to spend on something, we do, if there is still money available for the month in that category. Now, if it is going to take up a substantial chunk of the money, and is something we didn't mention - say I found a dress for $100 on sale and desperately needed one - I would call and say "okay if I spend the cash on this?" Dh does the same. If it is a large chunk of change, we check. Otherwise, we can pretty well get it as long as we see there is still money in the budget for it. If it is midmonth though and I see we are down to the last $10 for something, I am not going to blow it without making sure there is nothing else we need to get that month.

[Michele]

husband/wife/boyfriend/cat/alien life partner

ROFL!

No I don't need to run spending money by my husband. We both are aware of what our monthly commitments are. We don't exceed that. :)

[Epicurus]

We discuss larger purchases. Many times we discuss even smaller purchases for the others opinion rather than permission.
In the early years even a shirt would have been discussed because money was so tight. Now, it is a little looser and we don't sweat it so much.
Now it is more of a courtesy rather than a permission thing.
I think it depends a lot on the financial status of the family at the time!

Collette

[Slabobbin]

I handle all of the finances and make most of the clothing purchases and purchases for the house. When I say purchases for the house I am referring to things like a new casserole dish for the kitchen. If it were a purchase like a new washer and dryer we would both be in on it. The smaller things don't matter to him and I am usually the one who uses them so I am usually the one who decides. Since I manage the money I know how much we have and how much I can spend on something.

If he wants something he will mention it to me, not to ask permission but so that I can let him know if we can buy it that week or so that I can budget for it if needed. I am referring to things like a new pair of running shoes for him or a game for his PS2.

He withdraws $20.00 a week when he puts his check in the bank and he uses that for small purchases during the week. He likes to buy bottled water and a daily paper to read on break...things like that. If he runs out of money by the end of the week and doesn't have lunch he will put it on our debit card and give me the receipt. He doens't have to "run it by me" first because it is such a small purchase that the money is always there. He also gets gas when needed and just gives me the receipt after work.

I have more "freedom" with the money but it is only because I am the one who manages it. I have tried to involve him more in the budgeting and bill paying but he just isn't that interested. He knows that I always make it work out somehow until next payday. As long as we aren't getting collection calls from past due bills then he is happy not knowing more.

[GracieMae]

I am only allowed to spend what Jim says I can spend. I am given $80 a week for groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies for 5 people. Needless to say I get into my own bank account each week so I have enough money to do this as $80 doesn't cut it.

I am not given any money from Jim other than my weekly allowance (and that comes from Lisa's rent money, not directly from Jim's pocket)

We won't talk about how much money JIM spends on himself every week.

[Niles]

We have savings (both regular and 401K), insurance (health, eye, dental, long-term & short term disability, and life), and charitable donations, taken out of our check before we get it.

The rest is direct deposited into our checking account. Each pay period we discuss all the bills that need to be paid for those two weeks, and DH pays all the bills. Anything left over is spending money.

We have a "gentleman's agreement" that if it is over $100, we at least discuss the purchase first, not really to get permission, but to make sure the other person doesn't have more pressing needs at that point.

I do most of the shopping (DH hates to shop, and I enjoy it), so he is a lot more likely to run a purchase by me, to make sure I haven't ear-marked the funds, than I am to run it by him. :) DH complains if we are short of money, and I have overspent, but as he is NOT willing to take on the shopping himself, we agree that me "over-shopping" is an acceptable risk for him (I am really trying to improve this). :)