Each couple, deciding to live together, is faced with the financial side of family life. Who Should Pay for Housing? Who will buy food and clothing? It's easy to decide if you know how to organize your family budget.
The financial issue has always been a sensitive topic, and when it comes to the family budget, it becomes even more delicate. On the one hand, each of the spouses has his own income and has the right to dispose of it freely, on the other hand, they are tied by the bonds of marriage, which dictate that they jointly manage property and income. So, there are three options for organizing the family budget:
• First: each of the spouses keeps their income for themselves, contributing a certain agreed amount for utilities, food, household chemicals, joint recreation. This is a convenient option for couples who are just starting out together. They do not yet have joint property, they only get to know each other in everyday life. This way of organizing the budget will allow them to understand how to plan joint expenses, while at the same time leaving some financial freedom from the partner. It is also convenient for those where one of the spouses receives much more and believes that he is not obliged to spend his salary on the maintenance of the other.
• Second option: the spouses add both income together, leaving a certain amount for “pocket expenses” for each. This is perhaps the most convenient way for everyone to manage a family budget. As a rule, it is suitable for long-married couples who are confident in each other and negotiate all the items of expenses together.
• The third option: a completely joint budget, and the finances are managed, most often, by one of the couple. This is usually the wife. This method has one indisputable advantage: it is easy to track spending and plan a budget. However, for this, the spouses must unconditionally trust each other.
Of course, there are other ways of organizing the family budget. Each pair decides everything individually. And the main thing in this matter is not only love, but trust and personal views on the financial side of the marriage of each couple.
