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How do you and your partner budget for bling?

DH and I have separate accounts where our paychecks are deposited into. We also have a joint account and joint credit card where joint purchases are made out of. We sit down every year and put together a budget - mortgage, gas, insurance, groceries, utilities, retirement savings/investments, vacation savings, car payments/repairs, student loan repayments, etc....everything that is a joint expense. We budget investment and retirement savings contributions as part of this, and we agree how much we should be doing every year based on a financial plan put together for us by our financial planner. We revisit this on a yearly basis to make sure that we are on track, which is important on years where returns on investment are not what they normally would be. Every 2 weeks (on payday), each of us puts in 1/4 of the monthly joint amount to cover these expenses. Whatever is left over is our spending money, to use however each of us wants, no questions asked. During times when one or the other of us has earned much more or less than the other, we have simply adjusted the percentage of the joint expenses each of us would cover.

How I sold it to my husband (whose parents had a single joint account, and who thought this was the reasonable way to go) is that I need some privacy. I really don't want to be having conversations with him about how much my fancy shampoo costs, or how much I spend at Sephora, or on new clothes/bras/underwear, nor do I want to have to ask for permission to spend my own money on things that he is unlikely to value. Similarly, I don't want to nag/judge him about any purchases he might want to make that I might think are silly. So I have a personal credit card (as does he) as well as a personal bank account (as does he), and the only thing he and I have to negotiate on is the *real* stuff (i.e., our joint budget). But both of us have always worked, so this works for us. If I didn't work, I imagine that we'd move to a traditional joint account system and I'd have to get frugal on my shampoo taste pretty fast...

My bank lets me open/close accounts online. Maybe yours will too.
 
You already got great advice. I hope things go smoothly. I am a very big fan of financial independence and have always had at least one personal account. My local bank also lets you open accounts online if time is an issue.
 
I agree - great advice here! So helpful!

And let me just throw it out there: I wouldn't even consider bling if we hadn't already saved a ton for the baby :) In fact, we've saved double what we think we'll need and have more in long-term savings if ever needed. DH pretty much uses the baby as an excuse to not buy bling, and he admitted it ;)

I guess I just wanted random people on the internet to know that I'm going to be a fiscally responsible mom :)
 
Also I know many of us got baby bling/push present. Maybe that's an angle you can try. :naughty: I did not think you were being financially irresponsible.
 
Tacori E-ring said:
Also I know many of us got baby bling/push present. Maybe that's an angle you can try. :naughty: I did not think you were being financially irresponsible.

And I think that everyone was really kind to not make assumptions or suggest that I was being irresponsible :
I guess I just wanted to say it anyways :)
 
He pays for everything "us"
I pay for everything "me"**

And every once in a while, we pay for each other in terms of gifts.

No one has a "right way" vs "wrong way". The only thing that matters is how it works for you two. If you are unhappy, change it. He shouldn't be the only one happy with your arrangement. Happy wife = happy life. Unhappy wife = miserable life. Haha!


**"me" includes things that affect him and our household, so it's not all leisurely or selfish.
 
December Fire, I love your posts.
 
pearaffair|1486517509|4125736 said:
I agree - great advice here! So helpful!

And let me just throw it out there: I wouldn't even consider bling if we hadn't already saved a ton for the baby :) In fact, we've saved double what we think we'll need and have more in long-term savings if ever needed. DH pretty much uses the baby as an excuse to not buy bling, and he admitted it ;)

I guess I just wanted random people on the internet to know that I'm going to be a fiscally responsible mom :)


I don't think you sounded irresponsible at all. Y'all are clearly thinking about the future. Being a new mom is going to be a busy and pretty exhausting time. I think it is perfectly reasonable to want to put a little something for yourself aside for fun, and as others have said so well, it's important to maintain your personal identity as well.
 
pearaffair|1486517509|4125736 said:
I guess I just wanted random people on the internet to know that I'm going to be a fiscally responsible mom :)

Cheers for being a fiscally responsible mom! :appl: Hopefully you're not worried because you read the post recently where the poster requested suggestions for a commemorative piece of jewelry for the birth of their first child and someone jumped in to tell them to put the money towards a college savings plan instead! To me, that was so presumptuous, to assume anything about a person's financial plans or priorities, or be salty about what people say they want to spend money on, without evidence to support those assumptions :roll:

For example, my DH is a dedicated planner and saver. When we got serious (prior to getting engaged) and started discussing our financial goals I learned he had actually already started earmarking money intended for hypothetical future child/children's college (in addition to retirement fund, and other financial goals) YEARS before we even met. Now THAT's responsible!

Everyone's situation is different. Everyone's priorities are different. Without evidence to the contrary I have faith in my fellow pricescopers to know their own budget and abilities ;)
 
pearaffair|1486517509|4125736 said:
I agree - great advice here! So helpful!

And let me just throw it out there: I wouldn't even consider bling if we hadn't already saved a ton for the baby :) In fact, we've saved double what we think we'll need and have more in long-term savings if ever needed. DH pretty much uses the baby as an excuse to not buy bling, and he admitted it ;)

I guess I just wanted random people on the internet to know that I'm going to be a fiscally responsible mom :)

pearaffair,

I'm sure you and your DH are both fiscally responsible! I hope my posts didn't give you the impression that I thought otherwise.

Your thread title asks how to 'budget for bling'. If you didn't care about finances, you wouldn't be starting such a thread because you'd be too busy ordering bling! :lol:

Your child is very fortunate to have financially-responsible parents. :))
 
madelise|1486533109|4125833 said:
December Fire, I love your posts.

Oh my goodness, madelise, thank you! That's so nice of you. :)) :wavey:
 
I definitely did not feel under fire! I think this is one of the kindest corners on the internet :)

DH and I are opening accounts next week and I can't wait!
 
Check out this thread for jewelry ideas.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewelry-gifts-new-mothers

My push present is on there. I love having a piece of jewelry to celebrate her. One day I will give it to her which is why I had them put in a sizing bar. Can't wait to see your future projects.
 
pearaffair|1486604034|4126318 said:
I definitely did not feel under fire! I think this is one of the kindest corners on the internet :)

DH and I are opening accounts next week and I can't wait!


Someone else mentioned Ally, and I have banked with them for years now. I recommend them. So easy to create new accounts, and move money around. They are so very helpful.
 
Tacori E-ring said:
Check out this thread for jewelry ideas.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewelry-gifts-new-mothers

My push present is on there. I love having a piece of jewelry to celebrate her. One day I will give it to her which is why I had them put in a sizing bar. Can't wait to see your future projects.

I will have to save up for a push present for myself because DH would NEVER go for that! He doesn't even like to get Valentine's Day gifts haha
 
pearaffair|1486646411|4126484 said:
Tacori E-ring said:
Check out this thread for jewelry ideas.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewelry-gifts-new-mothers

My push present is on there. I love having a piece of jewelry to celebrate her. One day I will give it to her which is why I had them put in a sizing bar. Can't wait to see your future projects.

I will have to save up for a push present for myself because DH would NEVER go for that! He doesn't even like to get Valentine's Day gifts haha

It's worth a shot. He might surprise you. I think the birth of your child is worth 100 valentine gifts ;)
 
Tacori E-ring said:
pearaffair|1486646411|4126484 said:
Tacori E-ring said:
Check out this thread for jewelry ideas.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewelry-gifts-new-mothers

My push present is on there. I love having a piece of jewelry to celebrate her. One day I will give it to her which is why I had them put in a sizing bar. Can't wait to see your future projects.

I will have to save up for a push present for myself because DH would NEVER go for that! He doesn't even like to get Valentine's Day gifts haha

It's worth a shot. He might surprise you. I think the birth of your child is worth 100 valentine gifts ;)

I like the way you think!!! ;)
 
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