Let's be clear on the proposal. I will keep my private account private. I am proposing that we each contribute from our private funds to a joint account to cover family expenses, the joint account having full transparency.
Now, if we are to contribute to that joint account proportionally on the basis of earnings, she would have to know earnings. That can come from a pay stub. She already knows that anyway because of the budget. But to be clear, no way does she ever get access to my primary private account. That's ages away.
Anything that isn't a legitimate family expense, she would have to pay for from her private account, not from the joint account, and not from me.
And if transfer my portion of the money into that account only as I am about to pay a bill, the balance, and the risk for abuse is relatively small. Basically, I would only be keeping enough in there to cover the weekly grocery bill.
At some point, she has to understand financial reality. And yes, I understand she is the equivalent of a teenage addict. I have no reason to expect much here. But I have to change this whole CC situation. That card of hers is about to peg and she should be contributing if she is earning.
Perhaps I should just wait for that card to blow up. Then it won't be me forcing the issue, but the fact that she tries to buy something and the card doesn't work. That lets me off the hook. And if she has a paycheck, she can pay down her card until it starts working. I won't have the transparency, and she won't learn finance. Oh well.
I already know that she will view the idea as me trying to get my hands on her newly earned paycheck. She will see the transparency on her spending as me trying to micromanage her, yet again.
Maybe I'll just take the month of April off to GAL.
