• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Money Mentality
  • Financial Independence
  • Minimalism
  • Family Finances
  • Happiness
  • Health

One Frugal Girl

Financial Questions for Husbands & Wives

January 10, 2007 by One Frugal Girl 2 Comments

The following is a list of financial questions that my husband and I regularly discuss. These questions help us focus on our goals and ensure that we are both on the same financial page.

  1. What is our monthly take home income?
    • This can differ for my husband who gets paid by the hour.
  2. How much are our monthly expenses? Do we have any big purchases in the near future?
    • We discuss everything from property taxes, mortgage payments, repair bills, to IRA contributions and charitable contributions.
  3. How much do we want to save each month?
    • This may be a specific dollar amount or a percentage of our income. It also differs depending on the expenses discussed above.
  4. How much money do we have in our checking account right now? How much in our savings account? Brokerage account? 401(k)s? Roth IRAs?
    • Watching over these details ensures we don’t overextend ourselves and that we stay on target with our financial goals.
  5. How much money do we need in liquid assets to make each of us feel safe?
    • We currently strive to keep six months of assets in a semi-liquid or easy to liquidate form.
  6. What kinds of purchases must we jointly agree upon?
    • Over the years we’ve decided that all home and car purchases must be discussed. Personal items like clothes and food usually don’t require discussion.
  7. How big of a purchase can we make without consulting the other person?
    • Usually anything over $200. For us this is really more about the type of purchase than the amount of money.
  8. Who currently pays the bills? Is that working for us?
    • My husband, God bless him. He has a great attention to detail and journals all of our monthly expenses. Most of our bills are paid automatically or through online banking services.
  9. Who does the long range financial planning? Is that working for us?
    • I do, although I have thought of getting one-time financial advice from an expert. As we add new retirement accounts it’s difficult to ensure our investments are still diverse.

Filed Under: Family Finances

Reader Interactions

« Previous Post: Unselfish Reasons for an Emergency Fund
Next Post: In need of a raise… Give yourself one »

Comments

  1. Tag_Ends says

    January 12, 2007 at 1:52 AM

    My wife and I talk lots about many of the things you have on your list. If a couple doesn’t talk money and can’t agree on goals then I think they are asking for trouble down the road. Great list.

    Tag

    Reply
  2. One Frugal Girl says

    January 13, 2007 at 3:52 PM

    I totally agree. I am always fascinated when friends tell me they don’t talk about money with their spouses. In an open and loving relationship I don’t understand why people are so afraid to discuss money.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Jewels. I am a forty-year-old wife, mother, blogger, personal finance enthusiast, optimist, former software developer and achiever of financial independence. This blog is my story. Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.

Contact: onefrugalgirl @ gmail . com

Featured Posts

How to Live Simply: My Plan for Living With Less

Know Your Worth: Value Yourself Beyond Money

How To Live Your Best Life Without a Lot of Money

Subscribe Via Email

Copyright © 2021 ยท One Frugal Girl