Oh, gosh. Money is such a very emotion-laden thing. It "means" power, and love, and self-esteem, and a lot of things, not just the ability to pay for stuff. When we first got married, we pooled all our money in one checking account, and we did that for years. When I wanted to open up my own office, Chris objected strenuously, he wanted me to get a job working for someone else. I promised him I wouldn't spend money he earned on my overhead, that I would pay it out of money I earned, and if I couldn't at least break even, I would get a job. He's used to getting a regular paycheck, he doesn't have the sense I do of when it's better not to spend money because I don't see money coming in. If I make a profit, I like to keep a cushion, so I always keep money in reserve. So my checking account is in both our names, and he could write checks on it if he wanted to, but he doesn't. And his checking account is also in both our names, and I could write checks on it if I wanted to, but I don't.
We never buy anything expensive without consulting with each other first, and agreeing. |
