I heard on the radio this morning as I was coming in to work talk about women and men on allowances from their spouses. I found the topic interesting so I did not change stations. The first guy that was on the air was “Bob” and he was on an allowance from his wife of $50 a week – this included lunch expenses, dinners out, clothes, etc. I was initially appalled as I listened because it sounded like he was on a leash and for a moment, I thought, wow – how emasculating for him, but as the program continued and callers called in, I realized how common this occurrence was for both men and women.
Another caller who called in said his wife puts him on an allowance too. He loved it – no complaints! He is self-employed and his wife works too but she has just traditionally managed their money and expenses so, he is perfectly content with his $50 a week. Then, a woman called in who said she is also on a budget of $100 biweekly. However, unlike the guys who called in, she has to buy formula and diapers with her allowance and by the time she pays for a tank of gas, she only has $15 a week – not enough to even get her nails done. But, wait – her husband will write her a check for a salon trip but he writes it for the exact amount that he thinks the haircut or particular should be. Wow! That was a little disturbing to me and just because she is a stay at home mom does not mean she should be treated so poorly. Then again, she was happy with her situation. When asked how that made her feel – she replied, “great – I think the situation is perfect because if I had more money, I would just spend it.”
In all of these relationships, one person was the spendthrift (the person on the allowance), and the other was the tight wad, wage earner, or just smarter with the family finances. As Bob explained, his business expenses are separate so if he had to take a client out, that came out of his business expenses and his gas (since his business is mobile) came out of his business expenses. The $50 a week was his personal allowance from family expenses. That is not bad actually if you think of it- $50 a week. Like I said, just about every caller was happy with his or her position and receiving fixed money so they did not overspend or overextend their family’s finances. I wondered if my husband and I should employ the same methods. I know if I have fixed money, I would think twice about grabbing that sandwich out but then again, I already do that- I am pretty tight with my money and look for bargains in all I do and think twice before eating out. My husband, on the other hand, I think could stand to be on an allowance but I know he manages his money seemingly well – well, on most days. Sometimes he dips into family finances when his “hobby” money runs out and maybe that is why these people do this – because if you only have $XX, and you run out, you cannot dip into anything else. It is done! I think it is a matter of self control and self discipline really when it comes to overextending your finances. In my life, I have noticed a pattern in those who are always broke, just barely scrape by, or never have money (even for retirement) – they have no control on their spending habits and do not know their limits. Unfortunately, the same principles that apply to their spending sometimes carries over to other aspects of their life such as leave and sick leave balances at work, food at home, etc.
Needless to say, after listening to this morning’s radio show, I am glad that neither of us are on an allowance but if one of us had to be, I think it would work too because we tend to be disciplined with our money and spending.
