Love, Marriage, and Money - Part 3 - A Little Independence isn't bad

After all this insisting that everything should be open, together, and intertwined - I'll come out and say that Brent and I each have our own spending money. Not much - we split $25 per week - but that money has no rules and we are able to spend it on whatever each of us chooses.

Each of us have our own hobbies, and even though I think Brent's hobby is less than cool, he still should have the opportunity to have fun and pursue it. And it shouldn't be a financial hardship if I want to go for coffee with a friend sometimes. It also gives us the chance to buy little gifts for each other or spend it on something we want to do together that's not in the budget (like the movies or something).

When we were first married I thought this idea was silly, but now I think it's really important, if only because it keeps us both happy. Being ultra-frugal gets tiring over a long period of time, and this helps to relieve some of the strain.