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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this a fair way to split finances?

651 replies

BittySpider · 22/01/2025 16:02

It’s my Son and his partner so I know it’s realistically none of my business but had an convo with him today and wondering if I am being unfair thinking this is unreasonable?

My Son and his partner are getting married in the summer. The live together. The topic of finances came up today as we were discussing the wedding and we have offered them a few K towards it.

He told me that the way they have always split their finances is that they have a joint account both wages are paid into. All direct debits for bills come out of that account including house, bills, subscriptions etc. Food shop money also comes out of that. Then they both transfer themselves the exact same amount from the joint account on pay day and this is to cover all personal expensive such as their phones, petrol, coffees, clothes etc. He said they don’t take from the joint unless absolutely necesssary and if one of them runs out they might say to the other can I borrow a tenner and then on payday they will give it the other person back out of their personal allowance.

I asked about takeaways or date nights and he said one person will usually cover it out of their “pocket money” but they don’t take it out of the joint unless it was a special treat like an anniversary. All holidays and other joint costs come out of the joint but as they’re getting married all of wedding costs are being paid from the money building up in the joint account. He said if one of them had their car break down then they’d take money out of the joint to fix it too. He also said they both have their own personal savings accounts too but these are currently neglected due to paying for wedding.

FWIW my DIL earns much more than him. DS doesn’t earn much more than minimum wage. I know it’s none of my business so I won’t say anything but AIBU to think this is a bit tight? Personally I think bills should be split proportionately to what they earn. The amount that they take out each for pocket money isn’t a lot and he’d have a lot more left over if they split it differently.

OP posts:
wordler · 29/01/2025 16:39

Donsyb · 29/01/2025 16:14

But they have the same
left over! They take the same
amount for “pocket money” and the rest (mostly her money) is in the joint account for emergencies/ holidays/ wedding etc. SHE is “giving up” more of her income than he is.

I think at the heart of it the OP does not see the joint account money - that’s at this point going towards the wedding - as her son’s money.

She’s probably not coming back because people keep telling her she’s bad at maths but I think it’s more of a perception issue.

Son earns x amount of money and she sees it as he’s only being ‘allowed’ to spend a small percentage of it. Rather than seeing it as he’s choosing to only spend a small percentage of it while he’s saving up for the wedding.

Perhaps the system was the fiancée’s idea - if so she sounds both sensible and generous.

But I suspect before moving in with his fiancée the OP’s son lived at home and paid a small percentage of his wage as his keep - say 25% and used the rest as his spending money.

And now he’s being grown up, independent and sensible and puts 75% of his wage into the joint pot and has 25% to spend.

The OP can’t see that he’s choosing to be sensible and more frugal. She’s just seeing that he used to be able to treat himself a lot more and it’s as if the fiancée is ‘taking’ the rest of his money.

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