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Money is such a taboo subject, it always has been and probably always will be. To some extent, I understand not going around and telling everyone your bank balance but at the same time, it feels like something we should keep to ourselves. My work friends and I are forever sharing about how poor we are, especially just after payday, when the ‘treat yourself’ mantra goes a little far. But what about talking about the finances with us closest to us? Only 26% of women are comfortable with sharing details of their finances within the first 3 months of a relationship, versus a whopping 45% of men. As a 23-year-old with an *almost* full-time job, and doing a lot of freelance work on the side it is often hard for me to actually determine a monthly income as this varies so much. But with my freelance work, I am happy to share figures of posts and how much I actually earn from blogging with those who want to know.
When Will and I met, he was a student and I was just leaving my part-time job to start a fulltime one. Will was pretty open about his lack of funds as most students are, forever waiting for that loan to come in. It was always a huge amount of treats when loan day came around and then the treats came from me when he was running low on money and it worked for us. Learning about the career that someone does early on can be helpful to gauge a money figure if this is something you feel is important within a relationship, especially in the future, e.g. if you are wanting to buy a house, this information may come in handy.
I know a lot of people do tell the occasional lie of a purchase that they’ve made due to the guilt they feel after a purchase away from their partner. Will and I have our own money and this makes it easier for me to work out what is mine and what I am ok to spend on the things I want. A joint account is something we have discussed getting at some point in the near future for bills and other shared finances to come out of and then for us to keep our own accounts for normal day to day stuff. I found out that 40% of women would not have a joint savings account with their partner because they do not trust them enough, compared to 11% of men.
Which shocked me a little as I assumed it was a *fairly normal* thing to do when you live together. Will and I have four bunnies which eat up a lot of our funds as we can’t help but treat them to stuff, and they also eat through a lot of hay and food, as well as the veterinary bills, plus they have an adorable cage each. Having a joint account would make things like this easier as we can both add money in for the vet’s bills and we wouldn’t have to transfer money back and forth to each other. Ferratum created an awesome infographic about the true extent of love and money which I found a great read and have popped part of it below, to view the whole thing you can visit their site here.
I think the amount of money you earn and the difference between you and your partner can cause friction as from past experience you feel guilty when they have to pay for everything for you as it leaves you feeling like you owe them something. Money is a subject I am happy to talk openly about, and I’d love to know your thoughts on this situation in the comments and whether money has ever had a negative impact on your relationship.
