Friday Thread: How Do You Manage Money With Someone Else?

Partner, Significant Other(s), Spouse, Family

Today’s Friday Thread prompt comes from Culture Study subscriber Chelsea, who asks:

How do you and your spouse or partner manage your money? For reasons I won't go into, my husband and I have kept completely separate bank accounts since we married in 2017 but now we're ready to change that. Feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities of joint accounts/joint credit cards, etc.

We’re going to expand this a bit more to include anyone whose finances are closely intertwined with someone else, for whatever reason — could be romantic or platonic or a family bond or a living situation. What works for you? What hasn’t worked, what has changed, what do you *want* to change? What apps work (or don’t work), what conversations are essential, what parts of it feel right and what feels awkward or annoying or regressive?

Different situations work for different people, so try to withhold judgment if someone else is doing something that feels like it would NEVER work for you. (Financial abuse and control is an exception here, of course).

As always, this is a private, subscriber-only space; don’t be butts about financial management (I know, this is hard, but I think we can do it) and let’s keep this one of the good places on the internet.